Thank you! I’m new to Orthodoxy and I’m one of the few women who wear a head covering at our church. We are here to please God not humans. I ask God to remove my fear of what others may think of me and wear a head covering. It’s been 2 years now since I started wearing one and I wouldn’t feel comfortable without it. Besides I wouldn’t want to frighten the angels!
I am currently the only one who wears a head covering at our small church and have worn one from the very first day I started going there. At first, I felt out of place but now I wouldn’t feel right without it! I pray more women will be led to veil, also.
As a young woman, I increasingly want to wear a head covering. I've been feeling led and convicted by God to do so. Not only when praying but all the time. Especially in these last days. 🙏🏼❤️
@@ValsVersionWhat are u talking about? Roman Catholic women veiled until the 1960s and some still do especially Traditional communities which are so beautiful
Glory to Jesus Christ! I’ve been wearing head covering to church for years. Like the woman who posted above, I’m also considering wearing a head covering all the time, because of all the evil
@@maryadjalal5435Go ahead fulltime dear Sister. I started during C-vid madness. This is a time of spiritual warfare. Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner 💖🙏🇦🇺
@ValsVersion I'm a cradle Catholic, raised in Louisiana and went to Catholic school. We always wore a covering until more women started omitting them. I never felt comfortable not having one on in church. I returned to wearing them again about 13 years ago. I feel closer to our Lord, by doing so. It helps me to stay more focused on the mass and see less distracted.
Thank you, Father, for this sermon. I was choir director in a small, very close-knit and spiritual OCA parish where many women covered; when I moved back to my hometown in MT, the only Orthodox parish here is a "modern" Greek parish where I found not only 2-3 women who cover, but also where many women and young women have succumbed to garish and revealing fashion, and people generally are poorly catechised. I find that my scarf helps me focus on prayer and the liturgy, sort of akin to blinders, which I find very helpful in avoiding the sin of pride and judgement.
It’s the head covering of women that actually demonstrates how holy the place (church) we are in - and sadly not the veil of the altar because it becomes monotonous and routine - but when women’s heads are covered - it helps shake us into realization that we are inside the holy temple. What a huge impact that women have. I love the part when father talked about how angels approach women. Very nice. 👍🏼☦️
I am coming from Serbia and my grandmothers were covering their heads always. In the house they could take it off if we are alone, not any visitors. Also they never cut their hair short. It was not social rule at that time but choice. Maybe before the second world war it was an unspoken social rule. Generations after barely practiced it, maybe in remote regions and there are still older women who always cover their heads. I see different women in the church and I understand that many women think it is some old fashion. Thank you for teaching us on it, I appreciate it because in past I have heard that head coverings are not mentioned anywhere in scriptures.
Thank you Father, I am a Traditional Roman Catholic priest (Traditional Latin Rite). All my female faithful wear the veil. It's a requirement in order to enter the church. The women gladly do it especially the young.
It definitely should not be a requirement. That is getting into dangerous territory along the lines of radical Islam IMO. By the way, I am. 73 year old Catholic woman who , as a young girl was “required “ to cover my head in church. But I don’t know where this veiling thing comes from. Maybe Europe? I don’t know, but as Catholic women and girls in the 1950’s and 60’s we wore hats or scarves. Believe me, it was not “joyfully” as this priest states. No veils that I remember.
@@jgriffin282 well we follow the Blessed Virgin Mary so what she wore is suitable dress for us. 🥰 I understand that you probably witnessed the feminist revolution that the younger generation was born into but no matter any age, whoever drinks from Jesus Christ and reads the Bible and follows the saints would eventually want to dress like we belong to Him. We could either look like the world and look foreign to heaven or look like heaven and look foreign to the world. 🥰
@@JC4all_dena If that’s the case, why then are men not “required “ to wear robes similar to Jesus and his Apostles to mass? I think what bothered me about the original comment made by the priest was that wearing the veil was a “requirement “ to enter the church. That is simply wrong. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it should never be a “requirement “. Been there done that.
In our Russian Orthodox church we, women, wear our headcoverings. My teenage granddaughters also cover their head. They started doing it at a very early age ❤❤❤
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
@@Evridikibio1 REASON 4: THE PRACTICE IS CONTEXT SPECIFIC The practice of headcoverings is specific to times of prayer and prophecy. We can define “prayer and prophecy” somewhere else, and I happen to believe the words refer to gathered worship. But for the purpose of this blog, it is sufficient to say that prayer and prophecy are the contexts in which women are to wear headcoverings and men are not to wear headcoverings (v. 4, 5). That indicates that the headcoverings of which Paul speaks can be placed on the head and removed from the head depending on the context. In other words, the expectation is not that women wear headcoverings at all time, but only during times of prayer and prophecy. Women are free to remove the headcoverings after prayer and prophecy conclude. This only makes sense if the headcovering is removable. If the headcovering were hair, it would not be removable, at least not so easily removable. It is impossible for a woman to remove her hair after worship, only to replace it before the next worship service which at least would have been 6 days later. Had Paul intended hair for the headcovering, he could have simply told women to wear it or grow it without mentioning the context. “Ladies, grow your hair out,” he could have said. In this case, he does mention the context. The context is prayer and prophecy. That assumes that the headcovering can quickly be placed on the head and removed from the head, depending on the specific context. There is something unique about prayer and prophecy that requires the headcovering for a woman, and because of that Paul was able to tell them to specifically wear it during prayer and prophecy. The practice is not general to all of life, but specific for this specific occasion. CONCLUSION For the above reasons I reject the interpretation that posits hair as the legitimate headcovering for women during gathered worship. That interpretation renders the entire passage senseless, it doesn’t follow the flow of the argument, it fails to see the distinct word used for covering in verse 15, and the entire text is specific to one context (prayer and prophesy). Hair is not the headcovering of which Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 11. He is referring to a material garment, like a shawl or a hat, to cover the head. Greek New Testament scholar, Thomas Schreiner, agrees: Paul is not saying that a woman has been given long hair instead of a covering. Rather, he is saying that woman has been given long hair as a covering. His point seems to be that a woman’s long hair is an indication that she needs to wear a covering.3 Dr. Schreiner quickly dismisses headcoverings as a cultural phenomenon near the end of his essay without any exegetical warrant, but when he actually does exegete the passage he is spot on. A woman’s long hair frames her head with feminine glory. It is a uniquely feminine adornment that naturally adds to a woman’s beauty. The headcovering is a further adornment that declares her femininity specifically during times of public worship. In the context of 1 Corinthians 11, a woman’s hair cannot be her headcovering.
@@Evridikibio1 yes but long hair is also to help poor women that could not afford a scarf but today the Dollard store has them for 2-4 $ for a scarf, so yes outside it not obligatory but women did wear them at all times because you never know when you will need to pray and show reverence to God. We still need to cover in churches /holy ground ,i don't care what the leaders of the church say , if the apostles of Jesus hear Jesus say that a women should cover then we should .
@@funnygaming2672 where did you get that Jesus said women should cover their hair? If anything Jesus said that it's not about the clothes, but that a woman should show that she's respectful in her actions...
My mom always made me wear a head covering in church thanks the lord I still do, I AM SOOOOOOOOO GLAD TO HEAR YOU FATHER AT LAST SOME ONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT THE CHURCH IS A HOLY PLACE, " NOT" A DISCO, WE TO CHURCH TO PRAY WE HAVE TO DRESS DECENTLY AND COVER OUR HAIR AND BODY. THANK YOU FATHER FOR ENLIGHTENING US🙏🙏🙏❤️
I had this conviction from when i was a protestant, as an Orthodox Christian now, I wear a veil all the time, it helps me pray more and be humble. Lord Have Mercy on Us and grant us Your grace 🙏 Thank you Father for your timely teaching 🙏
Thank you for speaking the truth about the sexual revolution that has done untold damage in the ways you describe. I was taken in by it and suffered accordingly but thank God I am now in the Orthodox Church and wear a headscarf as instructed. You have made me understand why. Thank you.
Magnificent Father! Excellent teaching. My family and I were in Phoenix for the same conference, and my wife and daughter attended the McFadden lecture. My daughter stood up and shared her thoughts on the importance of veiling. After she finished, someone asked which church she attended, and she replied that she was Catholic. This prompted some laughter, but the topic of veiling has been quite controversial in the Orthodox Church. When my wife began veiling, it wasn’t well received, so we eventually moved to a different Orthodox parish where many of the women now veil. It has created a much more welcoming environment for us.
I am not orthodox, but I cover my head for church and prayer. ❤❤❤ Thank you for talking about this subject. I love how the head coverings are on the rise. More and more women are seeing the importance of Biblical femininity, submission, and a set apart life. They are turning back to obedience and godliness and it makes my heart happy. Head coverings went away with the sexual revolution and it is time for us younger generations to undo the damage done to our world by the sexual revolution!
