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Our Orthodox Customs Incense “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling fragrance”. (Eph 5:2) Anyone who walks into an Orthodox church cannot remain unmoved by what they encounter. All their SENSES will be heightened as they take in the iconography, the sound of chanting, the lighting of candles and oil lamps, the taste of the Bread and Wine and the sweet smell of incense filling their being. The use of incense is traced back to the Old Testament when God [...]

From the Holy Fathers St John Climacus on Repentance “The Ladder of Divine Ascent” by St John Climacus is one of the most studied books in Orthodoxy. St John (579-649 AD) entered the monastic life at a young age, later becoming abbot of the central monastery on Mt Sinai. He wrote the “Ladder” as a spiritual guide for monks in a neighbouring monastery, which helps explain the uncompromising tone of the “Ladder”. Although written for monks, it has nonetheless been treasured by lay people for hundreds of years. The “Ladder” is divided into 30 steps, or chapters, to guide the [...]

What we Hear in Church Triodion Hymn of the Matins Service In the four weeks leading up to Great Lent, there is a discernible shift in the hymnography of the Church. This is because from the Vespers service of Sunday of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee and up to Holy Saturday, the chanters use the service book titled, the Triodion. During the preparatory period up to and during Great Lent, this hymn is chanted after the recitation of the 50th Psalm, during the Sunday Matins Service. Psalm 50 is attributed to King David who wrote it after having committed [...]

From the Old Testament The Leadership of Moses Exodus 3:1 - 4:31 records the events by which God called Moses to deliver the Israelites from their Egyptian captivity. A commentary on this passage is provided by theologian Professor Trembelas in his book “Moses, the Liberator of Israel”[1]. Moses was selected and prepared by God from birth to challenge Pharaoh and to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. It is important to note that God did not call Moses to this task while he was still living in the palace of Pharaoh as a “prince of Egypt”. According to Trembelas, God [...]

From the Psalms “God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us” - Ps 117:27 (118:27 in English versions) «Θεὸς Κύριος καὶ ἐπέφανεν ἡμῖν» (Ψαλμ. ΡΙΗ᾽ 27) Throughout every Service of the Orthodox Church are scattered verses from the Psalms. At the beginning of every Matins (Orthros) Service, the Orthodox faithful proclaim with the Psalmist: “God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Ps 117:27,26). This simple yet profound phrase is the core of Christian teaching: God has indeed revealed Himself to us. This is what [...]