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 […]
Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – July 6, 2014
Sin is one of those oft misunderstood concepts in Christianity. Even in Orthodoxy, many people don’t understand sin, its consequences, and its remedy. St. Paul assures us in today’s Epistle that “sin leads to death” (Rom. 6:23). Why is this so? The Orthodox Faith teaches us that sin is “missing the mark,” being disobedient and […]
Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – June 29, 2014
Today on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul we recount these two great Saints reclamation and restoration in Christ and how God worked through them to build His Church. Peter wept bitterly for his three-fold denial of Christ; Paul persecuted the Church only later to be persecuted himself for the sake of the Gospel. […]
Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – June 22, 2014
St. Paul describes the faith of the Saints of old and what they endured for the sake of the truth of God, saying, they: “subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong… Others were tortured, […]
Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – June 15, 2014
Today we remember all those faithful Saints who have come before us: “forefathers, fathers, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, preachers, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, ascetics and every righteous spirit made perfect in faith” (Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom). They come from every race, class, region, and time. What they share in common is that through their repentance and […]
Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – June 8, 2014
Blessings of the Feast! All that Christ God became incarnate to give to us in order to save us has been fulfilled by the descent of the Holy Spirit. The Church is born and Christ’s presence is made known to mankind through the voice of the Apostles who have received “power from on high.” This […]
Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – June 1, 2014
Today we commemorate the holy Fathers of the First Council of Nicaea, who in 325 A.D. won the first battle against Arius and those who followed him into heresy and put the salvation of many in peril. Mention doctrine today and you can almost see the eyes glaze over. But doctrine matters because without it […]
Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – May 25, 2014
The blind man had sat begging at the Temple every day. He was known to all. Christ God visits him and restores his sight, revealing Himself to be God. The miracle is even more remarkable than it first seems: Not only has no one ever opened the eyes of one born blind before, BUT, as […]
Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – May 18, 2014
Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). The woman at the well in today’s Gospel, St. Photini (“the enlightened one”), comes from a very dark place, indeed. She’s living in sin, in darkness, in confusion, but she thirsts for more. Christ […]
Weekly Update and Bulletin From Fr. Robert Miclean – May 11, 2014
We see today two beautiful examples of the love and compassion manifested by God as the Lord of Life, the Physician of our souls and bodies. We learn today that healing is always a grace, a mercy of God interjected into an otherwise dying world. Christ God says to us, “I have come that they […]