Posts by ceskender

Our Church believes in the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the Angels and the Saints. Those who don’t share our view regarding the intercession of the saints, usually cite 1 Jn 2:1: “We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”. They also cite St. Paul: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1Ti 2:5) In support of this important dogma, our church emphasizes the following: 1) There is…

The Saints are dear brothers who have struggled like us and have departed to Paradise. They are not dead, but are sleeping, as our Lord said (John 11: 11), and as St. Paul called them (I Thess. 4:13). Our early Fathers spoke clearly and in detail about our relationship with Saints. The Saints in Paradise are the triumphant members of the same one church in which we are militant members. We, the triumphant and militants, are members of the Church,…

When Calvin spoke about “angels,” he said, “It is also our duty cheerfully to remain in ignorance of what is not for our advantage to know”; and Barth began his discussion of angels with so much hesitation. The western theologians are inclined to avoid talking about the heavenly creatures, looking to modern man even though he has no objection to the existence of angels theologically or logically but he does not like to describe them on psychological bases, looking to…

No woman in history is more misunderstood than the Holy Virgin Mary. The Reverend Billy Graham once said, “We evangelical Christians do not give Mary her proper due.” However, Saint Mary receives her “proper due” within the Orthodox faith. St. Mary is the greatest woman that ever lived. She was chosen by the Father to bear His Only-Begotten Son, gave birth to the Savior of the world, and was the first person in history to receive Christ as her Savior.…

In today’s evangelism, there has developed a general trend and practice against the word and use of any “tradition.” This opinion has its historical roots in the Protestant Reformation, in which Luther and Calvin disdained that which came under the heading of “tradition” from the Roman Catholic Church. The arguments of the Reformation centers clearly on the polarity of the “Bible verses tradition.” There are two separate meanings and interpretations for tradition mentioned in the Bible: one refers to the…

As the Apostolic Creed states, “We believe in one God: God the Father the Pantocrator (Almighty) who created Heaven and earth and all things seen and unseen; We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate…

We believe in one God, God the Father the Pantocrator who created heaven and earth, and all things seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not created, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the…

What is worse than committing a sin is feeling guilty about confessing about it. God knows humans will sin, so He instituted a blessed system to absolve the remorseful sinner. The main function of the priest is to lead people to Salvation. Being riddled with guilt at a time when you need spiritual help and guidance the most is Satan’s trick to discourage you and make you fall into despair and faintheartedness. Thus, you will be more prone to continue…