Today is suspended upon the Tree He who suspended the land upon the waters. (3 times)
A crown of thorns crowns Him Who is the King of the angels.
He is wrapped about with a purple of mockery Who wrapped the heavens with clouds.
He receives smiting He Who freed Adam in the Jordan.
He is transfixed with nails Who is the Son of the Virgin.
We worship Thy Passion, O Christ. (3 times)
Show us also Thy Glorious Resurrection.
Orthodox Edification
Videos
Documentary on Icons
This seven part documentary gives a thorough explanation of the theology of holy icons in the Orthodox Church and the purpose of their veneration. After watching it you will understand why people died for the defense of icons in the Orthodox Church and why the Seventh Ecumenical Council is essential and significant for Orthodox Christians.
The video is produced by the Ostrog Monastery and the Academy of the Serbian Orthodox Church for Fine Arts and Conservation. Each part is about 30 minutes long, and the whole documentary is about 3.5 hours long. All seven parts should be accessible in the player below. You can also find all seven parts individually on this YouTube playlist, or you can find the whole documentary as one video here.
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Animation of the Parable of the Prodigal Son
The Sunday of the Prodigal Son is two Sundays before Lent. This cartoon has English subtitles with narration and dialogue in Greek and was produced by the Russian Ministry of Culture.
The Visit of Christ
This short movie (~25 minutes total) is on YouTube in two parts; the viewer below is set up to play Part 2 automatically when Part 1 finishes.
You can find other Orthodox movies recommendations on our YouTube playlists.
Orthodox Orphans
About 140 orphans are housed and cared for by the monks of the Monastery of the Holy Ascension in the Ukraine near the Romanian border. Many of the children have disabilities, but they all receive Christ-like love and compassion because all life is precious. The faith of the abbot in God’s provision for their needs is inspiring, and the joy that radiates from the children is amazing!
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St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle in Animation
The feast day of St. Andrew is November 30 (December 13 NS). This cartoon has English subtitles with narration and dialogue in Greek and was produced by the Russian Ministry of Culture.
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Parable of the Good Samaritan
The Parable of the Good Samaritan can be found in Luke 10:25-37. This cartoon has English subtitles with narration and dialogue in Greek and was produced by the Russian Ministry of Culture.
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Classical Music for Forming Your Soul
Our last two articles (“Forming the Soul – Spirit, Soul and Body” and “Forming Young Souls“) discussed how classical music helps to form the soul. Therefore, we offer this short video with numerous brief selections of the best of Russian composers. Many of these melodies will be surprisingly familiar to most people.
The Best of Russian Composers (Glinka to Shostakovich)
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1) Glinka: Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture.
2) Borodin: Polovtsian Dances (Prince Igor). (more…)
Monks Fighting in Battle
This cartoon is about the Battle of Kulikovo on the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos in 1380, which was the turning point in liberating the Russian people from the yoke of Tatars. Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy visited St. Sergius of Radonezh and received his blessing to go to war. St. Sergius prophesied a victory despite his disadvantage in numbers and sent two schemamonks (Oslyabya and Peresvet) with the prince to participate in the battle.
Check out more recommended videos on our YouTube playlists.
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You are Three and We are Three
This short movie (~20 minutes total) illustrates why “you should not judge people on the basis of how many or how few prayers they read or how many they know by heart.”
(Note: This movie is on YouTube in two parts; the viewer below is set up to play Part 2 automatically when Part 1 finishes.)
You can find other Orthodox movies recommendations on our YouTube playlist.
Miracle of the Holy Fire
A short film about the miracle of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem: