Reading for 14 November 2010

Today we begin our reading of Way of the Ascetics: The Ancient Tradition of Discipline and Inner Growth. This is a GREAT book that you should really consider buying, but if you haven't yet or can't, take a look here at Chapter One: On a Resolute and Steadfast Purpose.

Reading for 24 October 2010

On Oct 24, we will be discussing the feasts of Transfiguration and Annunciation. The text we are reading is from Worship: An Elementary Handbook of the Orthodox Church (The Orthodox Faith, Volume 2). But if you do not have the book, you may find just the text for this class here.

Readings for 17 October 2010

Next week we'll be discussing the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany (aka Theophany) and the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple. Our readings are from Worship: An Elementary Handbook of the Orthodox Church (The Orthodox Faith, Volume 2). If you do not have the book, you can go here for the text we'll be reading.

Reading for 8 August 2010

On Aug 8, we will be discussing Baptism, Chrismation and Churching. Our reading is from Fr. Hopko's The Orthodox Faith, vol ii: worship. If you do not have the text, you can go here.

Probably one of the better sources in English on Baptism is St. John Chrysostom's "Baptismal Instructions." These are the homilies he gave to prepare and follow up on the baptism of those coming into the Church. While some of this is general teaching, he does spend a lot of time talking about baptism itself. And this is the rare decent translation of Chrysostom.

31. St. John Chrysostom: Baptismal Instruction (Ancient Christian Writers)

Reading for 1 August 2010

Continuing our review of Orthodox worship, we will be discussing icons, vestments and christian symbols, in Fr. Thomas Hopko's The Orthodox Faith, vol ii: worship. You can buy it here. Or, you can find this individual text here.

These Truths We Hold - The Holy Orthodox Church: Her Life and Teachings. This was a great book for being able to look up a lot of the various symbols, wonderworking icons, vestments and so on that can be found in the Orthodox Church. As of right now, its not available on Amazon, but you might check this link down the road, because its a great resource for your home library.

Readings for 18 July 2010

Next week we will be discussing the last four sections of the Nicene Creed. These sections include a discussion of the Church, Baptism, and the Resurrection of the Dead. If you do not have the book, go here for the reading.

The question of "what is the Church?" should be at the forefront of every American Christian's search for the "true Church." As always, Holy Scriptures should be our first place to look for this, and both the Gospels and Epistles certainly address the issue.

St. Ignatius of Antioch is the next of our classical sources for understanding the Church. Here is his letter to Smyrna, which is particularly relevant to this discussion, and here is an article (a little heady, perhaps), which helps pull together some of his teachings on the Church.

St. Cyprian of Carthage is another saint who wrote about the nature of the Church. St. Vladimir's Seminary Press has published a book of his writings "On the Church," which you can buy on Amazon here.

Readings for 11 July 2010

Next week we will discuss the mysterious Holy Spirit. If you do not have Fr. Hopko's text on this subject, go here.

There is a classic text (besides the Bible!), by St. Basil the Great, called On the Holy Spirit. You can get it from Amazon, here. St. Basil is one of the classic Orthodox teachers.

Maybe a little more accessible: try Fr. Hopko's discussion of St. Seraphim of Sarov's famous Conversation with Motovilov, about the Holy Spirit. Here's the podcast. You could read the very accessible conversation on your own (and should), here.