Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – September 14, 2014

The cross stands in the middle of the church today to remind us of this very truth: Without the cross, there is no defeat of sin and death. By Christ’s victory on the cross, we’re endowed with life. Christ God emerges from His encounter with the cross—the ancient instrument of death—as the Victor; He defeats […]

Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – September 7, 2014

Today we celebrate the fore-feast of the Nativity of the Most-Holy Theotokos and call to mind her miraculous conception by barren parents past child-bearing age. The Church acclaims the birth of the Theotokos in poetic terms so that we may more fully and reverently delve into the Great Mystery of God’s dispensation, preparing the way […]

Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – August 31, 2014

The rich, young man in today’s Gospel doesn’t know who Jesus is, and so, he addresses His Creator as “Good Teacher,” but asks of Christ a question that only God and no man who is simply a “good teacher” could ever answer. Likewise, we hear of many people today taking Christ on their terms, making […]

Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – August 24, 2014

We learn through Christ and in His Church, that forgiveness is the path toward freedom—both for ourselves, our Church family, and the world. Fr. Alexander Schmemann says: “The triumph of sin, the main sign of its rule over the world, is division, opposition, separation, hatred. Therefore, the first break through this fortress of sin is […]

Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – August 17, 2014

As we are reminded this day in our Epistle that the Apostles and their successors, and indeed all faithful Orthodox Christians, will suffer living out our faith in this world. The life of a faithful Christian by necessity, involves our denial of self and our coming outside ourselves to love and to serve. This is […]

Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – August 10, 2014

The disciples faced many fears—fear of rejection by their own for following the Messiah, fear of arrest, persecution, of losing all their temporal attachments, forsaking their families, suffering prison, torture, martyrdom. To all of these fears, Jesus reminds them that He and HE ALONE is “the one thing needful.” He is Life itself, and as […]

Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – August 3, 2014

We’re admonished in today’s Epistle against the sin of division (schism), which maniftests itself not only in false doctrine and false morality but also in our idle talk, our gossip, our disobedience to Christ and the Church. In our culture today, there are many things that compete for our time, energy, and identity. Wherever we […]

Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – July 27, 2014

In today’s Gospel, the blind men get themselves to Christ, beseeching Him to have mercy on them and acclaiming Him as the long-awaited Messiah by their words, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” It is both their acknowledgement of their need for healing and their coming to Christ, which so loudly demonstrates their great […]

Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – July 20, 2014

Upon first encounter with the paralytic, instead of healing him of his paralysis, Christ first heals him of the ‘paralysis’ of his soul, forgiving his sins. The unbelieving Scribes instantly say in their hearts that Christ is blaspheming, for who can forgive sins but God alone? Exactly! Christ demonstrates that, indeed, only God can forgive […]

Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – July 13, 2014

We’re reminded in one of today’s Gospels of the reality of spiritual warfare and the devastating effects of a soul given over to the evil one and his demons. St. Paul relays this truth to us, saying, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness […]