Author Archives: Thomas

Scripture Study

Bible Study resources from my little library: A) Preliminary 1) From the Ukrainian Catholic Catechism: Revelation of the Most Holy Trinity (pp 15-32) 2) Providentissimus Deus (On the study of Holy Scripture), encyclical of Pope Leo XIII B) Commentaries and … Continue reading

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Long Form East Asian Drama

For thousands of years performance art has revolved around a two hour performance criteria, plus or minus some time. Movies have not really changed that; however, long form tv drama is doing new things. The long form tv dramas of east Asia have no real … Continue reading

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Transcendentals and Church Services

The main Christian Sunday service has two predominant styles, albeit with various mixtures, the Rhetorical and the Liturgical. The rhetorical style is dominant among protestants and is characterized by the congregation sitting and listening to a learned sermon lasting about an … Continue reading

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The Winter Pascha

The below is from Thomas Hopko’s 40 day devotional book ‘The Winter Pascha’, from the second meditation, on ‘come and see’: The story (John 1:43-51) is typical of St John’s gospel. The people first encounter the man “Jesus of Nazareth, … Continue reading

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Schmemann texts

My little library has one line: Eastern Orthodoxy; Alexander Schmemann For me, that consists of three books:

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Orthros Gospel, Resurrection Prayer, Psalm 50

In the Byzantine rite for Orthros (morning prayer/Matins) on Sunday, after the reading of the Resurrection gospel (see below), we say: Now that we have seen the resurrection of Christ, let us adore the all-holy Lord Jesus, the only Sinless … Continue reading

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Social Solidarity

Before addressing solidarity, I want to categorize social structures in general as: Any actual social structure will, of course, have some overlap. I’m primarily interested in Family and Civic structures; furthermore, I consider large businesses to be best considered as … Continue reading

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Exodus Themes 01

In the first few verses of Exodus there is a shift in perspective, from the tribal (the 71 offspring of Jacob, v 1.5) to the people, the Israelites (v 1.7 and cf Genesis 32.29) filling the land of Egypt. This … Continue reading

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Exodus Themes

This is mainly for background for me to use when teaching, as appropriate for various age levels from 4th grade to adults. It is also a place for me to store reference materials for my 9-10 year old Sunday School … Continue reading

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Favorite Composers

A placeholder for notes on my six favorite composers Related books: I’m not a musician; however, I grew up listening mostly to classical music from the romantic period. In the Navy, I discovered Mozart and Hayden and then, in the … Continue reading

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Gospel Fragments

Having been amongst a ‘trainload of fools trapped in a magnetic field’, Bob Dylan had, so to speak, a changing of the guards when he stripped and kneeled and said ‘Lord, Lord, you know their hearts are as cold as … Continue reading

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Classical English Style

Ward Farnsworth, Dean of the University of Texas School of Law, writes on a wide range of topics. His series on Classical English is special in its quantity and range of examples. The series consists of: From Preface of his … Continue reading

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Melkite Diaspora

From Wikipedia: The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is the largest Catholic community in Syria and Israel, and the second largest in Lebanon. As of 2014 the Melkite Greek Catholic Church was the largest Christian community in Israel, with roughly 60% … Continue reading

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Places to Pray

One can pray anywhere, of course. However, I expect most have favorite places to pray and for me that is in the nave of a parish. Whether sitting or standing, whether alone or with many, whether in joy or in … Continue reading

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The Historical Road of Eastern Orthodoxy

Alexander Schmemann, of blessed memory, wrote a concise history of Eastern Orthodoxy that deserves to be more widely read, particularly by Eastern Catholics. Here is the foreword to ‘The Historical Road to Eastern Orthodoxy’: This book is not a scholarly … Continue reading

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Exodus, Wisdom, John

“Both John and Wisdom mention the miracles of the Exodus as a model for the signs operated by wisdom (in Wis) and by Jesus (in John). Both John and Wisdom present these signs in the same order, which is not … Continue reading

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A Rich Life

Nowadays the media suggests many things are needed to live a rich life. Emily Dickinson, a misplaced catholic saint, showed in both her life and her art a different view: I dwell in Possibility –A fairer House than Prose –More … Continue reading

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Bible Study: background

From Dr Mazinghi’s translation of the Wisdom of Solomon Wis 1:1-15 Wisdom 1:16 - 2:24 With their deeds and words, however, the ungodly summon [death],the pine for it, believing it to be a friend,and they make a pact with it,because … Continue reading

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Weathering Totalitarian Regimes

The Church has weathered two totalitarian regimes. I think it important to read at least a short history of each of these trials of the Church. For the Church’s response to Islam, I will be reviewing Alexander Schmemann’s book ‘The … Continue reading

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The Central Question

Below is the first chapter from a useful little booklet: The Illumined Heart, by Frederica Mathewes-Green: The Central Question You are holding a small book with an old-fashioned title. It might seem like a messenger from the past, or form … Continue reading

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