St Andrew's Blog - Theology & Life

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The Liturgical Journey to Pascha: Part Two: Great Lent

By Dr Andrew Mellas (Senior Lecturer in Church History and Liturgical Studies)

As with the pre-Lenten period, which part one of this blog post explored, here in part two, we will look at how the hymns we sing during Great Lent invite us to reflect, ponder and pray. Indeed, part one finished with Cheesefare Sunday, but neglected to note what happens on the evening of that Sunday, which is often called the vespers of forgiveness. As we take our first steps of the 40-day Lenten journey, we ask each other for forgiveness. We remember the Gospel from earlier that day, Matthew 6:14–21, which teachers us the forgiveness that is afforded to the faithful by God if they too forgive their neighbour..

The Institution of the Eparchial Synod in Australia: A Theological Appraisal

The year 2024 will go down in history for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia not only for being the centenary celebration since the establishment or ‘birth’ of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia in 1924 under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, but also for the fact that in this same year, another achievement of the greatest proportions will have been realised: namely, the Church’s ‘re-birth’ in 2024 through the institution of the Eparchial Synod for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. The significance of this event for our Church here in the Antipodes cannot be overstated...

The Liturgical Journey to Pascha - Part One: The Pre-Lenten Period

By Dr Andrew Mellas (Senior Lecturer in Church History and Liturgical Studies)

The hymns we sing during the pre-Lenten period and during Great Lent invite us to reflect, ponder and pray. These hymns are sacred because they reveal to us the story of salvation. The story of salvation is a familiar one. We know how it begins. We know its twists and turns. We know its heroes and its wrongdoers. And we know how it ends. However, in experiencing the liturgical songs that tell us this story, we do not just listen. We enter this sacred narrative, and we become protagonists in the story that unfolds...

The Canaanite Women in the Gospels: An Extraordinary Story of Faith and Humility

By Associate Professor Philip Kariatlis (Sub-Dean)

At the cusp of a special and spiritually uplifting period within the liturgical cycle of the Church year—namely, that of the Triodion and Holy and Great Lent, a distinct time of preparation, prayer, repentance and of spiritual struggle so that we may encounter our risen Lord on the day of the Resurrection—the Church, in all her wisdom, puts before us the story of the Canaanite woman. And as we shall see, the reason for this is so that we may be reminded of the importance of faith and humility for this journey that we are about to embark upon, so that we may be found ‘worthy’ to enter into the mystery of God’s Love...

The Unfolding of the Divine Drama of Salvation: Scripture, Hymnody and Iconography in the Orthodox Liturgical Celebration of Theophany

By Dr Lydia Gore-Jones (Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies)

In the season of Theophany, the worshipper in church sees with her own eyes and hears with her own ears the unfolding of the divine drama of our salvation, and is invited to take part in it. Yes, I am speaking about the sacred, sublime and utterly amazing liturgical acts of the Orthodox Church celebrating the manifestation of God in the flesh and His triumphal rescue of the human race, as Jesus Christ comes to the Jordan River to be baptised by John the Forerunner...

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