This is the day of the Lord; wherefore, rejoice ye nations; for behold the chamber of Light, the scroll of the Word of life hath come forth from the womb; the gate facing the east hath been born. Wherefore, she awaiteth the entrance of the High Priest. And she alone admitted Christ into the universe for salvation of our souls.

--Doxastikon of the Feast, Tone 6

Listen to Fr. Thomas Hopko speak on the Nativity of the Theotokos on Ancient Faith Radio.

Fr. Michael Gillis reviews War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. The publisher is Alfred Knopf.

Everyone at one time or another has been fearful. But how do we deal with unhealthy anxiety and fear? Fr. Tom Hopko looks at this problem in light of Holy Scripture.

Fr. Chad Hatfield interviews Greg Hatrak, the new bookstore manager at St. Vladimir's Seminary, about some exciting new developments in the school's publishing division.

Kevin Allen is back with the award winning Illumined Heart podcast and his first guest of the new season is Fr. Michael Reagan. They discuss together the Orthodox view of knowing God and what that really means. Join them for a practical discussion on an important topic!

Ancient Faith Radio has released the completed "Foundations" series recorded by Antiochian priest Fr. Andrew Damick for his podcast, "Roads From Emmaus." "This series represents an attempt at a sort of catechism—approaching the faith from four foundational angles: the revelation of God to man, authority in the spiritual life, worship, and morality," explains Fr. Andrew. "As with most of my work, I attempted to keep these talks fairly free of religious jargon, approaching the subjects with only a minimum of assumptions shared with the listeners. My hope is that these will be digestible not only to Orthodox Christians, but to other Christians, members of other religions, those who are 'spiritual but not religious,' and even unbelievers."

Fr. Damick begins the series with a conversation about the person of Christ, then builds on that with subsequent talks about Scripture and Tradition, and Worship. He concludes the four part discussion with a two part presentation, "Christian Life in the World."

On a new Search the Scriptures, Dr. Jeannie Constantinou continues her series "Introduction to the Bible." In this episode, lesson 83, she begins discussing the book of Ruth.

Emergency planning isn't just for those who face natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. Everyone faces the risk of man-made disasters that could come at any time in the form of chemical spills, terrorism, fires, prolonged power outages, and structural collapses, among others. There are three basic steps to emergency planning for your family. First, do you have an emergency kit on hand that has basic supplies such as bandages and rubbing alcohol? Help will come after a major disaster but rescue crews may not be able to get to everyone immediately. Your family will need to have enough food, water and other supplies to last you for at least three days ...

IOCC recently initiated two innovative projects which will not only help Haitians to recover from last January's devastating earthquake but will also contribute to the viability of Haiti's natural environment. IOCC will partner with fellow ACT Alliance member, Norwegian Church AID, to create biogas digesters that convert human waste into methane energy that can be used for cooking and industrial heating as well as to generate electricity. These digesters solve a number of problems since at present very little human waste is properly treated in Haiti. The country is also considered extremely energy poor with electricity and gas available only to a minority of families. The majority of Haiti's energy demand is met through overexploited natural resources in the form of firewood and charcoal. ...

On a new The Opinionated Tailor, Kh. Krista West begins reading from her book-in-progress on the origins and traditions of Orthodox vestments.

Fr. John Finley is back! He returns to his podcast, Singing the Triumphal Hymn, with a brand new series titled "The Sanctification of Life: A Discussion of the Major Sacraments of the Church." Listen to part one here.

Click cover to download:  Download Magazine Date:  09/2010

The September 2010 issue contains the following articles:

Metropolitan Philip Addresses historic Episcopal Assembly, pg. 5

Message from the Episcopal Assembly, pg. 8

Completed Meetings: Working Committees, Archdiocesan Synod, and Board of Trustees, pg. 11

His Grace, Bishop Joseph Addresses Graduates at St. Tikhon's, pg. 15

CD Review: "Thy Resurrection, pg. 28
by Fr. Nicholas M. Kastanas

Vision for Life, pg. 30
by Chris Humphrey

...plus reports from the Dept. of Christian Education, the Antiochian Village Bookstore, Communities in Action and more!

Bobby Maddex interviews Kenneth Kidd, the Annual Gifts Officer for the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (or OCMC), about the ways in which we can all help support missions work in the upcoming new church year.

O Word of the Father from before the ages, Who, being in the form of God, broughtest creation into being out of nothing; Thou Who hast put the times and seasons in Thine own power: Bless the crown of the year with Thy goodness; give peace unto Thy churches, victory unto Thy faithful hierarchs, fruitfulness unto the earth, and Great Mercy unto us.

--Orthros of the Feast, Tone 3

Light and Life's book, The Planner: 2010-2011 Ecclesiastical Year, can be ordered here.

Read Fr. Michael Harper's reflection, "The Orthodox New Year."

Click here to listen to Fr. Thomas Hopko speak about the New Year on Ancient Faith Radio.

On a new Glory to Thee, Dr. Stephen Kouri helps us with the communication of the text in our chanting to be sure we are conveying the theology of the music.

Fr. Tom Soroka teaches us that the intimate union God desires to have with us begins with our baptism. It's up to us, however, to keep our garment undefiled in order to worthily partake of the eternal Marriage Supper of the Lamb with His Bride.

September 1 marks the beginning of the Church year and Fr. Tom Hopko is meditating on the meaning of times and seasons in Church life.

With the Feast Day of the Beheading of St. John approaching (August 29), Fr. Thomas Hopko examines the Prophet, Forerunner and Baptizer, John. Listen to part 1 below. Part 2 is available HERE.

The memory of the righteous is celebrated with songs of praise, but the Lord’s testimony is sufficient for thee, O Forerunner. Thou wast shown indeed to be the most honorable of the prophets, for in the waters thou didst baptize Him Who had been proclaimed. After suffering with joy in behalf of the truth, thou didst proclaim even to those in Hades the God Who appeared in the flesh, Who takest away the sin of the world, and granteth us the Great Mercy.

--Troparion of the Feast, Tone 2

Fr. Thomas Hopko discusses the Prophet, Forerunner and Baptizer, John on Ancient Faith Radio: Part 1, Part 2

Returning to a topic that is often mentioned on Glory to God, Fr. Stephen Freeman suggests that Christianity is not just a "historical" religion, but also something far more.