Christ is born! Glorify Him! God has given us His saints as a testament to the extraordinary power and grace of a life that is entirely devoted to Him. The saints are witnesses (martyri in Greek) to His love, vessels of the Holy Spirit, grace-filled embodiments of Christ Himself. The blessing from the Divine Liturgy is shown in them: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit…” The saints are of the world, in that they have flesh ... [Read more]

What Child is this Who, laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping? This familiar Christmas carol poses an important question to us, as we progress through the Nativity Fast. What Child is this? Or more specifically, Who is the Christ Child? The answer will appear obvious to us; but let’s look a bit deeper. Before the existence of creation, of all matter, and of time itself, Jesus Christ was eternally begotten of God the Father. When the Trinity created the world, it was by God’s Word—the ... [Read more]

In October our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew announced the upcoming canonization of five grace-filled, God-bearing saints of the Church from the 20th Century. Below are brief biographies, as well as sayings (italicized) from these blessed spiritual guides. Elder Joseph the Hesychast (+1959) is the spiritual father of Elder Ephraim of Arizona, who has founded 17 monasteries in North America in the last three decades. He lived a life of extreme asceticism and obscurity in the desert of Mount ... [Read more]

Dear Beloved in Christ, Last Sunday, in the homily I stressed that the Eucharist is the center of our life and of our very being. I also mentioned the importance of preparing to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. As I said on Sunday, the magnitude of the gift that we receive at the Holy Chalice is directly proportional to our preparedness: If we prepare little, we receive little, and vice versa. Here are the ways in which we, as Orthodox Christians, prepare to receive Christ. Please ... [Read more]

On October 20 we celebrate St. Gerasimos of Kefalonia, the patron saint of our metropolitan. St. Gerasimos is a wonder-working saint whose relics have remained incorrupt for nearly 500 years after his falling asleep! His relics are on the island of Kefalonia, on the western shore of Greece, where he founded a women’s monastery. St. Paisios of Mount Athos said that God has given the Orthodox the incorrupt relics of three saints to these islands – St. Spyridon on Corfu, St. Dionysios on ... [Read more]

The Lord wants us to love each other; this is the essence of freedom—love for God and for your neighbor. This is both freedom and equality. Love. Freedom. Equality. Is this not the language of our modern age? One needn’t turn very far to hear these words spoken or to see them emblazoned upon a shirt or a billboard. John Lennon famously sung, “All you need is love.” And he was right: all we need is love. So if love is all we need, then we must know the definition of love—God’s love. The ... [Read more]

At the metropolis summer camp in July, I had the opportunity to spend time with dozens of Orthodox youth from across the western states, along with 14 kids from St. John, as they played, worshiped, and learned about the Orthodox Faith together. We visited the neighboring Monastery of the Theotokos, the Life-Giving Spring and celebrated the Liturgy with the nuns. One of the highlights of the trip was the Paraklesis. On one night, after the youngest kids went to bed, the older kids stayed up so ... [Read more]

God is at work among us. He guides us through our consciences. He instructs us through the teachings of the Church and the counsel of our spiritual fathers. He even works through people who are far from Him, who refuse to recognize Him. His efforts toward our salvation are numerous, multifaceted, and constant. The most concrete way that God sends His grace, love, and blessings into the world is through those who are closest to Him: His holy ones, His saints. (In Greek, ἄγιος, means both ... [Read more]

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! ~ Psalm 133:1 A few days ago, I drove to St. John the Forerunner Monastery for a one-night stay. It is such a blessing that we have our beloved monastery nearby, so that we can have a spiritual respite from our busy modern life. While I was checking in at the bakery, one of the sisters came to me with “an unusual request.” The sisters had two baby goats—10 days old!—that needed a home, and they had found someone ... [Read more]

“Walking into a consecrated church is like walking into heaven.” ~ St. Gregory of Nyssa In 313, Christianity, for the first time in its history, became a “legalized” religion. The Roman Empire under St. Constantine the Great ended its persecution of Christians. For the first time they were permitted to worship openly. Immediately following this proclamation, thousands of churches were built within the empire—from the landmark basilicas constructed by St. Helen on the holy sites in the Holy ... [Read more]