Featuring an original design by an independent Orthodox Christian artist, this item would be a lovely purchase for yourself, or as a gift to a priest, Sunday school teacher, or Church friend, to serve as a daily inspiration and reminder of our walk with Christ in the Orthodox faith.

Each year, during Orthodox Christian Holy Week, the faithful are presented with an opportunity to reflect on the gospel episode in which Jesus is anointed by a woman with expensive, fragrant oil over the objections of the disciples who decry, “To what purpose this waste?”

In the book “The Year of Grace of the Lord,” Fr. Lev Gillet writes beautifully about how even now, we as Christians have the opportunity to anoint the Lord, in a certain sense, not only in the person of those who are in need, but also by giving over to him the “intangible wealth” of our interior lives:

“It is not only through material goods that we can still give generously to Jesus, but also by consecrating to Him our intangible wealth: for example, a life of prayer, an ascetic or contemplative life, or some costly sacrifice which seems useless. The world will protest, as did the disciples at Bethany: to what purpose this prodigality, this waste? Would not a normal life, devoted to the service of men, be of much more use? And yet assessment of the ‘value of loss’ remains the nerve of all religion that is truly alive. … We have the right, in what concerns only ourselves, to pour invisible ointment on Jesus’s head—that is to ‘lose’ for His sake (but in reality to gain) the best of our life. Our heart is the first jar of ointment that we must break before Him, for Him.”

Featuring an original design by an independent Orthodox Christian artist, this 15 oz. ceramic mug would be a lovely purchase for yourself, or as a gift to a priest, Sunday school teacher, or Church friend, to serve as a daily inspiration and reminder of our walk with Christ in the Orthodox faith.

It features a mid-century-style, Coptic Orthodox-inspired illustration, coupled with a quote from the Psalms: “I will bring offerings of thanksgiving to You, for You have delivered my soul from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life” (Psalm 56:12-13).

This mug is sturdy and glossy, with a vivid print that will withstand the microwave and dishwasher. Every mug is professionally printed, safely packaged and carefully shipped by our production partner.

Find more from this Orthodox maker at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BrightTuesdayDesign?section_id=28193608