Father's Corner

Dear Beloved in Christ, God is with us! On Monday, I encouraged the practice of daily anointing with blessed oils. Perhaps even more important than this is the regular partaking of holy water. Each Theophany we receive a bottle of holy water. It is both an aid in our journey of theosis and a powerful weapon against the evil one, as we can see in the litanies from the Service of the Great Sanctification of the Waters: -That we may be illumined with the Light of Knowledge and Piety ... [Read more]

Dear Beloved in Christ, God is with us! I would like to share with you some greatly beneficial words from Gerondissa Efpraxia at St. John the Forerunner Monastery in Goldendale, WA. She has had to take the painful measure of prohibiting pilgrims from visiting the monastery during Lent. Here are her consoling words… "Allow me during these difficult times that humanity is going through (which for us Orthodox Christians is doubly painful with the exclusion from the holy services of our ... [Read more]

Dear Beloved in Christ, God is with us! If you’ve been Orthodox for any amount of time, you’ve probably acquired your own collection of holy oils—from St. John Maximovich, St. Nektarios, the myrrh-streaming icon from Hawaii, or other sources. Each household’s collection is a little different (like the one pictured above). I say “collection” because, for many of us, these bottles just sit on a shelf or in prayer corner for years, never used. So why do we have them? Holy oils, which have ... [Read more]

Dear Beloved in Christ, God is with us! Yesterday, Orthodox Christians around the world—including many of you—prayed with the monks of Mount Athos during a vigil dedicated to the Panagia and to St. Haralambos, for the pandemic of the coronavirus. If you were like me, you might have asked yourself, “Why St. Haralambos?” I didn’t know the answer, so I looked it up on a website called Mystagogy. (If you ever want to know more about saints of the church, this is an excellent ... [Read more]

Dear Beloved in Christ, God is with us! Today we are going to have a worldwide spiritual huddle. Our courageous spiritual warriors, the monks on Mount Athos, will celebrate an all-night vigil dedicated to the Panagia and to St. Haralambos, specifically for the coronavirus pandemic. Join the entire Orthodox world in vigil, beginning at 12:00 pm today. The vigil will last until early Saturday morning on Mount Athos, which is around the time of our Salutations service tonight. During these ... [Read more]

The angel Gabriel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God…” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:35, 38) Dear Beloved in Christ, God is with us! Another day of the pandemic, and the Church offers us this pearl: “Let it be to me according to your word.” This was ... [Read more]

Today is the fountainhead of our salvation and the manifestation of the mystery which was from eternity. The Son of God becomes the Virgin’s Son and Gabriel announces the good tidings of grace; for this cause, let us cry to the Mother of God with him: Rejoice, you who are full of grace; the Lord is with you. ~Apolytikion Hymn of the Feast of the Annunciation Dear Beloved in Christ, Blessed Feast of the Annunciation of our Lord! On this day we commemorate the exact moment at which the ... [Read more]

Remember, Lord, this country and all those in public service whom you have allowed to govern on earth. Grant them profound and lasting peace. Speak to their hearts good things concerning Your Church and all Your people that through the faithful conduct of their duties we may live peaceful and serene lives in all piety and holiness. ~Prayer from the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great Dear Beloved in Christ, God is with us! These words are worth pondering in the present situation: “all ... [Read more]

Dear Beloved in Christ, God is with us! Within the liturgical life of the Church, the Book of Psalms is by far the most frequently quoted book in the Bible. All of our services are saturated with the Psalms, whether with a verse here or there, or with entire psalm passages. In Great Compline, tonight’s service, eleven psalms are read. The Psalms are unique in the Bible, because they are spoken in first and second person, “I” and “you.” Thus they are the original prayers of the Church, a ... [Read more]