I have been married for 20+ years and have four children. One of the roles that I take seriously is as the provider and protector of my family. In simple times, this can be done by exercising the virtue of hard work. The sweat of the brow puts meat on the table, pays the rent, and […]
ON THE FIRST SUNDAY of the Great Fast our Church celebrates the triumph of Orthodoxy, the victory of true Christian teaching over all perversions and distortions thereof—heresies and false teachings. On the second Sunday of the Great Fast it is as though this triumph of Orthodoxy is repeated and deepened in connection with the celebration of the memory of one of the greatest pillars of Orthodoxy, the hierarch Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica, who by his grace-bearing eloquence and the example of his highly ascetic private life put to shame the teachers of falsehood who dared reject the very essence of.Orthodoxy, the podvig of prayer and fasting, which enlightens the human mind with the light of grace and makes it a communicant of the divine glory.
Day Seven – The Holy of Holies
November 22, 2013 By
Our parish has been holding services in the hall for the past year. Not an easy thing to deal with, especially for those who grew up in our old building, with its wonderful acoustics, iconography, and architecture. It is hard for some people to feel the presence of God in the hall. I sympathize with […]
Day Six – Glory
November 21, 2013 By
We just finished celebrating the All Night Vigil for the Feast of the Holy Archangel Michael and All the Bodiless Hosts (our parish feast). One of the neat things about the Vigil service is that it is loaded with hymnography; Lord I Call, Litya, Aposticha, Canon, Praises, plus Tropars and the Kondak, all of them […]
Day Five – He who began a good work in you
November 19, 2013 By
Saint Paul is such a great example of leadership. First, he gave himself 100% in service to God and the Church, showing us what commitment looked like, what it costs, and how it can transform people and communities. I love that. Enthusiasm is contagious, and St. Paul was enthusiastic for all the right things. […]
Day Four – Paleo, Orthodoxy, and Grains
November 18, 2013 By
One of the reasons I love the paleo movement is that it challenges a status quo that is so obviously broken and dangerous. Like anarchism when it comes to modern government and economics, paleo steps outside the dominant paradigm and blasts away at its problems. We need to hear that. I also love that they […]
Day Three – Homily on Jarius’ Daughter
November 18, 2013 By
Homily: The Raising of Jarius’ DaughterSt. Luke 8:41-56 What do we learn from today’s Gospel lesson? 1. The effect of Christ’s perfect love and power on this world. The role of belief. Many “touched” Him, but this woman was healed – why? Why not everyone? Everyone is suffering. We are suffering. Will we be healed? […]
Day One: Get your beard on (or off)!
November 15, 2013 By
Beards are all the rage. Here in New England, the Red Sox just won the World Series by getting their beards on; the male cast of Duck Dynasty has also done their part to bring respect to the beard. In my profession, beards are often seen as part of the game. When I was catechized, […]
Class: On Eternal Life (Death and Dying)
November 14, 2013 By
Orthodoxy and Eternal Life St. Michael Ukrainian Orthodox ChurchIntroduction: What is Life? Death? Why do we die? Scriptural Introduction to Human Life: Genesis 1:26-28. Man is special: the Image of God and the highest of earthly creation. Genesis 2:7. The breath of God, put into ordinary creation. Created for Communion with God Deuteronomy 8:3. Our […]
Homily: The Demoniac at Gardenes
November 10, 2013 By
Introduction – the context of the story Our Lord had just come across the water with his disciples. They had faced one kind of fear when they were on the water: a fear of the chaos of a storm. A great wind had come up while Jesus slept, and the disciples panicked. They woke Jesus […]
Class – The Mystery of Communion
November 6, 2013 By
Our Faith: Orthodox Christianity at St. Michael’s: The Mystery of Communion Questions for consideration: What is the relationship of the “spiritual world” to the “physical world”? How do we experience reality? How does God work in this world? Only through ideas? Why did He become flesh and blood at the Incarnation? Why does He become […]