I’ve been wearing one when I go to monasteries but not at my parish. I’ve been wanting to do so but haven’t because most don’t. This beautiful explanation brought me to tears. It’s what I needed to hear. I wore one today and will always wear one. I will be sharing this video with others! Thank you 🙏☦️
Thank you for sharing this! It was very insightful and encouraging! I am a Protestant woman in who recently started wearing a head covering. I’ve spent many hours studying this topic and have come to a deep conviction about it. It takes a lot of courage to wear my head covering to church and chapel (I go to Bible college) and I wish it didn’t have to. I hope we can normalize head coverings in America again. Again, thank you for sharing this message!
@@jbn668 ❤️❤️❤️ Keep up the good work. Eventually the headcovering will catch on. I am seeing more and more about it online now and am confident that I will even see more of it in my own area.
@@jjohnson98634 Oh my dear sister, please come home to the Orthodox Church. We are waiting for you and others to join us in the Ancient Faith of Jesus Christ and the Holy Apostles! 😊☦️💛
Good morning, Thank you for your time in posting this truly inspiring and meaningful sermon for us women. I will forever hold on to this and be mindful when stepping into the house of our Lord. Thank you and god bless you Father.
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
@@georgiosgerontas760 that is a very good argument. You don't know what to say, so calling people names is what you default to. You must have been fun in school, or are still in it.
@@Evridikibio1 Try to understand the argument in Paul's teaching. Woman is the glory of man, so she should be covered before the Glory of Christ. Woman's long hair is her own glory so that should be covered too, otherwise she is in competition with Christ. It's actually not difficult when you realise what is going on in 1 Cor 11.
Thankyou Father for this sermon, I have felt called to start wearing a viel during prayer, you have helped me understand how this is such beautiful show of respect to God.
I attend a Greek Church where I am quite often the only woman with her head covered. Part of me thinks that being the only one with my head covered means I ammore of a distraction and therefore I might be seen as being boastful of my piety. But, I have covered my hair in church from the beginning and so when I am uncovered I feel naked and improper. I continue to veil in church, but the fact that I am quite often the only one is very difficult for me. I find myself wondering about the judgement of those around me, and worrying that the other women are bothered by me. It makes me sad when new women start to attend the parish with their heads covered, but after seeing that almost no one else does it, they quickly start showing up without their veils. It's very hard to continue to be different. The Greeks seem to feel very strongly about rejecting this practice, and I fear I am making myself look prideful and rebellious by continuing, and wondering if I should be doing it.
Definitely keep veiling as long as youre comfortable with it, it seems that you are called to it. You're in church, the other women shouldn't be focusing on you they should be focusing on their worship, and they shouldn't let a head covering get in the way of that. It's a beautiful tradition that Christian women have been practicing for thousands of years, lost to the s3xual liberation movement.
I completely understand your fear of being judged and distraction! I converted to Catholism 2 years ago, and started wearing a veil this past January. Very few women veil themselves at our parish, although more do at our parish than others I've been to. I was afraid to start veiling, because I felt like a fraud. I thought that only extremely pius women wore veils. But then I learned that we veil ourselves for love and respect of the true presence of Jesus in the consecrated host.😊
ive been covering my head innately for many years, way before i became a catechumen or inquirer in Orthodoxy. i am usually always the only woman covering my head, wherever i go. i do this because of a personal higher reasoning with The Most High. i cannot worry about what others think, i must continue in faith.
Thank you for this Father. I learned about head coverings at the Divine Liturgy Byzantine church. Now i go to the Roman church and almost no one wears them and I stand out and feel silly. You have given me courage to stand up for what is right. And given me strength. Peace be with you always
Thank you Father for this important sermon. I started wearing a head covering before i even researched Orthodoxy. Then after i got married, my husband encouraged me to lengthen my clothes to floor length and live more for Christ in my demeanor and modesty. I am thankful for the blessing i received today from your important edification. 🙏
Wow just wow. Thank you for sharing this. I’ve been wearing headcoverings since I entered the church 9 years ago…but even before then as an evangelical in prayer. I’ve always felt called to them and felt like by putting it on, I enter a new state of mind. Like it protects me from wayward thoughts and brings me to prayer to focus. Again, wow! Thank you 🙏🏻☦️
Joy! I so enjoyed your homily! I began wearing a head covering to church earlier this year...for a variety of reasons, some of which you spoke about. However, this is the first occasion I've heard that verse explained regarding to wear them for the sake of the angels ❤ thank you very much! Glory to God 🙌🏻
It seems to me that head coverings for women are important to the angels because our Blessed Mother always wore a head covering and she is our model. I tell this to people who ask, “Our blessed Mother wore one always and if it is good enough for her then it is what I am supposed to do with a happy heart.” And I have been wearing a chapel veil for years and would feel uncomfortable without one. Thank you for a beautiful homily on this important subject.
I am happy to wear a head covering-showing submission to my Heavenly Father who saved my soul and to my husband who takes spiritual responsibility and leadership in our home. No army can have two generals-I must allow my husband to lead, and I am able to support and be a helpmeet as I am called.
Helpmeet doesn't mean one is not equal to their husband- the same word is used to describe God in the Bible. The husband is the head, but the body is just as important, and they mutually submit to each other like in Eph 5:21, just through different roles. The husband and wife are one, so the army indeed only has one general :)
Fr Mousa, thank you for that inspiring sermon about head coverings! This is an encouragement to all women and you explained well why we need to always be wearing a head covering. God bless you & your family!
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
Beautiful. Thank you Father for explaining about the angels. I've always covered in church even before becoming Orthodox 20+ yr ago. In 2020 it seemed obvious that we were entering a time of intense spiritual warfare. I definitely want to be on the side of God's angels so now headcover fulltime & started to take my spiritual life & modest clothing more seriously. (Chrysostom says the outward appearance proclaims the inner man). Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner.💖🙏🇦🇺
St. John Chrysostom argues that a woman ought to “be carefully wrapped up on every side” at all times, basing his argument directly on the text of St. Paul’s Epistle. He is saying: Christian women ought to cover their hair, not merely in church, but everywhere they go. This was the custom of Christian women everywhere, until the 20th century and the rise of feminism.
@@BodilessVoice don't lose heart brother, these rules still exist. Just take the first plane to Kabul and enjoy your stay there! Meanwhile we keep on here in the 21st century, live and let live.
Father Mousa, you are truly blessed. You proclaim the truth with both a deep love for humanity and a profound reverence for God. I humbly encourage you to consider recording your sermons, particularly addressing the challenges and prevalent temptations facing today's youth, as well as expounding on the Church’s doctrinal positions. You possess a remarkable gift that could greatly benefit many. Evlogison
As someone who goes to a Greek Church in Texas, about 75% of women are not veiled/covered. I appreciate the Russians for insisting veils so heavily in their parishes (or at least the two I went to).
Do you know why? Because Greece suffered centuries under Muslim oppression. Greek women stopped wearing the veil to differentiate themselves from their Muslim oppressors. The tradition of not wearing a veil has stuck around for Greeks.
@@snowps1 also for the Greeks the Liturgy had to be done clandestine while under the oppression of the Ottomans. As a result their liturgies then to be shorter than a Russian liturgy! This holds today comparing the liturgy at an OCA (Russian heritage jurisdiction) versus GOA.
I attend a ROCOR parish and less than half of the women veil. I do, and my daughter does. It seems that the younger women are happy to veil, but the older women stopped in the 60's and never did it again.
I've worn a covering for two years now, it's a lot easier to do when in a community that also does it. I appreciate the women that do it despite being the only ones.
Thank you for your blessings & powerful message today pater mas. You definately shared pearls of wisdom for the salvation of our ignorant souls. By the gracevof God & our Theotokos 🌹go we.🙏🏻 Lord have mercy 🙏🏻🛐😢 Immigrant from South Africa.🌿
This was so good! This helped answer all my doubts and questions. Best explanation of veil wearing. Thank you so much! And the ending of this video was so uplifting and encouraging.
Thank you, Father. Indeed, in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, when we are baptized, we are honored with a Christian name. This name represents that we are like seedlings, nurtured as sons and daughters, growing in the strength and authority of God, the virgin Mary, angels and saints.
I am RC and grew up veiling, but, sadly got away from it for while. However I always felt uncomfortable, like being undressed. I started doing so again and feel so much closer to our Lord. Blessed be to God.
May we have your blessings Father! This would have to be one of the most well explained sermons as to why women should be wearing head coverings. Sadly the early 1920s onwards did see the demise of this and westernisation. Thank you so much!
Thank you, Father. I always felt convicted because of the Scriptures you cite and longstanding Christian tradition, that I should wear a head covering in Church and for prayer out of respect for the Lord, but for many years I deferred instead to the predominating practice in the parishes I was in, where usually only women from the “old country” wore them. I did not want to draw undue attention to myself as an American and convert, especially from my Rector who quite honestly seemed to be a bit annoyed by the practice outside a traditional ethnic or monastery setting. To be fair, I got the impression from the little he said and how he said it, he discouraged this (as well as public use of prayer ropes by the laity) because he did not want to encourage a kind of fundamentalist or legalistic spirit in the congregation, especially among converts from conservative Protestant backgrounds taking up the trappings of Orthodoxy without perhaps understanding the meaning and spirit of these externals. A couple of years ago, I changed parishes and began to use head coverings. It was helpful that the Priest’s wife also did so, though she also was a convert. This is by far the clearest and most beautiful explanation I have heard of the meaning of the practice. The part about the holy angels fearing women moved me deeply, and it all makes so much sense in view of the Mystery of the Lord’s Incarnation from the Theotokos. A heartfelt thank you, again!
