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▲ 8 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Not sure if this is something to confess

Firstly, I apologize if things are worded inappropriately or confusing. I’m not very good with words.

I guess i am what you would call a cradle Orthodox. I was baptized as a baby in Ukraine (my mom is from there) but growing up in America my parents didn’t really go to church.

I am married to my husband who growing up never had any faith really (his mother is a staunch atheist and also does witchcraft (her words, not mine.).

I have struggled with bulimia for the better part of a decade. Though it’s not so severe now, I have done bad things in the past because of it. Things that I would consider something I cannot blame mental health on alone. I won’t go into detail because this is not the place for that.

Vespers and confession is coming up and we recently joined the Antioch Orthodox Church in our area since we just moved back here. I want to talk about it. It was a huge dark cloud over my life. Also, the priest said my baptism is valid but I cannot receive communion unless I confess. I am not doing this to merely receive communion. I genuinely feel like confessing what I have done will get a lead weight off my chest.

The problem I my husband, knowing me and the struggles of my past (I have been very open to him with that) says that it’s because I am/was sick and I shouldn’t blame myself too heavily.

Well, I dunno. It puts a doubt in my mind. Am I going to be wasting the priests time in a sense? I am terrible with words, forgive me. I know I am confessing to Christ, not the priest. I guess I am just a bundle of nerves and I doubt every little thing I say or do or overthink.

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u/RiskUpset4116 — 10 hours ago
▲ 57 r/OrthodoxChristianity

The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord (5/21/26)

The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on the fortieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter). Since the date of Pascha changes each year, the date of the Feast of the Ascension changes. The Feast is always celebrated on a Thursday.

The Feast itself commemorates when, on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, Jesus led His disciples to the Mount of Olives, and after blessing them and asking them to wait for the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit, He ascended into heaven.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The story of the Ascension of our Lord, celebrated as one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church, is found in the book of the Acts of the Apostles 1:3-11. It is also mentioned in the Gospels of Mark (16:19) and Luke (24:50-53). The moment of the Ascension is told in one sentence: "He was lifted up before their eyes in a cloud which took Him from their sight" (Acts 1:9).

Christ made His last appearance on earth, forty days after His Resurrection from the dead. The Acts of the Apostles states that the disciples were in Jerusalem. Jesus appeared before them and commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the "Promise of the Father". He stated, "You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:5).

After Jesus gave these instructions, He led the disciples to the Mount of Olives. Here, He commissioned them to be His witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). It is also at this time that the disciples were directed by Christ to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). Jesus also told them that He would be with them always, "even to the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20).

As the disciples watched, Jesus lifted up His hands, blessed them, and then was taken up out of their sight (Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9). Two angels appeared to them and asked them why they were gazing into heaven. Then one of the angels said, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him going into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

ICON OF THE FEAST

The icon of The Ascension of Our Lord is a joyous icon. It is painted with bright colors. Christ is shown ascending in His glory in a mandorla. A mandorla is a design which is almond-shaped or round. Inside the mandorla is the figure of a holy person. Christ blesses the assembly with His right hand. In His left is a scroll. The scroll is a symbol of teaching. This icon shows that the Lord in heaven is the source of blessing. In addition, Jesus is the source of knowledge. The icon reminds us that Christ continues to be the source of the teaching and message of the Church, blessing and guiding those to whom He has entrusted his work.

The Theotokos occupies a very special place in this icon. She is in the center of the icon, immediately below the ascending Christ. The gesture of her hands is gesture of prayer. She is clearly outlined by the whiteness of the garments of the angels. The Theotokos is depicted in a very calm pose. This is quite different from the appearance of the Disciples. They are moving about, talking to one another and looking and pointing towards heaven. The entire group, the Theotokos and the disciples represent the Church.

The icon of the Ascension includes some who did not witness the Ascension. St. Paul is shown to the left of the Theotokos, but we know that he was not present at the Ascension. At that time, St. Paul did not yet believe in Jesus. But he became a Christian and one of the greatest Apostles and missionaries of Church.

The icon expresses the sovereignty of Christ over His Church; He is its Head, its guide, its source of inspiration and teaching; it receives its commission and ministry from Him, and fulfils it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CELEBRATION OF THE FEAST OF THE ASCENSION

This Feast of our Lord is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, which is conducted on the day of the Feast and preceded by the Matins service. A Great Vespers is conducted on the evening before the day of the Feast. Scripture readings for the Feast are the following: At Vespers: Isaiah 2:2-3, 62:10-63:9; Zechariah 14:1,4,8-11. At the Orthros (Matins) Mark 16:9-20; At the Divine Liturgy: Acts 1:1-12; Luke 24:36-53.

