Religious Essays β˜¦βœ‘πŸ•‹β˜Έ Archives - MARKGRAGO.COM ✍🏻 https://markgrago.com/category/religious-essays-β˜¦βœ‘πŸ•‹β˜Έ/ I'm a writer&poet&vlogger from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You are invited on my journey! βœπŸ»πŸ“½πŸ“Έ Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:57:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://i0.wp.com/markgrago.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/imageedit_2_3033854795.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Religious Essays β˜¦βœ‘πŸ•‹β˜Έ Archives - MARKGRAGO.COM ✍🏻 https://markgrago.com/category/religious-essays-β˜¦βœ‘πŸ•‹β˜Έ/ 32 32 128556770 WHO WAS ST. PATRICK? πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€πŸ€β˜¦ https://markgrago.com/who-was-st-patrick-%f0%9f%8d%80%f0%9f%8d%80%f0%9f%8d%80%f0%9f%8d%80%e2%98%a6/ https://markgrago.com/who-was-st-patrick-%f0%9f%8d%80%f0%9f%8d%80%f0%9f%8d%80%f0%9f%8d%80%e2%98%a6/#respond Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:57:41 +0000 https://markgrago.com/?p=2618   To many Irish March 17th is a bit more than Clovers, Leprechauns, and Guinness. This is the β€œtraditional” feast day of Saint Patrick. He is, without question, one of the most celebrated and theatrical saints of the church. But who was he?   To begin with, Saint Patrick was NOT Irish; he was born …

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]]> https://markgrago.com/who-was-st-patrick-%f0%9f%8d%80%f0%9f%8d%80%f0%9f%8d%80%f0%9f%8d%80%e2%98%a6/feed/ 0 2618 SHOULD CHRISITIANS CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE LENT? ☦✝🐟 https://markgrago.com/should-chrisitians-continue-to-celebrate-lent-%e2%98%a6%e2%9c%9d%f0%9f%90%9f/ https://markgrago.com/should-chrisitians-continue-to-celebrate-lent-%e2%98%a6%e2%9c%9d%f0%9f%90%9f/#respond Sat, 14 Mar 2026 13:56:37 +0000 https://markgrago.com/?p=2560   Once again, the Lenten season is upon us; however, there seems to be a tremendous amount of confusion about Lent; I shall (briefly) try to rectify:   It is true that Lent was NOT practiced by Jesus or the Apostles and in 1st century Palestine; however, that does not mean it has uncommonness. If …

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]]> https://markgrago.com/should-chrisitians-continue-to-celebrate-lent-%e2%98%a6%e2%9c%9d%f0%9f%90%9f/feed/ 0 2560 SHROUD OF TURIN: FORGERY OR DIVINE, ESSAY 1 ☦☦☦ https://markgrago.com/shroud-of-turin-forgery-or-divine-essay-1-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6/ Sat, 12 Jul 2025 17:13:16 +0000 https://markgrago.com/?p=2444   The Shroud of Turin, like most folks my age, came to prominence in the late 1970’s. At that time, National Geographic magazine published some of the first articles ever brough onto the world stage; even more important, they provided the 1st photographs ever taken of this mysterious burial cloth. It was, indeed, a spectacular …

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]]> 2444 WAS THE LAST SUPPER OF JESUS AN ACTUAL PASSOVER? ☦🍞🐟 https://markgrago.com/was-the-last-supper-of-jesus-an-actual-passover-%e2%98%a6%f0%9f%8d%9e/ https://markgrago.com/was-the-last-supper-of-jesus-an-actual-passover-%e2%98%a6%f0%9f%8d%9e/#respond Thu, 17 Apr 2025 11:27:18 +0000 https://markgrago.com/?p=234   Once again, Holy Week has come upon the Christian community and the last week of Jesus’ life has captured the imagination of the layman and scholar alike. To understand what it means to be Christian and what took place over two thousand years ago, is to ritualistically observe the last days of the life …

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]]> https://markgrago.com/was-the-last-supper-of-jesus-an-actual-passover-%e2%98%a6%f0%9f%8d%9e/feed/ 0 234 CARDINAL SADOLETTO”S LETTER TO JOHN CALVIN: REFORMERvs.CATHOLIC ☦☦✝ https://markgrago.com/cardinal-sadolettos-letter-to-john-calvin-reformervs-catholic-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%9c%9d/ https://markgrago.com/cardinal-sadolettos-letter-to-john-calvin-reformervs-catholic-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%9c%9d/#respond Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:30:01 +0000 https://markgrago.com/?p=661 AUTHOR’s PROLEGOMENON: In the attempt to intimately understand 16th century French, it is paramount for the reader to also procure an equated comprehension of 16th century English; both French and English played supreme roles in the development of Protestant theology and reform. In the example of John Calvin, I have, to the best of my …