SUCH an IMPORTANT message for us Americans today. We've been sold a bill of goods about this being a first century cultural issue. 😞 Thank you, Father.
@@ValsVersion The preacher is in the Apostolic Orthodox church. His authority comes from the Bible and the Church fathers. The Roman Catholic pope split off from them in 1054 because he wanted to alter the creed among other things. The orthodox church still carries on with the same liturgy from AD 400. Learn some church history.
This was an awesome message although I'm not fully convinced of the need for head coverings today and I do not fully understand the purpose behind them initially however this message definitely pointed me in the right direction in possibly understanding fully what Paul was speaking about in terms of the head coverings "because of the Angels". Thank you for sharing.
I was a member of a wonderful ROCOR Church in VA (all the women in dresses and veils with a rare exception) but recently moved to SC where I attend an OCA Church (the only jurisdiction available). I was surprised to find that only about 1/3 of the women wear head coverings and at least 1/2 of the women wear pants-some even in jeans. I guess OCA is the modernest wing of the Church.
OCA depends on the parish. I went to one near a state college. There were very liberal there. No head covering there. Now I worship at an OCA in North Carolina. 75 percent of the women cover their heads.
Father Seraphim Rose forbade clergy to concelebrate with the OCA - ever - and he also forbade his spiritual children to attend an OCA parish, for any reason. His faithful and devout spiritual children keep this rule, until our time. For a reason. . .
@@annyer262 OCA seems to let the priests have comparatively more authority. There are two OCA parishes in my area - one on a campus and is quite modern for Orthodoxy, and another that has an eastern european priest and you would be forgiven if you thought is was ROCOR.
@@NFS0038 I have experienced that at an OCA also. He would switch to slavonic during the service when he was having trouble remembering the English. During the Sermon I would here bits of Russian sometimes.
I have seen women with headcoverings who wore, at the same time, short skirts, stretch pants, tight jeans, crop pants, etc. This makes the headcovering look ridiculous. I would rather see a person dressed modestly with no head covering rather than an immodest outfit with the head covering. If modesty and humility were the interior intentions, then the rest of the clothing would be appropriate as well.
.... maybe it is the devil that shows you his victims and hides you Virgin Mary and the women Saints and so you are becoming his attorney without to realize it because God likes and demands all both , modest dressing and head covering , if one is missing all is wrong. So it is better to be a bee ... ruclips.net/video/PCZ1qoDmSBU/видео.html
@@mpkropf5062 Maybe the Russian Orthodox, but I have seen plenty of women pants at the Greek Orthodox, Antiochian Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches I have attended. I don't often get to wear dresses and skirts in every day life so I do love the fact that I can wear it at church, but I also live in Minnesota and I am grateful I can wear pants.
Women are more likely to be immodest in their dress than their hair nowadays. I have been to churches where it seemed like if you were a woman and didn't have designer clothes, bags or shoes you were looked down upon. This is even mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:9-10, yet people constantly harp on head coverings.
@@junicornplays980 I had a priest personally tell me that it was fine to wear pants to church as a woman as long as you dressed modestly, like not skin tight leggings. He thought it was more inappropriate to see women's bare shoulders from sleeveless tops in church than it was to see a woman in a modest pair of pants.
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
@@Evridikibio1 Wearing a head covering elevates this even further. Women have long hair as a natural veil in life, they put a veil on top of a veil to enter into the holy of holy's, the place where God dwells, the Church.
@@johnhawks1642 if a woman wants to wear a veil at church, or even constantly, there is nobody stopping her. But, there isn't such a rule that a woman has to wear a veil. That's the point im trying to make. You want to wear a veil? Go ahead! You don't? God's got you covered!
@@icxcnika2037 Thank you friend. For now I go to TLM in a SSPX chapel. We can't abandon the church because someone seeks to change it and destroy it. We must restore it.
Some of us sadly have no choice but to attend Novus Ordo. I grew up attending Latin Mass with head covering but as we know most believed Vatican II gave the right to change all things we held sacred and holy. I pray we go back to more traditional practices🙏
Yeah what about a woman's guardian angel? Seems like a tactical disadvantage if her angel has to constantly avert its gaze from her while defending her from demons.
It's the mind of St. Paul and confirmed by the Church Fathers that the woman veil daily. The matter of the angels, some Church Fathers explained that "the angels" mean Priests and Bishops. The angels even see you naked, so it's not a shock for him to see your hair. But other Church Fathers says it's actual angels that St. Paul means because the angels are concerned about the modesty of women. I accept both school of thoughts for reasons I can't explain in a comment section. But primarily, St. Paul says that the Veil is for the man. But secondarily for the angels. You have men everywhere with you. That should be our focus as the "Man is the glory of God" in a sense, the God you see. You don't see angels.
In all icons, female saints have head coverings. Do we not want to emulate the icons? This trend to not wear head coverings is a new fad even in Orthodox countries started in the 60’s,70’s. Head coverings are in the Old Testament and in the new. Frankly if men could still “cover their heads when praying” as in the Old Testament, it would be viewed as an honor.
St. Mary of Egypt is an exception, but she was a solitary hermit, and I don’t see anyone suggesting women should emulate her “attire” (actually lack thereof) on her entire body!
@@junicornplays980 Actually we do. Women are encouraged to cover their heads, men are encouraged to grow beards and look like natural men as Jesus Christ not like young “grooms” and effeminate males. As the saints say.
@@lornadoone8887St Mary of Eqypt’s lack of clothing was not a form of pride, but a form of humility, following decades of prayer, asceticism, and repentance.
@@junicornplays980 careful you don't turn this into a competition! If my priest told me I had to wear monk's robes as a man in church every day, I say bring it on.
Thank you for this enlightening speech! I needed it right now and feel like sharing my experience. As a believer, a follower of Christ and a woman, I have intuitively felt it to be very right to cover my head in the Church. For some years even during private prayer at home and for long periods any time when leaving home. First in the Roman Catholic Church, then as a member of the Orthodox Church. Wearing a head scarf truly feels like a matter between me and God. It has a sense of healing my broken soul, repairing the damages of a life lived badly in regargards to men. In Church it also helps me to turn inwards, to pray deeper and to minimize distractions. Somehow it is also a statement of 'I am not following the norms and expections of this mad and distorted fallen world to how a woman should look (like a barbie-doll). I have other values, like following the will of God'. And I have even felt a connection to devoted Muslim sisters, who with hijab guard themselves from lustful looks of men with such beauty and modest grace. Last year, after moving to another country I found myself to be part of a very small minority of women (most of whom are originally Russian) with head scarfs in the Church. Sometimes I was the only one with head covered. I felt I was sticking out and even got some strange comments and looks. I learned by experience, that one can easily fall into using time in front of the mirror choosing and fixing a scarf before leaving to Church - self-centered vanity is surely lurking here, too! This spring I started questioning my 'fixation' about not showing my hair in the parish, so at first I took the scarf off for the coffee after Sunday Liturgy, and in the summer during heat I tried being without the scarf in other services than Divine Liturgy. First, there was a sense of nakedness - but quickly I got used to it. During the last month, I have only covered my head during the Divine Liturgy and when visiting monasteries. But I do feel, that by trying to assimilate and not to stick out too much by dropping the scarf, I am loosing something of the sense of Sacredness of the Church space, and the Other-worldliness of the Divine Service. Worship becomes more mundane, ordinary. This is not helping me in giving myself fully to Christ. I go to church FOR HIM, not for the parishioners and their opinions. Everything in the Church is made beautiful to remind us of God's Kingdom, the Icons, the Insence, the Vestments of the Priest... Right? Why would I not express the same beauty and the respect to God by covering my head? So, father Mousa, your speech has made me convert back to my heart's original wisdom - wearing the scarf. I have the courage to do it, especially after this 'experiment'. I especially loved what you said about the importance of covering that which is most precious and mysterious, like the Altar. 'Cause when I am in the Church, I am in the most Precious and most Mysterious meeting with the Loved One of my soul - that is NOT for the eyes of others! So, Dear Sisters in Faith, let's have courage and let our head scarfs show what we stand for and WHOM we are in the Church for!