SOURCE: https://www.goarch.org/ascension

u/IrinaSophia — 11 hours ago
▲ 31 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Equal of the Apostles and Emperor Constantine with his Mother Helen (May 21st/June 3rd)

The Church calls Saint Constantine (306-337) “the Equal of the Apostles,” and historians call him “the Great.” He was the son of the Caesar Constantius Chlorus (305-306), who governed the lands of Gaul and Britain. His mother was Saint Helen, a Christian of humble birth.

At this time the immense Roman Empire was divided into Western and Eastern halves, governed by two independent emperors and their corulers called “Caesars.” Constantius Chlorus was Caesar in the Western Roman Empire. Saint Constantine was born in 274, possibly at Nish in Serbia. In 294, Constantius divorced Helen in order to further his political ambition by marrying a woman of noble rank. After he became emperor, Constantine showed his mother great honor and respect, granting her the imperial title “Augusta.”

Constantine, the future ruler of all the whole Roman Empire, was raised to respect Christianity. His father did not persecute Christians in the lands he governed. This was at a time when Christians were persecuted throughout the Roman Empire by the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and his corulers Maximian Galerius (305-311) in the East, and the emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305) in the West.

After the death of Constantius Chlorus in 306, Constantine was acclaimed by the army at York as emperor of Gaul and Britain. The first act of the new emperor was to grant the freedom to practice Christianity in the lands subject to him. The pagan Maximian Galerius in the East and the fierce tyrant Maxentius in the West hated Constantine and they plotted to overthrow and kill him, but Constantine bested them in a series of battles, defeating his opponents with the help of God. He prayed to God to give him a sign which would inspire his army to fight valiantly, and the Lord showed him a radiant Sign of the Cross in the heavens with the inscription “In this Sign, conquer.”

After Constantine became the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire, he issued the Edict of Milan in 313 which guaranteed religious tolerance for Christians. Saint Helen, who was a Christian, may have influenced him in this decision. In 323, when he became the sole ruler of the entire Roman Empire, he extended the provisions of the Edict of Milan to the Eastern half of the Empire. After three hundred years of persecution, Christians could finally practice their faith without fear.

Renouncing paganism, the Emperor did not let his capital remain in ancient Rome, the former center of the pagan realm. He transferred his capital to the East, to the city of Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople, the city of Constantine (May 11). Constantine was deeply convinced that only Christianity could unify the immense Roman Empire with its diverse peoples. He supported the Church in every way. He recalled Christian confessors from banishment, he built churches, and he showed concern for the clergy.

The emperor deeply revered the victory-bearing Sign of the Cross of the Lord, and also wanted to find the actual Cross upon which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. For this purpose he sent his own mother, the holy Empress Helen, to Jerusalem, granting her both power and money. Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem and Saint Helen began the search, and through the will of God, the Life-Creating Cross was miraculously discovered in 326. (The account of the finding of the Cross of the Lord is found under the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14). The Orthodox Church commemorates the Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the Holy Empress Helen on March 6.

While in Palestine, the holy empress did much of benefit for the Church. She ordered that all places connected with the earthly life of the Lord and His All-Pure Mother, should be freed of all traces of paganism, and she commanded that churches should be built at these places.

The emperor Constantine ordered a magnificent church in honor of Christ’s Resurrection to be built over His tomb. Saint Helen gave the Life-Creating Cross to the Patriarch for safe-keeping, and took part of the Cross with her for the emperor. After distributing generous alms at Jerusalem and feeding the needy (at times she even served them herself), the holy Empress Helen returned to Constantinople, where she died in the year 327.

Because of her great services to the Church and her efforts in finding the Life-Creating Cross, the empress Helen is called “the Equal of the Apostles.”

The peaceful state of the Christian Church was disturbed by quarrels, dissensions and heresies which had appeared within the Church. Already at the beginning of Saint Constantine’s reign the heresies of the Donatists and the Novatians had arisen in the West. They demanded a second baptism for those who lapsed during the persecutions against Christians. These heresies, repudiated by two local Church councils, were finally condemned at the Council of Milan in 316.

Particularly ruinous for the Church was the rise of the Arian heresy in the East, which denied the Divine Nature of the Son of God, and taught that Jesus Christ was a mere creature. By order of the emperor, the First Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Nicea in 325.

