1. The Word Anathema and Its Meaning explained
by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco
The Greek
word "anathema" consists of two words: "ana", which is a
preposition indicating movement upwards and "thema", which means a
separate part of some- thing. In military terminology, "thema" me ant
a detachment; in civil government "thema" meant a province. We
currently use the word "theme", derived from "thema", to
mean a specific topic of a written and intellectual work…read fullarticle
2. A
Discourse in Iconography by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco
Iconography began on the day our Lord Jesus Christ
pressed a cloth to His face and imprinted His divine-human image thereon.
According to tradition, Luke the Evangelist painted the image of the Mother of
God; and, also according to tradition, there still exist today many Icons which
were painted by him. An artist, he painted not only the first Icons of the
Mother of God, but also those of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul and,
possibly, others which have not come down to us…read fullarticle
3. 20
Rules for Altar Servers from St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco
These disciplines are not kept in exactly this way in
every church, but they do indicate the seriousness with which such a great
saint of our times as St John took the duties of the altar-servers, and should
remind us of the importance of this ministry, and the good order which should
be observed…read full article
4. The
First 40 Days after Death explained by St.John of Shanghai and San Francisco
Limitless
and without consolation would have been our sorrow for close ones who are dying,
if the Lord had not given us eternal life. Our life would be pointless if it
ended with death. What benefit would there then be from virtue and good deed?
Then they would be correct who say: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we
die!" But man was created for
immortality, and by His resurrection Christ opened the gates of the Heavenly
Kingdom, of eternal blessedness for those who have believed in Him and have
lived righteously…read full article
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