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]]> https://markgrago.com/cardinal-sadolettos-letter-to-john-calvin-reformervs-catholic-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%9c%9d/feed/ 0 661 MAXIMUS THE CONFESSOR: “ON THE LORD’S PRAYER” ☦☦☦ https://markgrago.com/maximus-the-confessor-on-the-lords-prayer-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6/ https://markgrago.com/maximus-the-confessor-on-the-lords-prayer-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6/#respond Wed, 08 Jan 2025 19:57:37 +0000 https://markgrago.com/?p=636 Maximus the Confessor was a Byzantine monk and theologian of the EARLY church. Very little is known of his life prior to his involvement in the theological&political conflicts of the Monothelite Controversy. In Eastern Christianity, he is HIGHLY influential; his works are included in the Philokalia of the Eastern Church writers. In one of his …

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]]> https://markgrago.com/maximus-the-confessor-on-the-lords-prayer-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6/feed/ 0 636 IS THE ORTHODOX STUDY BIBLE REALLY ORTHODOX IN TEACHING&STUDY? ☦☦☦ https://markgrago.com/is-the-orthodox-study-bible-really-orthodox-in-teachingstudy-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6/ https://markgrago.com/is-the-orthodox-study-bible-really-orthodox-in-teachingstudy-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6/#respond Wed, 08 Jan 2025 06:22:37 +0000 https://markgrago.com/?p=512   A warning to Eastern Orthodox Christians on this Study Bible version Β  The Orthodox Study Bible (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1993) makes a very good initial impression. The bindings are handsome, the Bible is nicely printed, and it is graced by several full-color icons scattered through the book. It uses the increasingly popular New …

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]]> https://markgrago.com/is-the-orthodox-study-bible-really-orthodox-in-teachingstudy-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6/feed/ 0 512 Which English Translation of the Bible is Superior? β˜¦β˜¦βœπŸ“œ https://markgrago.com/which-english-translation-of-the-bible-is-superior-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%9c%9d%f0%9f%93%9c/ https://markgrago.com/which-english-translation-of-the-bible-is-superior-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%9c%9d%f0%9f%93%9c/#respond Tue, 27 Aug 2024 21:54:07 +0000 https://markgrago.com/?p=291   The most incomprehensible part of this question is the least undermined. The English language has provided more versions of the Bible that most other languages can boast of; we should take great pride in ALL the β€˜English’ translations we have; however, that is not the case; in fact, we are more divided on this …

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]]> https://markgrago.com/which-english-translation-of-the-bible-is-superior-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%9c%9d%f0%9f%93%9c/feed/ 0 291 WHO WAS SAINT VALENTINE? β™₯πŸ’›πŸ’™πŸ’šπŸ§‘ https://markgrago.com/who-was-saint-valentine-%e2%99%a5%f0%9f%92%9b%f0%9f%92%99%f0%9f%92%9a%f0%9f%a7%a1/ https://markgrago.com/who-was-saint-valentine-%e2%99%a5%f0%9f%92%9b%f0%9f%92%99%f0%9f%92%9a%f0%9f%a7%a1/#respond Wed, 10 Jul 2024 18:28:30 +0000 https://markgrago.com/?p=200   The origins of this holiday are extremely captivating; the day as we know and celebrate took centuries to possess the current form it now has. Ironically, though the celebration of the day itself is rooted in Roman tradition, it is quite a Christian holiday.Β  The name β€œValentine” (it means strong, respectful, powerful; this name …

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]]> https://markgrago.com/who-was-saint-valentine-%e2%99%a5%f0%9f%92%9b%f0%9f%92%99%f0%9f%92%9a%f0%9f%a7%a1/feed/ 0 200 WHAT DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT TEACH ABOUT HEAVEN? ☦☦☦🌻🌼🌷 https://markgrago.com/what-does-the-new-testament-teach-about-heaven-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%f0%9f%8c%bb%f0%9f%8c%bc%f0%9f%8c%b7/ https://markgrago.com/what-does-the-new-testament-teach-about-heaven-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%f0%9f%8c%bb%f0%9f%8c%bc%f0%9f%8c%b7/#respond Tue, 25 Jun 2024 17:17:45 +0000 https://markgrago.com/?p=191   One of the most primary and central themes of the Bible (and not necessarily Christianity) is that there is an earth, heaven and a place of rest. From its earliest attestations, what most folks have been β€˜taught’ to believe, is that when you die, if you are a good person, you will go to …

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]]> https://markgrago.com/what-does-the-new-testament-teach-about-heaven-%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%e2%98%a6%f0%9f%8c%bb%f0%9f%8c%bc%f0%9f%8c%b7/feed/ 0 191