318 bishops attended this Council. Among its participants were confessor-bishops from the period of the persecutions and many other luminaries of the Church, among whom was Saint Nicholas of Myra in Lycia. (The account about the Council is found under May 29). The emperor was present at the sessions of the Council. The heresy of Arius was condemned and a Symbol of Faith (Creed) composed, in which was included the term “consubstantial with the Father,” at the insistence of the Emperor, confirming the truth of the divinity of Jesus Christ, Who assumed human nature for the redemption of all the human race.

After the Council of Nicea, Saint Constantine continued with his active role in the welfare of the Church. He accepted holy Baptism on his deathbed, having prepared for it all his whole life. Saint Constantine died on the day of Pentecost in the year 337 and was buried in the church of the Holy Apostles, in a crypt he had prepared for himself.

A shoulder blade of Saint Constantine is located in the Monastery of Konstamonίtou on Mount Athos. Pieces of the Holy Relics of Saint Constantine are also found in Kykkos Monastery on Cyprus; in Moscow's Holy Trinity - Saint Sergius Lavra; and Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg.

SOURCE: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2012/05/21/101452-equal-of-the-apostles-and-emperor-constantine-with-his-mother-he

u/IrinaSophia — 10 hours ago
▲ 6 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Knowing what the mark of the beast is and having discernment.

I recently became and orthodox inquirer and hopefully soon to be catechumen one month ago. I have always had a great fear of the "anti christ" and always hoped and prayed that I would not be deceived by this coming mark and worship of a false messiah. I had been an agnostic/atheist for pretty much my entire life despite growing up in an evangelical Christian household and im worried that i've already in some way submitted to the beast system or even God forbid taken a "mark" of sorts by using online digital verification for websites that requires you to scan your face. Please help me figure out what the church thinks of these things.

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u/Individual_Client489 — 16 hours ago
▲ 48 r/OrthodoxChristianity

sex before marriage

so for some context i am 17 and have girlfriend of 1 year and today she asked me when are we going to have sex i just froze and said i dont know and i really dont know what to do should i go ti the church and ask someone there, were you guys in a similar situation and how did uou handle it? also what are your suggestions and views on this problem?

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u/maremdma1 — 24 hours ago
▲ 17 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Getting frustrated and feel disconnected

I’m in the early stages of my catechism and lately I find myself wanting to withdraw from the social elements of church life (the agape meal, the whatsapp group, etc) but I don’t really know why. I’m also in the choir and I’m growing more annoyed with it because it’s highly disorganised and there are no group rehearsals - just turn up on the day and hope for the best. I only manage because I watch the choir leader like a hawk and try to follow along as best as I can, but it all falls apart if she isn’t there. Even others who have been in the choir for several years can’t lead in her absence.

I feel very separate from everyone else. I dread trying to chat to people during the agape meal because my mind goes blank, and I feel too inexperienced and vulnerable to talk about faith with others.

I want to be part of the community but at the same time I want to shut it out. It’s like there’s never any silence to just be with Christ because there’s various church newsletters and notices landing in my inbox throughout the week, whatsapp messages flying around all over the place (which I’ve now muted for the time being), trying to practise singing for the next liturgy with zero guidance, and so on. And then there’s regular life to deal with as well - redundancies at work, major structural changes to my team, money worries, trying to fit in time with friends and family, struggling with suspected perimenopause symptoms (including sleeplessness and anxiety), coping with grief, managing the house.

Not looking for advice (though I’m grateful for all input), just wondering if there’s anyone in a similar position who’s experienced the same sort of thing.

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u/squigglypen78 — 20 hours ago
▲ 1 r/OrthodoxChristianity

How to pray the Akathist without priest

Praise be to Jesus Christ!

Me and my wife were trying to pray the Akathist to the Theotokos tonight and just could not find how to do it. I found a website showing you how to pray it without a priest: https://saintjonah.org/akathists-canons-and-services/the-order-for-reading-canons-and-akathists-when-alone/

That left me confused as well though, as after the 7 Bows Beginning, the text reads:

Heavenly King; Holy God (thrice); Glory, Both now; O Most Holy Trinity; Lord, have mercy (thrice); Glory, Both now; Our Father; Lord, have mercy (twelve); Glory, Both now; O come let us worship (thrice); Psalm 50, Have mercy on me, O God; I Believe, and the reading of the canons and akathists.

Now, being Catholic (about to become Eastern Catholic) I'm familiar with prayer shortcuts, i.e "Hail Mary", "Salve Regina" Etc, instead of writing out the whole prayer, but I'm confused as to which of these are individual prayers and where to find them. For example, is "Heavenly King" one prayer and "Holy God" refers to the Trisagion? Or is that a single prayer called "Heavenly King; Holy God" prayed 3 times? Or do the semicolons designate where the next prayer begins? Because trying to find the individual prayers I had little luck

I also found this link https://domoca.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Akathist-to-the-Theotokos.pdf

Which has parts for a priest, so do I simply skip over the priest part and do the rest? Or, if I use the "Canons and Akathists when alone" page, when does the actual Akathist begin?

I apologize for the ranting nature of the post, I simply find the Akathists beautiful and wonderful, and would love to begin praying them, but I struggle to find a singular source walking me as a layman through how to pray from beginning to end

May God keep us all in His Loving Embrace

Thank you!

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u/Embarrassed_Log_165 — 16 hours ago
▲ 3 r/OrthodoxChristianity

The Acceptable Bible Versions

Glory to God This Sunday May 17, I went to my first Divine Liturgy it was absolutely beautiful and everyone was very kind I even had the opportunity to Kiss The Silver Icon of the Panagia. I look forward to coming again! I had gotten the motivation to purchase a new Bible for study and carrying it with me after visiting the divine liturgy. But I then wondered about translations. The main option by many would be the OSB since it uses the LXX for the Old Testament But it is a bit too large and id prefer it without notes.. So I took a look at the RSV bibles and Found one… “RSV-CE oxford Bible” it has a Black leather cover with a zipper and a Gold medal. I found it preferable seeing as it Has more books than the Protestant dominated Bibles and its easy to carry although it still lacks some books from the LXX. All in all what would you guys think? Its probably so that whatever bible i’d read is a good bible since the Orthodox Church Does not have an “official” translation but I Just wanna make sure it’d be fine by the majority of Orthodox Consensus. Sincerely appreciated, God Bless you!

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u/Competitive-Arm-6574 — 21 hours ago
▲ 6 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Struggling to understand the first premise of the Transcendental Argument for God

I'm not Orthodox, only inquiring. The transcendental argument for God seems to be a popular argument for Orthodox Christianity. I understand the argument as this:

P1: For there to be transcendentals (logic, time & space, self, number theory, etc), there must be God. Orthodox Christianity is the only worldview that can justify transcendentals.

P2: The transcendentals do exist

C: Therefore the Orthodox Christianity worldview is correct and God exists.

I struggle with premise 1. Why couldn't it have been that an impersonal deity created logic, time & space, etc? Why does this argument specifically prove the Trinity to exist? Why does it specifically prove the Orthodox denomination to be true and not other denominations?

I've talked to an Orthodox Christian about the Transcendental Argument for God. When asked these questions, he said that Orthodox Christianity is the only worldview that can justify logic, but he cannot explain why.

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u/Kuroyen — 1 day ago
▲ 4 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Can someone explain the Orthodox view on the trinity?

I'm new to Orthodoxy, and i have learned that the Orthodox church views the holy trinity and an upright triangle, with The Father on the top, opposed to the Catholic church which is an upside-down triangle, with The Father and The Son on the top. I can see why each church views the trinity as they do, but I'm confused because from what i understand the trinity is equal with each other so the idea that there is a hierarchy is new to me.

Another thing is, there is verses in the new testament such as "I and The Father are one" and "Anyone who has seen me has seen The Father" So i guess my question is, why does the Orthodox church only view The Father as the head of the trinity? I'm definitely not opposed to that idea, I'm just learning.

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u/the_meaning_of_loaf — 1 day ago
▲ 8 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Is this idolatry and/or selfishness

I'm a man and have a deep desire to be married. It is something that is constantly on my mind and if I didn't have that as something to drive me I probably wouldn't participate in much of anything not related to church. If I was told that I would never be married I would probably go join a monestary not because I want to but because I simply see no reason to continue living in "the world" is this idolatry/ selfishness? I care about my friends and family and I have interests that I enjoy. But if I'm going to be single for my entire life, hypothetically, then I just don't see a point in having a job or anything else of that nature really.

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u/Relevant-Swan7621 — 1 day ago
▲ 4 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Last ditch effort to keep my faith

***DO NOT READ if you are struggling with your faith*** —I don’t want to drag you down with me.

***edit: I get the idea that hell is just a state of absence of God. But what I don’t understand is how God knowing how terrible hell is still allows his children to go to hell if he is God then why doesn’t he save them? Why is he just , “Well, I can’t violate their freewill!” for example, if my 3 year old were to jump off a cliff to see if they could fly. I would pick them up and save/keep them from doing that even if they didn’t want me to, and they really were wanting to know if they could fly. I wouldn’t just sit there and be like “well, I can’t violate their free will.”