Your testimony was very endearing. Thank you for sharing your innermost heartfelt experiences and thoughts. I most certainly can relate to all you shared personally. As a traditional Roman Catholic I have been veiling for a little over 10 years and have journeyed through my inner 'desert' as well. And while I heartily believe in the practice of it and the need for it to be taught so young girls know how to address The Lord when HE comes to knock on your Heart so you can kindly allow HIM in and treat HIM with all due reverence, I do understand, from experience, that it too can become a habit [pun intended]. And while it is not a 'bad' habit, it is something that needs to be worn with sense of purpose and not with little thought about self awareness. Because just as you mentioned, you will judged for it. Not just by peers but those in high places and you can invite unwanted negative attention for the simple fact that you are wearing a 'religious' garment. With that said, I totally disagree with you on what a hijab is, its purpose, its statement, its demanding recognition, and moreover the fact that there is absolutely nothing godly about it. Muslima's are taught at a very young age to put a show on, lie, to view themselves as superior, to disregard the integrity of others, to engage in sexual misconduct, and to flaunt it when need be then turn around and hide it for sake of not shaming their outer appearances. Moreover, there is no age limit on 'marriage' in accustom to shareeeya laws. All too often you see these types with their heads wrapped up tighter than cellophane while their arses and busts are put out on display to prove my point. Not to mention the extremely articulated artistry of face paint. And I refuse to use my testimony and my religious habits to be associated with immorality and unethical crimes against humanity and the degradation of what a female's worth genuinely is.
maybe a solution would be, just to focus on liturgy and not so much on others whether they wear headscarf or not. isn’t it for god to judge? also i never was aware that in christian orthodoxy it was important to cover every inch of hair. never heard or listened such obligation.
@@vickyk1861 good answer! Also, there might be secularized women with emotional troubles yearning for a visit to the church, courious outsiders, women that forgot their headscarfs or spontaneously visit the church. If they would get treated in a respectless manner for not wearing a headscarf, they might never come back.
@neggit2063 Really? How about the TLM videos that show bishops and cardinals wearing head coverings during the TLM? Just trying to understand your experience and your claim about the TLM.
I am in Catholic OCIA and have been happily veiling for months at Traditional Latin Mass. I was raised liberal and New Age. So grateful for the Holy Spirit guiding me 🙏🏽🕊️🛐
Christian women should actually veil outside Church, not just in Church. This is actually the mind of the St. Paul and confirmed by the Church Fathers. The Veil isn't a liturgical vestment that should be worn only in Church. It's a matter that should show always.
@icxcnika2037 if you re-read my comment, I say it's the teaching of St. Paul and the Church Fathers. It's not my own opinion. So maybe you should actually read the teaching of the Church Fathers on this topic before commenting. Some Church Fathers to read on this are: Tertullian, Ambrose, Chrysostom, Augustine, Hippolytus, Clement of Alexandria to name a few. All women veil. St. Paul never said anything about a woman in this or that state of life. Being in a monastery has nothing to do with being a woman. The Veil is directly linked to being a Woman than being a religious or not. Why then do we think Christian women veiled for centuries all the time? Do you think they did it because it was for fashion? Thank you
O Sisters in Christ, may our Christ grant you honour and peace as you seek to bless Him with your modesty and the offering of your veiled beauty to Him not to men. Sadly, the innovation of the New Calendar has invited the change of the ancient practice of veiling and modesty of women. All women of Jewish, Muslim and Christian traditions have always worn the headscarf without question! Please listen to your valiant priest who seeks to set you upon the straight path of Jesus Christ. May you seek the true patristic path and return to the authentic Orthodox Calendar which has never changed. It’s not the calendar, but rather the genuine Tradition of the timeless Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ forever! 🙂☦️
I grew up Mennonite but as I got older I felt that some of the traditions and teachings were not genuine in how they were actually trying to live. They looked polished on the outside but there was so much judgement, resentment and mistreatment on the inside of the churches. I love my harritage but did not envision raising a family in the same way so I stepped away. One thing that has been on my mind though is the head covering because I did feel a real conviction to Cover it while worshipping. I now go to a non-denominational churh and it has been very good for me to learn the basics of Christianity with out the shadow of a particular religion. I have read through the scripture anout the head covering and I agree with it and I appreciate this message about it very much, the whole Angel thing used to confuse me. I agree we should follow that scripture, but also in the same scripture it says for a man not to cover his head. How does that work for men that cover there head in the church with hats? Does the same rule apply?
I have witnessed one of my Orthodox Priests go up to a male visitor and ask him to remove the bandana from his head out of respect for this teaching. I’ve never seen an Orthodox man cover his head in church.
A wonderful sermon Father. I'm Catholic and attend the Traditional Latin Mass. I would feel naked if I wasn't veiled in the presence of the King in the Tabernacle. I also occasionally visit the Greek Orthodox cathedral with a couple of my friends. The priest there instantly recognises us because he says "Aah, the Latin ladies. You cover your heads but the Greeks don't bother." It is very sad that covering our heads is seen as an oppression and sadly compared to muslims.
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
Amen! How about taking off shoes when entering church? That’s biblical but not practiced. I’ve only seen a few orthodox churches doing that. What do you think?
If you're going to take your shoes off, don't leave them right in front of the doorway for others to trip over. There is a family that does this at our church. Parents, please supervise your children, thank you.
@@iplyrunescape305 Exodus 3:5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Joshua :15 “The commander of the Lord’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” At every Divine Liturgy we encounter our God on holy ground, all while wearing shoes. The Hebrew priests in the temple did not wear shoes. Yet now everyone, even priests wear shoes while holding the body of our Lord. We should be respectful and remove them.
I’ve been experimenting with veiling. I come into the church Easter 2025. I feel we should veil, but when I am veiled it makes me feel beautiful (which makes me worry I am too vain) but also as if I’m giving the impression that I think I’m better than you towards the women who don’t veil (which is the majority at my church).
This is the best explanation for why women should cover their heads.
It has helped me to make the decision to follow this instruction.
I agree. This is the best explanation! I’m sharing it with others who are thinking about wearing one.
Thank you! I’m new to Orthodoxy and I’m one of the few women who wear a head covering at our church. We are here to please God not humans. I ask God to remove my fear of what others may think of me and wear a head covering. It’s been 2 years now since I started wearing one and I wouldn’t feel comfortable without it. Besides I wouldn’t want to frighten the angels!
Congratulations and amen sister ❤ I join you in this prayer for me too 🙏 it has been years for me too but I never want to lose this blessing
I am currently the only one who wears a head covering at our small church and have worn one from the very first day I started going there. At first, I felt out of place but now I wouldn’t feel right without it! I pray more women will be led to veil, also.
Thank for this teaching, Fr. I have found that wearing a headcovering in church is very healing.
This was fantastic. Glory to God for all things.
As a young woman, I increasingly want to wear a head covering. I've been feeling led and convicted by God to do so. Not only when praying but all the time. Especially in these last days. 🙏🏼❤️
Go ahead and let God lead. Started veiling this year and it was a journey as well. It was hard but once I saw it in scripture that did it.
@@ValsVersionWhat are u talking about? Roman Catholic women veiled until the 1960s and some still do especially Traditional communities which are so beautiful
Glory to Jesus Christ! I’ve been wearing head covering to church for years. Like the woman who posted above, I’m also considering wearing a head covering all the time, because of all the evil
@@maryadjalal5435Go ahead fulltime dear Sister. I started during C-vid madness. This is a time of spiritual warfare. Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner 💖🙏🇦🇺
@ValsVersion I'm a cradle Catholic, raised in Louisiana and went to Catholic school. We always wore a covering until more women started omitting them. I never felt comfortable not having one on in church. I returned to wearing them again about 13 years ago. I feel closer to our Lord, by doing so. It helps me to stay more focused on the mass and see less distracted.
Thank you, Father, for this sermon. I was choir director in a small, very close-knit and spiritual OCA parish where many women covered; when I moved back to my hometown in MT, the only Orthodox parish here is a "modern" Greek parish where I found not only 2-3 women who cover, but also where many women and young women have succumbed to garish and revealing fashion, and people generally are poorly catechised. I find that my scarf helps me focus on prayer and the liturgy, sort of akin to blinders, which I find very helpful in avoiding the sin of pride and judgement.
It’s the head covering of women that actually demonstrates how holy the place (church) we are in - and sadly not the veil of the altar because it becomes monotonous and routine - but when women’s heads are covered - it helps shake us into realization that we are inside the holy temple. What a huge impact that women have. I love the part when father talked about how angels approach women. Very nice. 👍🏼☦️
I am coming from Serbia and my grandmothers were covering their heads always. In the house they could take it off if we are alone, not any visitors. Also they never cut their hair short. It was not social rule at that time but choice. Maybe before the second world war it was an unspoken social rule. Generations after barely practiced it, maybe in remote regions and there are still older women who always cover their heads. I see different women in the church and I understand that many women think it is some old fashion. Thank you for teaching us on it, I appreciate it because in past I have heard that head coverings are not mentioned anywhere in scriptures.
Thank you Father, I am a Traditional Roman Catholic priest (Traditional Latin Rite). All my female faithful wear the veil. It's a requirement in order to enter the church. The women gladly do it especially the young.
The young sure do. They embrace it.
