Orthodixie

The Campus Ministry of St Thomas Indian Orthodox Church is an active bunch. I was blessed, last week, to be a speaker at their monthly meeting which was held at the church in their Campus Ministry “upper room”.

What a fun group!

After dividing up into 4 different groups, it was time to break the ice. The groups were instructed that the activity would resemble a popular Bridal Shower contest — except, instead of dresses, those chosen would be “decorated” to resemble biblical characters using only tape …

… and toilet paper.

Here’s Eve getting her hair done …

… and, of course, Mary Magdalene.

Oh, wait … uh, nevermind. (These guys are too young to remember George Clinton.)

Here’s Eve hastening off to find some food.

In an ironic story twist — at least as far as the premise of this book is concerned — the only available prop for a tree (the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) was this cross.

Not all where dressed as women. Here’s the manly Samson (before being shorn by a woman) …

… and a fellow who was mourned by women.

But, honestly, when “Lazarus, arise!” was yelled by a booming voice, and this guy burst out of this get-up … I almost shouted!

It’s amazing what God can do with plain ol’ flesh … and we can imitate with toilet paper.

Back in 1995 our little Orthodox Mission was expecting our first hierarchical visit from His Grace, Bishop BASIL.

Our community was only a couple years old and we were, at the time, meeting in a store front.

That’s when I discovered I was expecting.

It happened in the middle of the night — suddenly — a terrible pain in the lower right corner of my back.

At first I thought it was something else (and, no, I am not here speaking of PALE GAS – just the plain kind) … yet, this [too] never passed.

The pain was beyond uncomfortable – which was evidenced by my actually calling the doctor, emergency line, in the wee hours.

In the end, having heard all of my symptoms, he made the diagnosis over the telephone: Basically, I was expecting.

Now I know there are many out there thinking: Wha-?

But for those of us, particularly men, who have, uh, delivered …

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

Moscow, May 21, Interfax – Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia will soon visit the Orthodox Church of Antioch in the Middle East.

Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Russian Ambassador to Syria Sergey Kirpichenko and Antiochian Patriarch Ignatius discussed the upcoming visit in Damascus, the Moscow Patriarchate website said.

The date of the visit and possible traveling of Patriarch Kirill outside Syria are as yet unknown. The canonical territory of the Orthodox Church of Antioch includes not only Syria, but also Lebanon, Iraq and Kuwait.

The Antiochian Patriarchate is one of the 15 local Orthodox Church presumably founded by Apostles Peter and Paul in Antioch circa 37 AD.

An Orthodox Church head visits other Orthodox Churches in accordance with the list of local churches, a source at the Department for External Church Relations told Interfax-Religion. The Antiochian Patriarchate comes third after the Constantinople and Alexandria Churches on the list of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Source
Image Source

QUESTION: Can I get sick — say, Swine Flu — from receiving Communion in the Orthodox Church?

ANSWER: No.

STILL DOUBTING?

Go here.

CONFESSION: I started to “steal” the first image, below, to post here the other day — just to beautify the blog. Then, with the posting of the second image, below, I could no longer refrain.

Evlogia is a beautiful site — pay a visit. You’ll be glad you did, AND you’ll be surprised at the age of the artist featured here.

BTW, if you’ve a mind, you might want to vote Evlogia the Most Visually Attractive Blog in the upcoming Eastern Christian New Media Awards.