“Thy grace has shone forth, O Lord, and the illumination of our souls has taken place. Now is the acceptable time; the season of repentance is here. Let us cast aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light that we might pass through the tempest of the Fast and reach the […]

Thomas Hopko spoke of an 88-day “winter festal season of the revelation of God in human flesh.” As an Orthodox Christian, he was speaking of the Eastern practice of observing a 40-day fast before Christmas, followed by the Feast of the Nativity, Theophany on day 52, the Presentation of Christ in the Temple on day […]