It definitely should not be a requirement. That is getting into dangerous territory along the lines of radical Islam IMO. By the way, I am. 73 year old Catholic woman who , as a young girl was “required “ to cover my head in church. But I don’t know where this veiling thing comes from. Maybe Europe? I don’t know, but as Catholic women and girls in the 1950’s and 60’s we wore hats or scarves. Believe me, it was not “joyfully” as this priest states. No veils that I remember.
@@jgriffin282 Dangerous lines to radical Islam? Ahhh Nooooo. That is not correct. Our Blessed Mother covered her head
@@jgriffin282 well we follow the Blessed Virgin Mary so what she wore is suitable dress for us. 🥰 I understand that you probably witnessed the feminist revolution that the younger generation was born into but no matter any age, whoever drinks from Jesus Christ and reads the Bible and follows the saints would eventually want to dress like we belong to Him. We could either look like the world and look foreign to heaven or look like heaven and look foreign to the world. 🥰
@@JC4all_dena If that’s the case, why then are men not “required “ to wear robes similar to Jesus and his Apostles to mass? I think what bothered me about the original comment made by the priest was that wearing the veil was a “requirement “ to enter the church. That is simply wrong. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it should never be a “requirement “. Been there done that.
In our Russian Orthodox church we, women, wear our headcoverings. My teenage granddaughters also cover their head. They started doing it at a very early age ❤❤❤
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
@@Evridikibio1 REASON 4: THE PRACTICE IS CONTEXT SPECIFIC
The practice of headcoverings is specific to times of prayer and prophecy. We can define “prayer and prophecy” somewhere else, and I happen to believe the words refer to gathered worship. But for the purpose of this blog, it is sufficient to say that prayer and prophecy are the contexts in which women are to wear headcoverings and men are not to wear headcoverings (v. 4, 5). That indicates that the headcoverings of which Paul speaks can be placed on the head and removed from the head depending on the context. In other words, the expectation is not that women wear headcoverings at all time, but only during times of prayer and prophecy. Women are free to remove the headcoverings after prayer and prophecy conclude.
This only makes sense if the headcovering is removable. If the headcovering were hair, it would not be removable, at least not so easily removable. It is impossible for a woman to remove her hair after worship, only to replace it before the next worship service which at least would have been 6 days later. Had Paul intended hair for the headcovering, he could have simply told women to wear it or grow it without mentioning the context. “Ladies, grow your hair out,” he could have said. In this case, he does mention the context. The context is prayer and prophecy. That assumes that the headcovering can quickly be placed on the head and removed from the head, depending on the specific context. There is something unique about prayer and prophecy that requires the headcovering for a woman, and because of that Paul was able to tell them to specifically wear it during prayer and prophecy. The practice is not general to all of life, but specific for this specific occasion.
CONCLUSION
For the above reasons I reject the interpretation that posits hair as the legitimate headcovering for women during gathered worship. That interpretation renders the entire passage senseless, it doesn’t follow the flow of the argument, it fails to see the distinct word used for covering in verse 15, and the entire text is specific to one context (prayer and prophesy). Hair is not the headcovering of which Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 11. He is referring to a material garment, like a shawl or a hat, to cover the head. Greek New Testament scholar, Thomas Schreiner, agrees:
Paul is not saying that a woman has been given long hair instead of a covering. Rather, he is saying that woman has been given long hair as a covering. His point seems to be that a woman’s long hair is an indication that she needs to wear a covering.3
Dr. Schreiner quickly dismisses headcoverings as a cultural phenomenon near the end of his essay without any exegetical warrant, but when he actually does exegete the passage he is spot on. A woman’s long hair frames her head with feminine glory. It is a uniquely feminine adornment that naturally adds to a woman’s beauty. The headcovering is a further adornment that declares her femininity specifically during times of public worship. In the context of 1 Corinthians 11, a woman’s hair cannot be her headcovering.
@@Evridikibio1: Did you watch the whole video? He says this at 19:07.
@@Evridikibio1 yes but long hair is also to help poor women that could not afford a scarf but today the Dollard store has them for 2-4 $ for a scarf, so yes outside it not obligatory but women did wear them at all times because you never know when you will need to pray and show reverence to God. We still need to cover in churches /holy ground ,i don't care what the leaders of the church say , if the apostles of Jesus hear Jesus say that a women should cover then we should .
@@funnygaming2672 where did you get that Jesus said women should cover their hair? If anything Jesus said that it's not about the clothes, but that a woman should show that she's respectful in her actions...
My mom always made me wear a head covering in church thanks the lord I still do, I AM SOOOOOOOOO GLAD TO HEAR YOU FATHER AT LAST SOME ONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT THE CHURCH IS A HOLY PLACE, " NOT" A DISCO, WE TO CHURCH TO PRAY WE HAVE TO DRESS DECENTLY AND COVER OUR HAIR AND BODY.
THANK YOU FATHER FOR ENLIGHTENING US🙏🙏🙏❤️
Thank you!!! I love to veil, and have done so for years. I cannot imagine not!
I had this conviction from when i was a protestant, as an Orthodox Christian now, I wear a veil all the time, it helps me pray more and be humble. Lord Have Mercy on Us and grant us Your grace 🙏
Thank you Father for your timely teaching 🙏
Me too!!!
Humbly sisters, I can relate. Glory to God for all things ❤🙏☦️
I am a Protestant inquirer and was also convicted to veil when I studied 1 Cor 11. Now I attend Divine Liturgy it becomes so much more meaningful!
Thank you for speaking the truth about the sexual revolution that has done untold damage in the ways you describe. I was taken in by it and suffered accordingly but thank God I am now in the Orthodox Church and wear a headscarf as instructed. You have made me understand why. Thank you.
Magnificent Father! Excellent teaching. My family and I were in Phoenix for the same conference, and my wife and daughter attended the McFadden lecture. My daughter stood up and shared her thoughts on the importance of veiling. After she finished, someone asked which church she attended, and she replied that she was Catholic. This prompted some laughter, but the topic of veiling has been quite controversial in the Orthodox Church. When my wife began veiling, it wasn’t well received, so we eventually moved to a different Orthodox parish where many of the women now veil. It has created a much more welcoming environment for us.
I am not orthodox, but I cover my head for church and prayer. ❤❤❤ Thank you for talking about this subject. I love how the head coverings are on the rise. More and more women are seeing the importance of Biblical femininity, submission, and a set apart life. They are turning back to obedience and godliness and it makes my heart happy. Head coverings went away with the sexual revolution and it is time for us younger generations to undo the damage done to our world by the sexual revolution!
I’ve been wearing one when I go to monasteries but not at my parish. I’ve been wanting to do so but haven’t because most don’t. This beautiful explanation brought me to tears. It’s what I needed to hear. I wore one today and will always wear one. I will be sharing this video with others! Thank you 🙏☦️
I hope this message penetrates the heart of every parishioner in our Holy church.
Thank you for sharing this! It was very insightful and encouraging!
I am a Protestant woman in who recently started wearing a head covering. I’ve spent many hours studying this topic and have come to a deep conviction about it. It takes a lot of courage to wear my head covering to church and chapel (I go to Bible college) and I wish it didn’t have to. I hope we can normalize head coverings in America again. Again, thank you for sharing this message!
It is us who will make it normal! ❤ Right now we may feel alone, but the movement is growing. God bless you as you submit to Him!
@@naomimay82 I have often been the only one in our church, but it is so good that more attention is given to it.
@@jbn668 ❤️❤️❤️ Keep up the good work. Eventually the headcovering will catch on. I am seeing more and more about it online now and am confident that I will even see more of it in my own area.
@@jjohnson98634 Oh my dear sister, please come home to the Orthodox Church. We are waiting for you and others to join us in the Ancient Faith of Jesus Christ and the Holy Apostles! 😊☦️💛
Good morning,
Thank you for your time in posting this truly inspiring and meaningful sermon for us women. I will forever hold on to this and be mindful when stepping into the house of our Lord.
Thank you and god bless you Father.
Is sad that we abandoned the tradition St Sophrony is right we don't have the courage Thank you Father
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
@@Evridikibio1 ... troll👿 👾😺 👹 , detected ...
@@georgiosgerontas760 that is a very good argument. You don't know what to say, so calling people names is what you default to. You must have been fun in school, or are still in it.
@@Evridikibio1 Try to understand the argument in Paul's teaching. Woman is the glory of man, so she should be covered before the Glory of Christ. Woman's long hair is her own glory so that should be covered too, otherwise she is in competition with Christ. It's actually not difficult when you realise what is going on in 1 Cor 11.
Thank you for this message. I am a newer convert and want to do what is right. Thank you for this encouragement.
im a Gen X Catholic Christian and I veil when singing in the Choir 👸
Make it obligatory. Like in Spain. I was refused entry to Salamanca cathedral for my bare arms and head. As a tourist.
Thankyou Father for this sermon, I have felt called to start wearing a viel during prayer, you have helped me understand how this is such beautiful show of respect to God.
