As we approach the beginning of Great and Holy Lent, we are reminded that this is a special time of the year where each of us is called to look more deeply at our interior condition, to assess our spiritual health, and to stretch ourselves just a bit more in order to grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ. During this time we are given the divine medicine of God’s word through scriptural parables on successive Sundays that illustrates for us the path of repentance leading to salvation. In these ... [Read more]
Pastoral Messages
Getting the Most Out of the Nativity Season
Throughout Scripture, as far back as Genesis, we have been taught that the Evil One is a liar and the father of lies. He distorts and he deceives, but he often does it in a subtle way, taking a partial truth and absolutizing it. This is exactly what the devil did in the Garden with Eve. He deceived her by taking bits of the truth and distorting them. It is true that Eve did not die as a direct result of eating the forbidden fruit. It was also true that God wanted Eve to become like Him, but the ... [Read more]
A True Thanksgiving
It has been said, “the history of Thanksgiving began when Pilgrims and Native Americans gathered together to celebrate a successful harvest. The first Thanksgiving was held in the fall of 1621 and was a three-day feast. The Pilgrims were joined by approximately 90 of the local Wampanoag tribe, including Chief Massasoit, in celebration. They ate fowl and deer for certain and most likely also ate berries, fish, clams, plums, and boiled pumpkin. Though the current holiday of Thanksgiving was based ... [Read more]
Working Towards More Frequent Confession
The heart and soul of the Orthodox Church is her liturgical and sacramental life. This is by God’s design, precisely because the human person is created to worship God and to have a relationship with Him. It is through prayer and worship that we commune with God, but God has also given us the holy mysteries or sacraments. Baptism, Chrismation, the Eucharist, Marriage, Unction, Ordination and Confession are the main Mysteries of the Church. It is through these that God offers us communion with ... [Read more]
Ecclesiastical New Year
Let us commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life to Christ our God. Several times during the course of the Divine Liturgy we hear the words, “Let us commend ourselves and one another, and our whole life to Christ our God.” What do these words mean? How are we to understand them in the context of our daily life? How do we commend others to Christ? What does this particular petition mean in regards to our parish and all those who are a part of it? I raise these questions at a time ... [Read more]
Sunday of All Saints
On the Sunday following Pentecost, we commemorate all the Saints of the Church, which is why this day is referred to as “The Sunday of All Saints.” The Church established the commemoration of this present feast after Pentecost, the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit, in order to show that the coming of the Holy Spirit worked enormous deeds not only through the Holy Apostles but through the lives of thousands of men, women and children, who over the centuries, have given their lives completely ... [Read more]
Overcoming Post-Pascha Blues
Within the liturgical life of the Church there is nothing like the experience of Holy Week culminating in the Paschal service as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. After several weeks of fasting, participation in the Lenten services and placing our focus more attentively on our inner condition, we anticipate with great joy the Feast of all Feasts. There is a focus, especially from Holy Thursday on, that puts us both spiritually and psychologically in another space. The ... [Read more]
Encyclical for Great Lent, 2012
“Let us keep the Fast not only by refraining from food, but by becoming strangers to all the bodily passions; that we who are enslaved to the tyranny of the flesh may become worthy to partake of the Lamb, the Son of God, slain of His own will for the sake of the world, and spiritually may celebrate the feast of the Savior’s Resurrection from the dead. So shall we be raised high in the glory of the virtues, and through our righteous actions we shall give joy to the Lord who loves humankind.” ... [Read more]
Tools for Great Lent
As I sit down to write this article, it’s hard to believe that Great Lent is just around the corner. It seems like only yesterday, we were in the midst of the Forty Liturgies of the Nativity Fast. I thank God for the Pre-Lenten Sundays, such as Zacchaeus, the Canaanite Woman, the Publican and the Pharisee and so on. These serve as a warm-up before the big game and also help us to sharpen our focus on the journey ahead. Great Lent is indeed a journey. It’s a journey of repentance, a journey ... [Read more]
Our Lives are Both Fragile and Precious
A couple of years ago I heard a song on the radio that said; “we are all only one phone call away from our knees.” When I heard these words it made me think how fragile our world is and how fragile each of our lives are. It is easy to go through life, day after day, ignoring the fact that at any given moment things could drastically change. Perhaps as a priest I am a bit more aware of this because of the things that I am confronted with as I minister to people. People normally don’t come to ... [Read more]
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