There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings. -Goethe A parishioner sent me an article this week from the Wall Street Journal titled ‘Eastern Orthodoxy Gains New Followers in America,’ which traces a small but growing trend of those with no ethnic…
After many years in Monastic life, Syncletica teaches this: ‘If you find yourself in a monastery do not switch to another place, for that will harm you a great deal. Just as the bird who abandons the eggs she was sitting on prevents them from hatching, so the monk or the nun grows cold and…
On this day, in the year 351, those living in Jerusalem witnessed an intensely illumined cross appear in the sky which had remained visible for several hours, spanning from Golgotha to Mount of Olives; which I had the great opportunity to see in person when I went in 2012. Some say that we only notice…
So this is why I think we all benefit from marital preparation in any way, at any time. Marriage-to work, to others, to God himself-is a sacramental bond specially blessed by God. But they can only form and transform us if we prepare and discipline ourselves to endure the ups and downs of those relationships. …
Today’s reading reminds us that the evil tries first to isolate us in order to defeat us. St. Peter writes that the evil one prowls around the faithful like a lion, we are safe together, but vulnerable when isolated. As Christians, we need each other; we need to share each other’s triumphs and our trials. …
So perhaps all peoples take themselves too seriously, too often. This is where our faith comes in and its helpful to recall that God seems to have baked humor and laughter into his creation. ‘Alone among the animals, man is shaken with that beautiful madness called laughter,’ said Chesterton, ‘as if he had caught sight…
I would like to start today’s Easter sermon with a few questions. ‘How many of you sent out hundreds of Easter Cards this year?” “Has anyone attended a work or family Easter party?” “Is anyone sick of hearing endless Easter carols on the radio and endless Easter-themed television specials?” That’s what I thought, almost nobody.Thank…