The Eastern Rite

HE FEAST Of the Transfiguration is one of the 12 Great Feasts of the Church. In other words, on the Eastern calendar, this party ranks up there with Pascha and the Nativity. It’s one of very few feasts that get observed on a Sunday instead of bumped over (in the West) or commemorated (in the [...]

Texts for Proper 9 (14) Year B 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Ezekiel 2:1-5 Psalm 48 Psalm 123 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Mark 6:1-13 Jesus. could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about [...]

Revised Common Lectionary: 1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:13 Ezekiel 17:22-24 2 Corinthians 5:6-17 Mark 4:26-34 Eastern Rite: Romans 2:10-16 Matthew 4:18-23 When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves… God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts [...]

Seventh Sunday after Pascha – the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. Eastern Rite Readings: Vespers: Genesis 14:14-20 Deuteronomy 1:8-11 Deuteronomy 10:14-21 Matins: John 21:1-14 (Matins Gospel 10) Liturgy: Acts 20:16-18, 28-36 John 17:1-13 Revised Common Lectionary Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 Psalm 1 1 John 5:9-13 John 17:6-19 And now I am no [...]

Christ is Risen! Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? HE Sixth and final Sunday of Pascha is called the Sunday of the Blind man. In the Eastern Rite, we use the Reading of this story from John. I have to admit that it reads to me as a [...]

Christ is Risen! Sir, I see that you are a prophet. T HAS To be one of the great toss-off lines in the Bible. Jesus shows up, proclaims his messiah-ship and then accuses the woman of serial monogamy. (Why else would she be coming to the well in the middle of the day if not [...]

Christ is Risen! The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up… HE SUNDAY Of the Paralytic is the Fourth Sunday of Pascha in the Eastern Rite. We replace the RCL Gospel this Sunday with the story of the man at the [...]

And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. HIS IS THE Third Sunday of Pacha, and, in the Eastern Rite, it is the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women. At least for the Gospel, we depart from [...]