Resources & Articles

Coronavirus: Some Spiritual Reflections
Coronavirus: Some Spiritual Reflections
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I think it is no coincidence that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is becoming more prevalent among us in this area during the Holy Season of Lent. For it seems likely... Read more...
Better At Prayer
Better At Prayer
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We can do better at prayer. Myself included. Perhaps the reason our prayers lag, or why we find it a chore, or why it just doesn’t seem exciting, is because... Read more...
The Light of the World
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Homily for Candlemas Presentation of Christ in the Temple Forty (40). The number of humanity’s struggle toward perfection. Our wrestling not with flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Forty. The number which denotes our purification, scraping off the rough edges, smoothing of the crooked places, scrubbing off our impurities and sins so that we might stand holy and without blemish before Our Lord God. 40 days. The waiting time. The... Read more...
Why the Kisses?
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One common observation made by visitors and inquirers regarding Orthodoxy has to do with one of the main forms of respect and veneration that we practice: kissing. Whether it is an icon in the narthex, the feet of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the relics of the saints, or the hand of the priest, we tend to show our love, our veneration, and our respect towards holy things by kissing them. This is, indeed, an ancient practice. In the Old Testament we read of kisses as a form... Read more...
O Blessed Day!
O Blessed Day!
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When Our Lord Jesus was eight days old, two things happened in succession. As he was circumcised, Our Lord was given the name Jesus (Luke 2.21). His circumcision fulfilled a... Read more...
Keeping Track of Time
Keeping Track of Time
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One of the themes for the First Sunday in Advent is to be ‘watchful.’ In the Epistle, St Paul urges us to ‘know the hour’ and in the Gospel Jesus... Read more...
Love Yourself?
Love Yourself?
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The words that you heard Our Lord Jesus speak to the Pharisees in the Gospel (Mt 22.34-46) are both subtle and profound. They are subtle because they contain not simply... Read more...
Sacrificing Our Will
Sacrificing Our Will
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We have been led to believe that we can do whatever we want. So when someone tells us that we should do something, or that we must do something, or... Read more...
When The Lord Give Us Opportunities
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Before this parish, in recent months, the Lord has placed several marvelous opportunities. These opportunities take various forms: persons, donations, talents, etc. The question that ought to consume us is whether, and how, we might take advantage of these opportunities. Putting before us opportunities is oftentimes how Our Lord works with us. He does not foist Himself upon us or lead us by the nose. And rarely, if ever, does He answer our most common prayer; that is, to show us which path we are to take (considering, of course,... Read more...
Preparing for Christ Mass
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The Church and the world prepare for the Lord’s Nativity in two very different ways. And these opposing preparations reveal what each really believes. The world prepares by putting up trees, lights and other decorations. It also offers “holiday” (or “seasonal”) parties, and thinks nothing of prematurely anticipating christmas day. The world simply can’t wait; in fact, it won’t wait. And so it barges ahead and “celebrates” christmas during the month after Thanksgiving. The world’s excuse for barging ahead is that “christmas is for the children.” Yet it doesn’t let... Read more...
Imitating the Saints
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On All Saints Day, the Church does not celebrate all those who were baptized, particularly the faithful who are still living. For the Church does not use the word “saint” lightly. Therefore, she does not refer to any or every Christian as a “saint.” Rather, the word “saint” is reserved for those who have led exemplary lives of holiness. And as a mark of their holiness, these men and women would not see themselves as saints. Rather, they would see themselves as unworthy of this honor. It is not a... Read more...
Learning Compassion From the Least of These
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THE MARGINALIZED, THE OUTCAST, the different, the diseased, the stranger, the warehoused—these are the people Our Lord frequently ministers to in and holds before us as examples of living faith. And so, if we wish to be Christians (i.e., those who have Christ living through us), then we should also show intentional compassion to these same folks. But who are they? The marginalized are the people whom we—in our mind, in our society, in our attitude—shove to the sidelines and think little of. The outcasts are the people who are... Read more...