From Michael Stefan over at substack: I think Christians should make a concerted effort to reframe Hanukkah as a Christian holiday about Jesus. I mean it’s the commemoration of the Maccabean Uprising, and that’s in the Bible (Books Of Maccabees) so why not? If Irving Berlin can write Christmas songs devoid of Jesus and boast about it, two can play that game. Some of the more noble among the Jews might become interested in Christianity that way, and some of the more villainous will scream in agony. Two birds with one stone.

GM

Like all philosophy, stoicism reaches it's fulfillment in Christianity. Read the Cappadocians ☦️

Christian history is so incredible and much of it is lost here in the watered down west. At First Ecumenical Council in 325, Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker (Dec 12) disputed with a Greek philosopher who was defending Arianism. “Listen, philosopher, to what I tell you. There is one God Who created man from dust. He has ordered all things, both visible and invisible, by His Word and His Spirit. The Word is the Son of God, Who came down upon the earth on account of our sins. […] We believe that He is one in essence (consubstantial) with the Father, and equal to Him in authority and honor. We believe this without any sly rationalizations, for it is impossible to grasp this mystery by human reason.” After his conversation with St. Spyridon, the philosopher turned to his companions and said, “Until now my rivals have presented their arguments, and I was able to refute their proofs with other proofs. But instead of proofs from reason, the words of this Elder are filled with some sort of special power, and no one can refute them…”

☦️

The foretelling of Christ's death, burial and resurrection is written into the Nativity Icon of Christ. His birth "And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger..." Luke 2:7 His death "And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb..." Mark 15:46

If, then, the time of this life is for repentance, the very fact that a sinner still lives is a pledge that God will accept whoever desires to return to Him.....Where, then, are the grounds for despair, since all of us can at all times lay hold of eternal life whenever we want to? ☦️St. Gregory Palamas

The forty days of the Nativity fast is an image of the fast of Moses, who having fasted for forty days and forty nights, received the words of God inscribed on stone tablets. But having fasted for forty days, we gaze upon and receive the living Word from the Virgin, inscribed not on stones, but incarnate and born, and we partake of His Divine Flesh ☦️St. Simeon of Thessalonica

GM

From The Hare's Refuge: "The Nativity Fast teaches that preparing for Christ’s coming involves both restraint and generous giving. Fasting creates space for mercy, charity, and renewed attention to God and neighbour. Its purpose is not mere denial but the re-ordering of desire toward divine love. When self-discipline is joined to generosity, the heart becomes receptive to the mystery of the Incarnation. Thus the fast becomes a path toward **theosis**, our transformation in the likeness of God".

Soon #bookstr

Trivia question: Michael Jackson's song "They Don't Really Care about Us" is about who?

This is pt. 2 and a banger. The Symbolic World: 424 - Universal History: The American Religion - with Dcn Seraphim Rohlin Starting from: 00:00:00 Episode webpage:

Spreaker

424 - Universal History: The American Religion - with Dcn Seraphim Rohlin

"Americans who think they are Christians, truly are something else; intensely religious, but devout in the American Religion." In this episode of U...

Media file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/68885459/uh_american_religion_audio_0_01.mp3#t=0

Some great stuff in here from Fr. Turbo ☦️ The Royal Path: "Desired To Make One Wise" (The Royal Path Ep 111) Starting from: 00:00:00 Episode webpage:

Spotify for Creators

"Desired To Make One Wise" (The Royal Path Ep 111) by The Royal Path

In this episode, Father Turbo Qualls, Andrew, and Cyprian explore the temptation toward knowledge over praxis.Synaxis of SophiaOur Lady Of The Lost...

Media file: https://anchor.fm/s/811e5b3c/podcast/play/112172475/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-11-5%2F413795375-44100-2-bf33a61d44476.mp3#t=0

"When the government fears God, the people are free. When the people fear government, God is forgotten." — St. Lavrentiy of Chernigov stole this from @Bitko

Blessed Lord's day to all of you☦️ Divine Liturgy is incredibly difficult with a 17 month old 😌

From a book Frederica Matthews-Green (her husband is a priest) is working on: When the Temple was destroyed (AD 70), Christians didn’t need to make up a whole new kind of prayer service. They already knew how God wanted to be worshiped, because he’d told Moses in great detail. Those instructions, in Exodus 25-30, are certainly demanding. Even though the Hebrew people were still refugees, wandering in the desert and living in tents, God required them to offer worship that was lavishly beautiful. He told Moses to craft a portable temple, and to furnish it with incense, oil lamps, bells, gold, silver, precious stones, blue and purple cloth, vestments, embroidery, anointing oil, images of angels, and an altar. You’ll find all those things in an Orthodox church today.