I attend a Greek Church where I am quite often the only woman with her head covered. Part of me thinks that being the only one with my head covered means I ammore of a distraction and therefore I might be seen as being boastful of my piety. But, I have covered my hair in church from the beginning and so when I am uncovered I feel naked and improper. I continue to veil in church, but the fact that I am quite often the only one is very difficult for me. I find myself wondering about the judgement of those around me, and worrying that the other women are bothered by me. It makes me sad when new women start to attend the parish with their heads covered, but after seeing that almost no one else does it, they quickly start showing up without their veils. It's very hard to continue to be different. The Greeks seem to feel very strongly about rejecting this practice, and I fear I am making myself look prideful and rebellious by continuing, and wondering if I should be doing it.
Definitely keep veiling as long as youre comfortable with it, it seems that you are called to it. You're in church, the other women shouldn't be focusing on you they should be focusing on their worship, and they shouldn't let a head covering get in the way of that. It's a beautiful tradition that Christian women have been practicing for thousands of years, lost to the s3xual liberation movement.
I completely understand your fear of being judged and distraction! I converted to Catholism 2 years ago, and started wearing a veil this past January. Very few women veil themselves at our parish, although more do at our parish than others I've been to. I was afraid to start veiling, because I felt like a fraud. I thought that only extremely pius women wore veils. But then I learned that we veil ourselves for love and respect of the true presence of Jesus in the consecrated host.😊
ive been covering my head innately for many years, way before i became a catechumen or inquirer in Orthodoxy. i am usually always the only woman covering my head, wherever i go. i do this because of a personal higher reasoning with The Most High. i cannot worry about what others think, i must continue in faith.
"If anyone is inclined to dispute this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God."
💖
Thank you for this Father. I learned about head coverings at the Divine Liturgy Byzantine church. Now i go to the Roman church and almost no one wears them and I stand out and feel silly. You have given me courage to stand up for what is right. And given me strength. Peace be with you always
Thank you Father for this important sermon. I started wearing a head covering before i even researched Orthodoxy. Then after i got married, my husband encouraged me to lengthen my clothes to floor length and live more for Christ in my demeanor and modesty. I am thankful for the blessing i received today from your important edification. 🙏
Yes long skirts and dresses. Cover your arms before Our Lord!
@@monicadabney8471 amen sister ❤️🙏☦️
Yes, dear sister. And modest neckline tops. Glory to God. Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner 💖🙏
@@mrsnkg7904 amen sister and amen🙏🕊❤️☦️
I love this!
Wow just wow. Thank you for sharing this. I’ve been wearing headcoverings since I entered the church 9 years ago…but even before then as an evangelical in prayer. I’ve always felt called to them and felt like by putting it on, I enter a new state of mind. Like it protects me from wayward thoughts and brings me to prayer to focus.
Again, wow! Thank you 🙏🏻☦️
I agree and feel the WOW too 😊
Joy! I so enjoyed your homily! I began wearing a head covering to church earlier this year...for a variety of reasons, some of which you spoke about. However, this is the first occasion I've heard that verse explained regarding to wear them for the sake of the angels ❤ thank you very much! Glory to God 🙌🏻
Thank you for this enlightening teaching..May God bless you all in all...
ኣሜን Amen ! thank you father for such a timely and critically important holy traditions.
🙏🏻May God be praised honored & adored. I felt called to veil years ago & love it. It feels like I am fully who I was always made to be 🙏🏻
It seems to me that head coverings for women are important to the angels because our Blessed Mother always wore a head covering and she is our model. I tell this to people who ask, “Our blessed Mother wore one always and if it is good enough for her then it is what I am supposed to do with a happy heart.” And I have been wearing a chapel veil for years and would feel uncomfortable without one. Thank you for a beautiful homily on this important subject.
I’m glad this is one tradition of coming back to the Catholic Church. Many women are wearing them now I never stopped wearing them.
I am happy to wear a head covering-showing submission to my Heavenly Father who saved my soul and to my husband who takes spiritual responsibility and leadership in our home. No army can have two generals-I must allow my husband to lead, and I am able to support and be a helpmeet as I am called.
It is Tradition
@@ValsVersionIt is Tradition Did you not listen to the homily. Park your pride
Helpmeet doesn't mean one is not equal to their husband- the same word is used to describe God in the Bible.
The husband is the head, but the body is just as important, and they mutually submit to each other like in Eph 5:21, just through different roles. The husband and wife are one, so the army indeed only has one general :)
Greeting from Ethiopian Orthodox Church 🙏🙏🙏❤
Fr Mousa, thank you for that inspiring sermon about head coverings! This is an encouragement to all women and you explained well why we need to always be wearing a head covering. God bless you & your family!
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
@@Evridikibio1 Stop showing your ignorance.
@@jbn668 stop showing your hair
Thank you for this ♥️ May it be blessed
Beautiful. Thank you Father for explaining about the angels. I've always covered in church even before becoming Orthodox 20+ yr ago. In 2020 it seemed obvious that we were entering a time of intense spiritual warfare. I definitely want to be on the side of God's angels so now headcover fulltime & started to take my spiritual life & modest clothing more seriously. (Chrysostom says the outward appearance proclaims the inner man). Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner.💖🙏🇦🇺
St. John Chrysostom argues that a woman ought to “be carefully wrapped up on every side” at all times, basing his argument directly on the text of St. Paul’s Epistle. He is saying: Christian women ought to cover their hair, not merely in church, but everywhere they go. This was the custom of Christian women everywhere, until the 20th century and the rise of feminism.
@@BodilessVoice don't lose heart brother, these rules still exist. Just take the first plane to Kabul and enjoy your stay there! Meanwhile we keep on here in the 21st century, live and let live.
Thank you Father for this powerful message! ☦️
Father Mousa, you are truly blessed. You proclaim the truth with both a deep love for humanity and a profound reverence for God. I humbly encourage you to consider recording your sermons, particularly addressing the challenges and prevalent temptations facing today's youth, as well as expounding on the Church’s doctrinal positions. You possess a remarkable gift that could greatly benefit many. Evlogison
Wow. Beautiful! ❤
Outstanding talk, Father Mousa. Thank you!
As someone who goes to a Greek Church in Texas, about 75% of women are not veiled/covered. I appreciate the Russians for insisting veils so heavily in their parishes (or at least the two I went to).
Do you know why? Because Greece suffered centuries under Muslim oppression. Greek women stopped wearing the veil to differentiate themselves from their Muslim oppressors. The tradition of not wearing a veil has stuck around for Greeks.
@@snowps1 also for the Greeks the Liturgy had to be done clandestine while under the oppression of the Ottomans. As a result their liturgies then to be shorter than a Russian liturgy! This holds today comparing the liturgy at an OCA (Russian heritage jurisdiction) versus GOA.
@@snowps1I think, now Greek women are no longer oppressed by Ottomans.. However, now in Greece they also do not wear headcoverings...
@@mrsmarple2655 correct, but did you see the part where I said that the tradition of not wearing it has stuck around for the Greeks...
I attend a ROCOR parish and less than half of the women veil. I do, and my daughter does. It seems that the younger women are happy to veil, but the older women stopped in the 60's and never did it again.
I've worn a covering for two years now, it's a lot easier to do when in a community that also does it. I appreciate the women that do it despite being the only ones.
Glory to God!
EXCELLENT Sermon!!! Thank you may God reward this gifted Priest and may Our Lady of Ransom guide and protect him!
Thank you for your blessings & powerful message today pater
mas. You definately
shared pearls of wisdom for the salvation of our ignorant souls. By the gracevof God & our Theotokos 🌹go we.🙏🏻
Lord have mercy 🙏🏻🛐😢
Immigrant from South Africa.🌿
This was so good! This helped answer all my doubts and questions. Best explanation of veil wearing. Thank you so much! And the ending of this video was so uplifting and encouraging.
Thank you, Father. Indeed, in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, when we are baptized, we are honored with a Christian name. This name represents that we are like seedlings, nurtured as sons and daughters, growing in the strength and authority of God, the virgin Mary, angels and saints.
I am RC and grew up veiling, but, sadly got away from it for while. However I always felt uncomfortable, like being undressed. I started doing so again and feel so much closer to our Lord.
Blessed be to God.
May we have your blessings Father! This would have to be one of the most well explained sermons as to why women should be wearing head coverings. Sadly the early 1920s onwards did see the demise of this and westernisation. Thank you so much!
11:26; Your message is always presented so clearly. I thank God you are my priest and compass. Bless you.
Ethiopian Orthodox Christian church head covering is must and also we do not wear men's clothes in the church
In addition to the head covering women in Ethiopian Orthodox church must cover their whole body with a covering.
