Q. What is the Paschal candle, and what do the letters “P” and “X” on it stand for? A. The English word “Paschal” ultimately comes from the Aramaic word for “Passover” (Aramaic is the language Jesus spoke, related to Hebrew). It means “having to do with Easter,” because of the close association between the Jewish Passover and the passion and death of Jesus Christ: “Christ, our Paschal Lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7). The Paschal candle is a symbol of Jesus Chri

Q. Why don’t Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on the same day as Catholics and Protestants? A. The day designated for annually celebrating our Lord’s resurrection varied within the early Church, a situation that sometimes led to controversy. So the fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, at Nicaea (A. D. 325), standardized the method for determining its date. Though Christmas always occurs on a set date (December 25), Easter was established as a moveable feast, dependent

Q. Is it true that Palm Sunday customs have been as varied as Christmas and Easter customs around the world? A. Yes, indeed! Palm Sunday commemorates, of course, Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when palm branches were spread before His path by those who welcomed Him (see John 12:13). The palm is a symbol of triumph and rejoicing. Though most American churches today use palms exclusively, in earlier times, in lands where palm branches were difficult to obtain, other br

Fr. Josh Allen gave a wonderful Lenten mission on the topic of Mercy. If you would like to listen to the recordings you can find them here.

The videos for the Faith and Love Conference are now available below. Thanks again to all our presenter, organizers, and all who attended the conference. Please consider making a donation to help support the costs associated with the conference, so that we can continue to offer more conferences like this in the future. To make a donation online, click here. Link to Dr. Janet Smith's Presentation on Humanae Vitae and Conscience Link to Dr. Theresa Farnan's Presentation on

Q. When Jesus was about to be arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, those who came to arrest Him asked Him a question. His response caused them to fall to the ground (John 18:6). Why? A. The soldiers who came to arrest Our Lord in the garden asked for Jesus of Nazareth to identify Himself. He replied, “I am.” Some Bible versions translate the Greek words here as “I am He,” as if to complete the sense of the statement. But His response is literally “I am,” and those words hold