Please see this beautiful biblical teaching on sin, and its forgiveness through Christ, which is our Light and our Life. St. Cyril was Bishop of Jerusalem in the mid 4th century and people still avidly read his writings sixteen and a half centuries later. This particular Lecture is one of 23 given to those about to be baptized. You can read all of his 23 Lectures at this ...

This hymn is a good summary of Sunday's sermon. It is composed by Theodore Kavouras and sung to St. Thomas (The Advent of Our King TLH #68). It takes the vague notion of God's blessings that most people hold and locates them on the altar, which is the source of all Christian blessing, and mercy seat of God, since from it we receive the blessed sacrament. The holy altar st...