Orthodox Liturgy

New Land

Father Elia Mitri in Reflections

The land here is vast and wide. Life is a journey. A few days ago, my son advised us that we will be spending the weekend in Ottawa, the capital of the country. The trip from his house takes two hours by car. I told him to postpone it because of a pain in my ...

15Aug

Greater than Language

Father Elia Mitri in Reflections

4% of the population of Montreal are Arabs! The insanity of politics and the fear for their fate and their children has driven most of them to emigrate out of their countries. When my friend Samir Abi-Ghanem bade me farewell before I travelled, he told me that, here, in this city whose inland seaports open ...

7May

To Live a Paschal Life

Father Elia Mitri in Reflections

The question whose answer has established the order of the Liturgy of the Paschal period is: “how to live a Paschal life?”. We concluded the Great Lent, in which we adamantly sought God, His mercy and His victory. What is left after we have reached the feast? In addition to the gifts of the fast, ...

14Sep

The Oblation

Father Elia Mitri in Reflections

Yesterday there was an argument between some brethren about the office of Proskomedia (oblation) in our Church. The question was: is it permissible to commemorate non-Orthodox Christians in the Liturgy? The argument reminded me of two scholars in our Church, Metropolitan George Khodr and my friend Father George Massouh who is with God. I will ...

20Apr

A Personal Call

Father Elia Mitri in Reflections

Those who are acquainted with the Liturgy of our Church know that this woman, the sinful woman who had anointed Jesus with her precious perfume (Matthew 26:6-16), occupies a great place in the prayers of the Great Week. Jesus asked that she be remembered with the Gospel. This is the theme of the Gospel that ...

17Apr

The Great Week

Father Elia Mitri in Reflections

All the prayers of the Great and Holy week, service by service, even word by word, are enchanting and alluring. You know. Prayer consists of attention. Our Fathers have warned us against chasing beauty that drives the mind to distractedness. They said what means that we should go through the prayers, whether communal or individual, ...