December 30, 2013

Think about how the Magi were conscientious stewards with their knowledge, experience and wisdom, as well as stewards of their time and effort, which culminated in their good stewardship of their treasure. St. John Chrysostom highlights that true wealth comes through sharing what we have first received from God Himself. Ultimately, whatever we have isn’t ours! All is God’s, and we are simply caretakers of His riches. As we learn to generously give of ourselves, of our time, talents and treasure, we only increase our wealth and make eternal investments. Read more »

December 23, 2013

The feast of Christmas proclaims something that is inconceivable to the human mind: that the Creator of the universe came to dwell among us. He came to be united with the human race, to taste our struggles and to share our pain, in order to lift us up into a new reality. All world religions may point to people searching for God, but only Christianity offers the completely different and unique story that Almighty God became one of us in order “to deify us”. Christmas is about this shocking reality! Read more »

December 16, 2013

"Resentment is like drinking poison, and then hoping it will kill your enemies,” Mandela emphasized, “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then your enemy becomes your partner.” Read more »

December 09, 2013

It’s no wonder why our Lord Jesus Christ used the analogy of a celebration to describe the Kingdom of Heaven. He wanted people to realize that the Kingdom of Heaven was not only comparable to the best of any earthly feasts we ever tasted, but in fact, far superseded such festivities, because the Kingdom of God is an eternal event – a joy greater than any joy one has ever tasted, a fellowship of love deeper than anything that one has ever experienced, and a happiness that never dissipates, because it marks the soul. Read more »

December 02, 2013

Demons, evil, the dark side, or however we name the forces of Satan, seem very evident in our society. But what about in our own lives? Do we actually believe in demons, in demonic possession, in the force of evil active in our own lives? Read more »

November 25, 2013

How many of us like being interrupted? We may be in the middle of doing something, and then someone unexpectedly comes up to us, interrupts us, and disrupts our planned schedule. How about when we’re doing something really important? How do we act when such interruptions happen? Read more »

November 18, 2013

Mother Teresa told a story about a very poor family with six children, who had nothing to eat. So Mother Teresa went to visit their home, and brought a big sack of rice. As soon as she gave the sack of rice to the poor family, the mother divided half of the rice and went out the door. She was gone for 10 minutes, and then returned empty-handed. Mother Teresa was surprised to see her leave right away, and asked her, “Where did you go? Read more »

November 11, 2013

What is life about? Is life only the 80 or so years that we live on earth and then that’s the end? Is there something after death? Is there an eternity? All this relates to the question of whether there truly is a God? If so, if God truly exists, then we must ask ourselves, what must I do to live with God for all eternity? Read more »

November 04, 2013

Success. According to the world OR according to God. Two completely different perspectives!!! May each of us take care not to become a “fool” in God’s eyes, but to live out our lives as good and faithful stewards of all He has given us! Read more »

October 28, 2013

We believe that we were created in the image of the Divine Love of God, and such love has unlimited potential. The true mark of an authentic human being, one who has reached this potential, living out the divine likeness in which he or she was created, is to love the world around us in an extreme manner – not only loving our family and friends and those who are close to us, but also loving unknown strangers and even loving our enemies. Read more »

October 21, 2013

The contrast couldn’t be sharper to see on the Narthex table one card that said “Enjoy a night out at the casinos” and the brochures right next to it which invite everyone to, “Encounter Christ in His Church.” Casinos or Christ? They truly represent two radically different worldviews. Gambling vs. Security? Losing Money vs. Finding Eternal Riches? Taking advantage of others, especially the poor vs. Helping others, especially those in greatest need? Fantasy dreams of jackpots vs. ultimate reality of loving service. Casinos vs. Christ. The contrast couldn’t be greater! Read more »

October 14, 2013

The world around us - with its secular spirit, its comfortable and materialistic worldview, with its often conflicting message towards our Christian ethos and morals - anesthetizes us to what is essential and important in our spiritual lives. If we don’t consciously make every concerted effort to listen to the Word of God, to wrestle with understanding how to apply it in our lives, and then to struggle to live it out in our daily lives, then we will also be like the people that Isaiah criticized. Our hearts will have grown dull, our ears will be hard of hearing and our eyes will be blinded. Read more »

October 07, 2013

If we truly believe in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Master of our lives, than His priorities need to become our priorities; our life’s orientation needs to turn towards Him and His ways. Yes, God is the "Great Interferer," as C.S. Lewis called Him. He does want to interfere with our lives, especially when our lives need to be interfered with. Read more »

September 30, 2013

Christ did not come simply to teach man, but to transfigure him, to re-adorn human nature in light, divine light, the glory of the Father. This final purpose for man is revealed in Christ’s transfiguration on the mount, this foretaste of the glorious future visible Theophany. Read more »

September 23, 2013

Listen to what St. Isaac the Syrian has to say about the all-embracing love and kindness of God: "The 'merciful heart' in a human person is therefore the image and likeness of God's mercy, which embraces the whole of creation – people, animals, reptiles, and demons. In God, there is no hatred towards anyone, but all-embracing love which does not distinguish between righteous and sinner, between a friend of truth and an enemy of truth, between angel and demon. Every created being is precious in God's eyes." Read more »

September 16, 2013

When we look at people in need – a poor family that can’t take care of their children, a lonely person with no one to turn to, an elderly person who has no one to help them, scenes of the horror from war and poverty around the world – whatever the situation, when we see people in need, how do we feel? What do we think? But most importantly, how do we respond? Read more »

September 09, 2013

“I have no one who loves me… I have nothing to live for!” Michael Hill entered the school with an AK 47, 500 rounds of ammo, and a world of darkness, yet he unexpectedly encountered a woman from the opposite spectrum. Read more »

September 02, 2013

“Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” What did that mean? Isaiah was talking about the Messiah, a time when our messianic dreams would come true and the Anointed One of the Almighty would usher in the reign of God. We all dreamed of the Messiah and hoped that He would come in our lifetime, but what was Jesus talking about?!? Read more »

August 19, 2013

When we understand our Christian faith, and sincerely strive to walk with Jesus Christ and allow His Spirit to dwell richly within our hearts and minds, an attitude of gratitude becomes an obvious and beautiful fruit of our faith. Of course, the opposite is true as well. When we don’t express gratitude, we are spiritually sick. An inability to thank God for our daily blessings, and to thank those around us who bless us with their words, their actions, and their lives, is a serious sign of spiritual pride and illness! Read more »

August 12, 2013

What does Jesus expect from us? Do you ever think about that? What does our Lord want us to do in our lives, and what does He expect us to offer back to Him? Read more »