Thank you, Father. I always felt convicted because of the Scriptures you cite and longstanding Christian tradition, that I should wear a head covering in Church and for prayer out of respect for the Lord, but for many years I deferred instead to the predominating practice in the parishes I was in, where usually only women from the “old country” wore them. I did not want to draw undue attention to myself as an American and convert, especially from my Rector who quite honestly seemed to be a bit annoyed by the practice outside a traditional ethnic or monastery setting. To be fair, I got the impression from the little he said and how he said it, he discouraged this (as well as public use of prayer ropes by the laity) because he did not want to encourage a kind of fundamentalist or legalistic spirit in the congregation, especially among converts from conservative Protestant backgrounds taking up the trappings of Orthodoxy without perhaps understanding the meaning and spirit of these externals.
A couple of years ago, I changed parishes and began to use head coverings. It was helpful that the Priest’s wife also did so, though she also was a convert.
This is by far the clearest and most beautiful explanation I have heard of the meaning of the practice. The part about the holy angels fearing women moved me deeply, and it all makes so much sense in view of the Mystery of the Lord’s Incarnation from the Theotokos. A heartfelt thank you, again!
Fantastic sermon father! +
SUCH an IMPORTANT message for us Americans today. We've been sold a bill of goods about this being a first century cultural issue. 😞
Thank you, Father.
As a Catholic, I love to wear a veil during holy mass and adoration of the blessed Eucharist.
✝️💖💖💖
What you talking about and what you trying to say 🫣🫣🫣@@ValsVersion
@@ValsVersion Being Biblical is more important than the Pope.
@@ValsVersion The preacher is in the Apostolic Orthodox church. His authority comes from the Bible and the Church fathers. The Roman Catholic pope split off from them in 1054 because he wanted to alter the creed among other things. The orthodox church still carries on with the same liturgy from AD 400. Learn some church history.
Thank you
This was an awesome message although I'm not fully convinced of the need for head coverings today and I do not fully understand the purpose behind them initially however this message definitely pointed me in the right direction in possibly understanding fully what Paul was speaking about in terms of the head coverings "because of the Angels". Thank you for sharing.
Thank you father
Such a beautiful sermon 🥰🙏🏻⛪️
Even Mona Lisa had a veil on when She posed for Davinci in Her most famous portrait. And you never see any image of the Theotokos without a veil.
❤ beautiful. Thanks Father
I was a member of a wonderful ROCOR Church in VA (all the women in dresses and veils with a rare exception) but recently moved to SC where I attend an OCA Church (the only jurisdiction available). I was surprised to find that only about 1/3 of the women wear head coverings and at least 1/2 of the women wear pants-some even in jeans. I guess OCA is the modernest wing of the Church.
OCA depends on the parish. I went to one near a state college. There were very liberal there. No head covering there. Now I worship at an OCA in North Carolina. 75 percent of the women cover their heads.
Father Seraphim Rose forbade clergy to concelebrate with the OCA - ever - and he also forbade his spiritual children to attend an OCA parish, for any reason. His faithful and devout spiritual children keep this rule, until our time. For a reason. . .
@@annyer262 OCA seems to let the priests have comparatively more authority. There are two OCA parishes in my area - one on a campus and is quite modern for Orthodoxy, and another that has an eastern european priest and you would be forgiven if you thought is was ROCOR.
@@NFS0038 I have experienced that at an OCA also. He would switch to slavonic during the service when he was having trouble remembering the English. During the Sermon I would here bits of Russian sometimes.
I wear a headband mostly and occasionally a cloth head covering. It changes your sense of self turning inward and brings forth humility in worship.
Thank you father and God bless you 🛐🙏🏻❤️
Αμήν ❤️☦️
My interest in women wearing head coverings brought me to the Ancient Faith. To the ages of ages ☦️❤️
I have seen women with headcoverings who wore, at the same time, short skirts, stretch pants, tight jeans, crop pants, etc. This makes the headcovering look ridiculous. I would rather see a person dressed modestly with no head covering rather than an immodest outfit with the head covering. If modesty and humility were the interior intentions, then the rest of the clothing would be appropriate as well.
.... maybe it is the devil that shows you his victims and hides you Virgin Mary and the women Saints and so you are becoming his attorney without to realize it because God likes and demands all both , modest dressing and head covering , if one is missing all is wrong.
So it is better to be a bee ...
ruclips.net/video/PCZ1qoDmSBU/видео.html
@@mpkropf5062 Maybe the Russian Orthodox, but I have seen plenty of women pants at the Greek Orthodox, Antiochian Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches I have attended. I don't often get to wear dresses and skirts in every day life so I do love the fact that I can wear it at church, but I also live in Minnesota and I am grateful I can wear pants.
Women are more likely to be immodest in their dress than their hair nowadays. I have been to churches where it seemed like if you were a woman and didn't have designer clothes, bags or shoes you were looked down upon. This is even mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:9-10, yet people constantly harp on head coverings.
@@junicornplays980 I had a priest personally tell me that it was fine to wear pants to church as a woman as long as you dressed modestly, like not skin tight leggings. He thought it was more inappropriate to see women's bare shoulders from sleeveless tops in church than it was to see a woman in a modest pair of pants.
AMEN
Head coverings should be more common in the Church.
Yessssss
All women cover their head when they are in a church here in Russia.
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
@@Evridikibio1 Wearing a head covering elevates this even further. Women have long hair as a natural veil in life, they put a veil on top of a veil to enter into the holy of holy's, the place where God dwells, the Church.
@@johnhawks1642 if a woman wants to wear a veil at church, or even constantly, there is nobody stopping her. But, there isn't such a rule that a woman has to wear a veil. That's the point im trying to make. You want to wear a veil? Go ahead! You don't? God's got you covered!
I'm Catholic and it's sad a Novus Ordu priest would never even dare to say this.
@@icxcnika2037 Thank you friend. For now I go to TLM in a SSPX chapel. We can't abandon the church because someone seeks to change it and destroy it. We must restore it.
Some of us sadly have no choice but to attend Novus Ordo. I grew up attending Latin Mass with head covering but as we know most believed Vatican II gave the right to change all things we held sacred and holy. I pray we go back to more traditional practices🙏
I need more explanation about the angels. So women should wear at ALL times then as angels are not just with us during liturgy.
Yeah what about a woman's guardian angel? Seems like a tactical disadvantage if her angel has to constantly avert its gaze from her while defending her from demons.
@@NFS0038 Good point!
Watch it again.
It's the mind of St. Paul and confirmed by the Church Fathers that the woman veil daily.
The matter of the angels, some Church Fathers explained that "the angels" mean Priests and Bishops. The angels even see you naked, so it's not a shock for him to see your hair.
But other Church Fathers says it's actual angels that St. Paul means because the angels are concerned about the modesty of women.
I accept both school of thoughts for reasons I can't explain in a comment section.
But primarily, St. Paul says that the Veil is for the man. But secondarily for the angels. You have men everywhere with you. That should be our focus as the "Man is the glory of God" in a sense, the God you see. You don't see angels.
In all icons, female saints have head coverings. Do we not want to emulate the icons? This trend to not wear head coverings is a new fad even in Orthodox countries started in the 60’s,70’s. Head coverings are in the Old Testament and in the new. Frankly if men could still “cover their heads when praying” as in the Old Testament, it would be viewed as an honor.
St. Mary of Egypt is an exception, but she was a solitary hermit, and I don’t see anyone suggesting women should emulate her “attire” (actually lack thereof) on her entire body!
Why do we not encourage men to dress like Jesus then?
@@junicornplays980 Actually we do. Women are encouraged to cover their heads, men are encouraged to grow beards and look like natural men as Jesus Christ not like young “grooms” and effeminate males. As the saints say.
@@lornadoone8887St Mary of Eqypt’s lack of clothing was not a form of pride, but a form of humility, following decades of prayer, asceticism, and repentance.
@@junicornplays980 careful you don't turn this into a competition! If my priest told me I had to wear monk's robes as a man in church every day, I say bring it on.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for this enlightening speech! I needed it right now and feel like sharing my experience.
As a believer, a follower of Christ and a woman, I have intuitively felt it to be very right to cover my head in the Church. For some years even during private prayer at home and for long periods any time when leaving home.
First in the Roman Catholic Church, then as a member of the Orthodox Church.
Wearing a head scarf truly feels like a matter between me and God. It has a sense of healing my broken soul, repairing the damages of a life lived badly in regargards to men. In Church it also helps me to turn inwards, to pray deeper and to minimize distractions.
Somehow it is also a statement of 'I am not following the norms and expections of this mad and distorted fallen world to how a woman should look (like a barbie-doll). I have other values, like following the will of God'.
And I have even felt a connection to devoted Muslim sisters, who with hijab guard themselves from lustful looks of men with such beauty and modest grace.
Last year, after moving to another country I found myself to be part of a very small minority of women (most of whom are originally Russian) with head scarfs in the Church. Sometimes I was the only one with head covered. I felt I was sticking out and even got some strange comments and looks.
I learned by experience, that one can easily fall into using time in front of the mirror choosing and fixing a scarf before leaving to Church - self-centered vanity is surely lurking here, too!
This spring I started questioning my 'fixation' about not showing my hair in the parish, so at first I took the scarf off for the coffee after Sunday Liturgy, and in the summer during heat I tried being without the scarf in other services than Divine Liturgy. First, there was a sense of nakedness - but quickly I got used to it. During the last month, I have only covered my head during the Divine Liturgy and when visiting monasteries.