Just to preface, I say all of this with a desire to overcome the doubt I have, and to gain a better understanding to disprove me wrong! I say this humbly asking for help and wanting to be proven wrong. If I seem argumentative, forgive me it’s not that I’m trying to debate. It’s that I’m trying to receive answers for my questions and have it explained to me in a way that makes sense. I literally want to be wrong. It’s not a matter of me, trying to prove myself right. In this situation, I don’t want to be right. I just don’t have any answers yet.

Hey guys so I’ve been an orthodox Christian for about 10 years now. I’ve been really struggling with my Faith about this exact subject for over a year and I really need someone to help me dissect/break it down..these hang ups I have. No I do not have a current priest. I don’t have a parish nearby me. I just want to move past this and I desperately want answers.

I simply don’t understand the concept of God. Why would God create us with free will knowing that some of us would perish eternally in hell otherwise the only other option we have to not perish is to worship and praise Him. Does this not sound like a selfish God? Why would he create us to be obsessed with HIM and that’s our only way of salvation? Why are we even here in the first place? Like we are literally just created to fawn over God. Also why would God create satan if He knew he was just going to be so evil? But why the second satan turns away from God is he now “evil”? Why would God want that? He knows the future, so why does he create people just to have them burn in hell because they didn’t worship Him? He has a system set up to revolve around Him. It just seems so manipulative. Idk if I’m doing a very good job of articulating myself for putting my thoughts to words because it’s kind of hard to explain…it seems so specific but has anyone else ever had these same thoughts before?

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u/Mango_sushicat — 1 day ago
▲ 49 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Leave-taking of Pascha

On Wednesday of the sixth week of Pascha, we celebrate the Leavetaking of the Feast. While most Feasts have their Leavetaking on the eighth day, Pascha, the Feast of Feasts, has its Leavetaking on the thirty-ninth day. The fortieth day is the Feast of the Lord’s Ascension, which marks the end of the Lord’s physical presence on earth. He does not abandon us, however. He has promised to be with us always, even until the end of the age (MT 20:28). As we sing in the Kontakion for Ascension, “Thou didst ascend in glory, O Christ our God, not being parted from those who love Thee, but remaining with them and crying: I am with you and no one will be against you.” There is a similar thought expressed in the Troparion for the Dormition: “In falling asleep, you did not forsake the world, O Theotokos.”

The services today are celebrated just as on the day of Pascha itself. The daily readings from Holy Scripture, of course, will differ. After the Dismissal at Liturgy, the paschal hymns are no longer sung. The prayer “O Heavenly King” is not said or sung until Pentecost.The Winding Sheet (Plaschanitsa) is taken from the altar and is put in its proper place. Even though today is a Wednesday, fish, wine, and oil are permitted.

Today we also commemorate the Finding of the Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Meeting” in Kalamata in the Peloponnesus.

SOURCE: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2026/05/20/41-leavetaking-of-pascha

u/IrinaSophia — 1 day ago
▲ 3 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Does the style of icons matter?

Random question I suppose, but I am curious.
I am inquiring into the Orthodox Church and will be speaking with my priest about becoming a catechumen in about a week or so.

I really love the style of Coptic orthodox icons. However, it is to my understanding that the Oriental Orthodox Church (Coptic, Ethiopian, etc.) is not in communion with Eastern Orthodox Church (Greek, Russian, Byzantine, etc.) As such, if the churches are not in full communion, I was wondering if the style of icons in my home matter.

I was mainly wondering if it matters where I purchase them or who I purchase them from, (ie. a Coptic iconographer vs an Eastern iconographer,) as I have been wanting to purchase some for my home.

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u/drillia — 1 day ago
▲ 4 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Is drawing god blasphemous

I have a tendency sometimes,when I feel closer to God , to draw Him.But in the hypostasis of the Father. To me He doesn't have a face ,He is not of matter, but I draw a somewhat of a human body to show His shape kinda. I'm thinking of Him as faceless, but full of essence and energy. I mean human beings are created based on His image and on His view ,but we aren't God and God doesn't have a body. So ,to me Him being humanlike ,but not a human is ok with what we know in our faith.I may be wrong to how I interpret it ,so if anyone is disagreeing with my view,feel free to correct me.

But back to my question,am I committing blasphemy?

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u/Sol-Haf — 22 hours ago
▲ 17 r/OrthodoxChristianity

Prayers

Please pray that God blesses me while I’m doing Instacart today. Some money was missing from my regular paycheck, and my wife and I have barely been able to get by. Thankfully, God has still provided for us, but I’m still behind financially. Please pray that I receive the missing money from my paycheck and that I’m able to make enough through Instacart to get by.

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u/Firm-Dig-3030 — 23 hours ago