We’re gathered here today in the presence of the Lord and His Saints to “keep the Feast” of the „falling asleep,” or, Dormition, of Mary the Theotokos, or, „Birth-Giver” of God, the term given her by the Third Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in 431 in defense of the divinity of Christ and a refutation of […]

Forgiveness is the path toward freedom—both for ourselves, our families, the Church, 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—and don’t we see it today! Therefore, the first break through this fortress of sin is forgiveness: the return […]

When the Lord responded to the Disciples’ question, asking how they should pray, He responded with the Lord’s Prayer and the indelible words of the petition, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” These key words of the prayer pervade the entirety of the Christian life. True forgiveness is a […]

This is a day of great joy but also one of astounding awe as we celebrate Christ’s transfiguration on Mount Tabor. By „transfiguration” we understand that Christ’s divine glory—that of His holy divine essence—was revealed to His foremost disciples Peter, James, and John. In the words of the Troparion of the Feast, they beheld God’s […]

King David the Psalmist asks in Psalm 116, “What shall I render to the Lord, for all His bounty to me?” If we consider for even a moment all the gifts God has given us before we were even formed: the world that He’s created for us: community, the Church, the joy that children exude, […]

Often, we think of God’s will as some overarching plan for our lives. We focus on the big picture, the long-term. We can forget that God’s will for us is discerned through a daily, even moment by moment, relationship and participation in the life of the Holy Trinity through His Church as we keep our […]

We witness in the Gospel today the healing of two blind men, and through this life-changing encounter Christ’s power as God fully revealed. Responding to their plea for mercy, the God of mercy, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, receives the two blind men into His holy presence and heals them. But the Lord doesn’t perform this […]

A beautiful miracle has taken place: through the living Word, Jesus Christ, we see a paralyzed man who cannot walk on his own, healed of his paralysis. Christ God, as the Logos (Word) of God, through whom all things were made, whose very image and likeness is imprinted on the souls of every human being, […]

Today we’re confronted with St. Matthew’s account of the Gergesene demoniacs. I say, “confronted,” because it’s very rare that we even hear anymore that there is such a thing as demonic possession. This is ironic because there are so many examples in our world today of diabolic violence and murder, of the defaming of the […]

Today, we celebrate the nativity of St. John the Forerunner, born miraculously to the barren Elizabeth and the righteous Zechariah, as we hear in today’s Gospel. The prophets foretold his coming before the Messiah (the Christ) to prepare the people to receive salvation. Isaiah wrote that he would be: “the voice of one crying in […]