But I do feel, that by trying to assimilate and not to stick out too much by dropping the scarf, I am loosing something of the sense of Sacredness of the Church space, and the Other-worldliness of the Divine Service. Worship becomes more mundane, ordinary.
This is not helping me in giving myself fully to Christ. I go to church FOR HIM, not for the parishioners and their opinions.
Everything in the Church is made beautiful to remind us of God's Kingdom, the Icons, the Insence, the Vestments of the Priest... Right? Why would I not express the same beauty and the respect to God by covering my head?
So, father Mousa, your speech has made me convert back to my heart's original wisdom - wearing the scarf. I have the courage to do it, especially after this 'experiment'.
I especially loved what you said about the importance of covering that which is most precious and mysterious, like the Altar. 'Cause when I am in the Church, I am in the most Precious and most Mysterious meeting with the Loved One of my soul - that is NOT for the eyes of others!
So, Dear Sisters in Faith, let's have courage and let our head scarfs show what we stand for and WHOM we are in the Church for!
Your testimony was very endearing. Thank you for sharing your innermost heartfelt experiences and thoughts.
I most certainly can relate to all you shared personally. As a traditional Roman Catholic I have been veiling for a little over 10 years and have journeyed through my inner 'desert' as well. And while I heartily believe in the practice of it and the need for it to be taught so young girls know how to address The Lord when HE comes to knock on your Heart so you can kindly allow HIM in and treat HIM with all due reverence, I do understand, from experience, that it too can become a habit [pun intended]. And while it is not a 'bad' habit, it is something that needs to be worn with sense of purpose and not with little thought about self awareness. Because just as you mentioned, you will judged for it. Not just by peers but those in high places and you can invite unwanted negative attention for the simple fact that you are wearing a 'religious' garment.
With that said, I totally disagree with you on what a hijab is, its purpose, its statement, its demanding recognition, and moreover the fact that there is absolutely nothing godly about it. Muslima's are taught at a very young age to put a show on, lie, to view themselves as superior, to disregard the integrity of others, to engage in sexual misconduct, and to flaunt it when need be then turn around and hide it for sake of not shaming their outer appearances. Moreover, there is no age limit on 'marriage' in accustom to shareeeya laws. All too often you see these types with their heads wrapped up tighter than cellophane while their arses and busts are put out on display to prove my point. Not to mention the extremely articulated artistry of face paint.
And I refuse to use my testimony and my religious habits to be associated with immorality and unethical crimes against humanity and the degradation of what a female's worth genuinely is.
maybe a solution would be, just to focus on liturgy and not so much on others whether they wear headscarf or not. isn’t it for god to judge? also i never was aware that in christian orthodoxy it was important to cover every inch of hair. never heard or listened such obligation.
@@a.e.2990 but if they don't judge the others, how will they convince themselves that are saints?
@@vickyk1861 good answer! Also, there might be secularized women with emotional troubles yearning for a visit to the church, courious outsiders, women that forgot their headscarfs or spontaneously visit the church. If they would get treated in a respectless manner for not wearing a headscarf, they might never come back.
Very interesting and illuminating sermon.
Is there anything more beautiful, more elegant, more wonderful than the theotokos.
Is this okay to say?
Is there anything [among creation] that is more beautiful...
@@hmkzosimaskrampis3185 but is it correct to say that Theotokos is more beautiful than the Son of man, the word?
@@deathfalcon602 He is both created and uncreated. Anyway, we take poetic license sometimes
@@deathfalcon602 Yes.
@@hmkzosimaskrampis3185 Love it. I don't want to be some stickler but it just stood out to me.
Amen!
Also, no hats in church for men.
Except for the clergy. 😉
@@tomjull1106 this is not biblical😋
@@tomjull1106 That's why I'm not orthodox.
In catholic TLM no man wears a hat, and women veil, as God commanded.
@neggit2063 Really? How about the TLM videos that show bishops and cardinals wearing head coverings during the TLM? Just trying to understand your experience and your claim about the TLM.
@@tomjull1106 mine at SSPX don't.
Great job father ! You're a light among the deepest darkness! A great message.
Amen 🙏✝️❤️🙏💐
Beautiful holy sermon
Finally…great sound teaching
Thank you, Father. I too find it helpful to veil for the Holy Mass, in part because it helps me keep my focus on God, our Almighty Father! Thank you.
My family attends an Antiochian parish in America. About 75% of the women have their heads covered during Divine Liturgy.
🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 ❤
I am in Catholic OCIA and have been happily veiling for months at Traditional Latin Mass. I was raised liberal and New Age. So grateful for the Holy Spirit guiding me 🙏🏽🕊️🛐
SBBX, Novus Ordo or what reformation of Catholicism ? Good for you. Go orthodox. Catholicism changes like the wind.
lol sounds funny as a verb
Christian women should actually veil outside Church, not just in Church. This is actually the mind of the St. Paul and confirmed by the Church Fathers. The Veil isn't a liturgical vestment that should be worn only in Church. It's a matter that should show always.
@icxcnika2037 if you re-read my comment, I say it's the teaching of St. Paul and the Church Fathers. It's not my own opinion.
So maybe you should actually read the teaching of the Church Fathers on this topic before commenting.
Some Church Fathers to read on this are: Tertullian, Ambrose, Chrysostom, Augustine, Hippolytus, Clement of Alexandria to name a few.
All women veil. St. Paul never said anything about a woman in this or that state of life. Being in a monastery has nothing to do with being a woman. The Veil is directly linked to being a Woman than being a religious or not. Why then do we think Christian women veiled for centuries all the time? Do you think they did it because it was for fashion?
Thank you
O Sisters in Christ, may our Christ grant you honour and peace as you seek to bless Him with your modesty and the offering of your veiled beauty to Him not to men. Sadly, the innovation of the New Calendar has invited the change of the ancient practice of veiling and modesty of women. All women of Jewish, Muslim and Christian traditions have always worn the headscarf without question! Please listen to your valiant priest who seeks to set you upon the straight path of Jesus Christ. May you seek the true patristic path and return to the authentic Orthodox Calendar which has never changed. It’s not the calendar, but rather the genuine Tradition of the timeless Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ forever! 🙂☦️
🙏🙏🙏
I agree 100%
We can not follow the rules of the PAGANS but the rules of Christianity ☦️
Brilliant
🙌🏼🙏🏼🙌🏼
I grew up Mennonite but as I got older I felt that some of the traditions and teachings were not genuine in how they were actually trying to live. They looked polished on the outside but there was so much judgement, resentment and mistreatment on the inside of the churches. I love my harritage but did not envision raising a family in the same way so I stepped away. One thing that has been on my mind though is the head covering because I did feel a real conviction to Cover it while worshipping. I now go to a non-denominational churh and it has been very good for me to learn the basics of Christianity with out the shadow of a particular religion. I have read through the scripture anout the head covering and I agree with it and I appreciate this message about it very much, the whole Angel thing used to confuse me. I agree we should follow that scripture, but also in the same scripture it says for a man not to cover his head. How does that work for men that cover there head in the church with hats? Does the same rule apply?
I have witnessed one of my Orthodox Priests go up to a male visitor and ask him to remove the bandana from his head out of respect for this teaching. I’ve never seen an Orthodox man cover his head in church.
ΑΜΗΝ
A wonderful sermon Father. I'm Catholic and attend the Traditional Latin Mass. I would feel naked if I wasn't veiled in the presence of the King in the Tabernacle. I also occasionally visit the Greek Orthodox cathedral with a couple of my friends. The priest there instantly recognises us because he says "Aah, the Latin ladies. You cover your heads but the Greeks don't bother." It is very sad that covering our heads is seen as an oppression and sadly compared to muslims.
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
Compared to muslim? Only someone who has no basic knowledge of history compares themselves with someone who has copied them in the first place.
Amen!
How about taking off shoes when entering church? That’s biblical but not practiced. I’ve only seen a few orthodox churches doing that. What do you think?
If you're going to take your shoes off, don't leave them right in front of the doorway for others to trip over. There is a family that does this at our church. Parents, please supervise your children, thank you.
where is it stated to take shoes off?
@@gelilamartinsen8596 That's news to me
@@iplyrunescape305 Exodus 3:5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Joshua :15 “The commander of the Lord’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so.”
At every Divine Liturgy we encounter our God on holy ground, all while wearing shoes. The Hebrew priests in the temple did not wear shoes. Yet now everyone, even priests wear shoes while holding the body of our Lord. We should be respectful and remove them.
Don't the Coptics do that?
I’ve been experimenting with veiling. I come into the church Easter 2025. I feel we should veil, but when I am veiled it makes me feel beautiful (which makes me worry I am too vain) but also as if I’m giving the impression that I think I’m better than you towards the women who don’t veil (which is the majority at my church).
Thank you. I don't know why I started to wear the veil to Mass, but this sounds right.