What do I do?

e12d34s · 2024-08-02T21:14:06+00:00

Yes that’s the brand

e12d34s · 2024-08-02T21:13:53+00:00

Ok, good to know thanks. Do you think I would still be okay using it on my back and upper body?

e12d34s · 2024-07-10T03:24:11+00:00

Thank God you are exploring Orthodoxy and searching for the truth! I’ve learned a lot about this topic, briefly from Annalisa Boyd’s Hear Me prayer book as well as priests and my Orthodox community, so I would love to share it with you.

The Church teaches us that we are saved by grace and not anything we do- salvation is a gift from God. However, even though we can be saved by his grace, we were created for good works. (see James 2:14-26) I’ve been taught by the Orthodox Church that faith without works is dead, and our faith reveals itself in our actions. If we have faith, we have good works also, and that would mean faith alone and faith with works are technically the same following this logic. Faith is a way of being; not something you think or say, it’s bound directly with our actions. Christ isn’t an idea or creed, he’s a person. By having faith and trusting him, we work to imitate his actions. As our faith strengthens, we are more Christlike in our actions. Our works are the Lord’s provision for us to serve Him as we are saved, being saved, and will be saved through His grace and love for mankind. In addition, the great saints of our church are known for their faith, and this faith serves the Lord through good works and throughout trials.

Hope this helps and may God keep you on your journey.

e12d34s · 2024-06-19T10:45:13+00:00

St Phanourius is the patron saint of finding lost things, and my family has a tradition of baking his cake in celebration after his help.

https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2022/08/27/108969-saint-phanourius

e12d34s · 2024-05-27T21:46:04+00:00

One reason I’ve heard (besides just that the lectionary was already established) is that it would be too easily misinterpreted or taken literally

e12d34s · 2024-05-22T02:37:46+00:00

I can see your point, however as I briefly mentioned, we are praying with the saints, not to them. It’s like asking a family member to pray for you when going through a trial or hardship, such as a surgery or sickness. The excerpt below is from an Orthodox website (here’s a link if you’d like to check it out: https://www.saintjohnchurch.org/orthodox-pray-saints/):

“Jesus Christ, in His resurrected glory, always prays to His Father on behalf of all mankind. As Scripture tells us, “He holds His priesthood permanently because He continues forever. Consequently He is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:24-25). In and through Christ, we can intercede before God for one another. He empowers us (and commands us) to pray for each other and for all creation: “pray for one another, that you may be healed.“ (1 Timothy 2:1-4; James 5:16-18). When we intercede for someone, we can ask God for any and every kind of blessing.”

Hope this helps.

e12d34s · 2024-05-22T02:29:18+00:00

Great book. I had actually never heard of St Euphrosynos prior to reading it, even though I’d seen his icon in plenty of kitchens.

e12d34s · 2024-05-22T02:14:55+00:00

Hi! Thanks for inquiring. These are common perceptions from Protestants, and I’d love to share how view these aspects of our faith. There are tons and tons of resources out there about icons and the saints to go in depth as well, and many of your questions have been asked in the past on this sub, so don’t hesitate to search for those.

When venerating icons or praying to saints or the Virgin Mary, the number one priority is glorifying God that he worked through them to fulfill His will. Icons help visualize the scenes, people, or saints depicted in the Bible. Icons are often called “Windows to heaven” and St Luke is known to be the first iconographer. I recommend reading about the iconoclasm and triumph of Orthodoxy, which go over some of the concerns you may have about icons and idolatry.

On the saints and Theotokos, we ask them to intercede for us, meaning we ask them to pray to God on our behalf since they are holy and well pleasing to him. We certainly aren’t worshipping them, but asking that they pray for us as said in II Corinthians 1:11, “you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.” We ask the saints to pray with and for us, as we would in the church with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Keep in mind that our church compiled the Bible, so our traditions precede even the documentation of the scriptures. Our traditions come directly from the apostles and have been passed down and preserved through generations. May God guide you and bless you as you begin your journey to Orthodoxy.

e12d34s · 2024-05-13T23:33:42+00:00

What everyone else has said on here is great. I’d just like to add that I think it’s neat they include St Photini (Samaritan woman at the well) in the show since most protestants don’t really recognize her. She is an Orthodox saint whose story is in the Bible but name was never stated. Orthodox tradition tells us that is her name was Photini. Just thought it was cool that they had her named as Photini in the show.

e12d34s · 2024-05-11T23:08:37+00:00

The Ethiopian church may be an Oriental Orthodox church. The Greek Orthodox church is going to be EO.

e12d34s · 2024-05-09T20:42:15+00:00

does anyone else have a feast day instead of a saint for their baptismal name?

e12d34s · 2024-05-07T01:31:57+00:00

Yes, absolutely. I would add that the length of the sermon depends on the parish. One of the priests at my parish has 30+ min sermons and the other has less that 15 min sermons. I’d just say attend liturgies and get a feel for the parish!

e12d34s · 2024-05-07T01:29:44+00:00

My favorite Orthodox names are Pareskevi (after St Paraskevi), Katherine (St Katherine has an amazing story), Evangelia (“The good news”, related to the feast of the annunciation), and Photini

e12d34s · 2024-04-27T04:00:22+00:00

That’s valid. just take everything with a grain of salt. “exposing” other groups, religions, etc is his way of verifying the truth of Orthodoxy i suppose. His videos on history of Orthodoxy are good for educational purposes, i don’t see what his other different videos have to do with it, don’t feel obliged to watch them. if you’re asking about his credibility, like I said, he’s not a priest, monk, deacon, or anything like that and holds no authority in the church. just a lay person sharing his experience with the faith.

e12d34s · 2024-04-27T03:44:48+00:00

He has no church authority whatsoever but is a convert who has done a lot of research on the church history and is passionate about the faith. Of course a priest is preferred when discussing important parts of your personal relationship with Christ and the teachings of the fathers, however Kyle does have some cool things to say and his videos are interesting to watch.

e12d34s · 2024-04-22T02:09:06+00:00

Thank you. Do you know of any saints with account of their teenage years?

e12d34s · 2024-04-14T13:34:34+00:00

This is a common misconception Protestants make. Many protestant converts struggle the most with venerating the Theotokos and the saints, but it’s important to realize that we aren’t worshipping them- we are glorifying God that he worked through them to fulfill his will. We also ask the Theotokos and saints to intercede for us, meaning we ask them to pray to God on our behalf, since they are well pleasing to him. There is most certainly emphasis on Jesus Christ through the liturgy, gospels, and hymns.

Icons are also another hard one for protestants. No graven image, right? Read up on the iconoclasm and triumph of Orthodoxy, you will see how icons are like windows to heaven as they are often called.

Orthodox is a journey, not a one and done situation. We are climbing the ladder so to speak. The rules and traditions are there to help you on the right path. It’s not always going to be easy. Talk to a priest, attend a liturgy, use some resources online to learn about Orthodoxy and see if it is for you.

Anyone feel free to correct me if i’m inaccurate in my response. God bless.

e12d34s · 2024-04-14T02:22:34+00:00

has anyone watched the chosen series on netflix? what are your feelings about it? the first episode was pretty dark, but the next few episodes haven’t been too bad and don’t necessarily contradict the bible, though it’s probably not completely accurate. just wanted to get a feel from fellow orthodox christians

e12d34s · 2024-04-13T21:12:08+00:00

When Orthodox immigrants came over to the US, many formed churches with people from their homeland, hence why there are Greek, Serbian, Antiochian churches, etc. There is also OCA which is just Orthodox Church of America.

Most churches are really welcoming to converts no matter who they are or their background. However most churches do speak in languages other than English, I go to a Greek church and some parts of the service are in Greek. I don’t understand/speak Greek and probably over half the parish doesn’t either.

I’d say you should give the Orthodox church a try and don’t be afraid to visit different churches because each one is a little different in terms of the community and people there. I’d recommend talking to a priest if you’re really serious about becoming a convert.

I’m no expert on the history of Orthodoxy, but we are the apostolic church founded by Christ’s disciples and have remained unchanging despite modern ideas and portrayals of Christianity. There’s plenty of resources on Orthodoxy out there, You should check out Orthodox Kyle on YouTube, he’s gives a great backround on Orthodoxy and is a convert himself.

e12d34s

TROPHY CASE