March 13, 2022

What is true and what is false? In our world today, anyone can post anything they want on the internet, and with slick marketing along with the big tech algorithms, they can fool countless people to embrace totally false information. Read more »

March 06, 2022

How do we pray for the tragic situation in Ukraine? The world’s eyes are turned toward the heart-rending and catastrophic events occurring there and as Christians we are called to fervently pray for peace and healing. War entails such evil and atrocities. Yet, when Elder Zacharias of St. John’s Monastery in Essex, England was asked about the conflict, he responded with profound words of wisdom: Read more »

February 27, 2022

How many of us would like to meet God? Think about this. To meet God face to face. Would we be excited and anticipate such a meeting with joy, or would we be afraid, quite fearful to truly encounter Him? Read more »

February 20, 2022

To be exiled is a terrible punishment. Yet, Fr. Alexander Schmemann uses this idea of exile to describe the condition of the Prodigal Son in today’s Gospel story, as well as to describe the condition that each one of us needs to understand and act upon in our own relationship with God. Read more »

February 13, 2022

Who’s going to watch the Super Bowl tonight? It’s the biggest sporting event of the year! The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t been in the Super Bowl for 34 years. In the last 32 years, they haven’t even won a playoff game. Read more »

February 06, 2022

Humble boldness. Think of these two words. Do they fit with together? Read more »

January 30, 2022

Wow! What a statement. Seek to distinguish yourself from others only in your generosity! Be like gods to the poor, imitating God’s mercy. What a beautiful way to distinguish ourselves!!! Read more »

January 23, 2022

Why would Saint Paul call himself the “first among sinners” in today’s Epistle Reading? Why? How about us? Are we the first among sinners? Read more »

January 16, 2022

Do followers of Jesus Christ act differently than people who claim no faith? Think about that. When followers of Jesus discuss politics, do they act in a more understanding way? When Orthodox Christians discuss with someone who disagrees with them about masks and vaccines, do they respond differently? Read more »

January 09, 2022

Remember January 6th! What does that mean for you? What emotions and feeling, hopes and fears does it raise in you? Well, for me it was a glorious day! Read more »

January 02, 2022

"Acquire inner peace and thousands around you will be saved." This is one of seven lessons we can learn from St. Seraphim of Sarov. Read more »

December 25, 2021

Christmas is the revolutionary, earth-shattering, unbelievable divine event of God the Creator becoming a human being. Why did God become a man? That’s a good question and one that the traditional Christmas Carols try to answer. Read more »

December 12, 2021

Excuses. WHY do we make excuses? Is it because of laziness? Or lack of self-discipline? Is it because of a fear of failure? Or absence of motivation? Is it because we don’t understand why we should do something? Possibly it’s just that our priorities are such that our excuses make clear what we prioritize in our lives! Read more »

November 13, 2021

Jesus loved until it hurt. Christ offered his life in a sacrificial manner. Our Lord revealed divine compassion and mercy, regardless of how inconvenient it is. How many of us will imitate and cultivate this spirit in our own lives – to help others even when its inconvenient, to give generously of our lives, to love in a sacrificial manner, even to love until it hurts. Read more »

October 31, 2021

Noticing those around us, and expressing God’s love through a welcoming smile, a kind greeting, a polite acknowledgement, and especially through an encouraging, uplifting word can mean so much to those around us. And from the Christian point of view, such deliberate actions incarnate our faith in a very visible manner. Read more »

October 24, 2021

Laziness is a deadly demon which leads to apathy, indifference, passivity, detachment and ultimately a rejection of faith. It reflects the antithesis of a sober, serious, spiritual life! This demon of laziness works subtly and gradually, gently and cunningly leading us away from God. Read more »

October 10, 2021

“Keep death always before you.” This may sound like morbid or gloomy advice, yet the Church Fathers encouraged this practice. They felt that when we learn to reflect on death regularly, we will then learn how to live. Read more »

October 03, 2021

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Read more »

September 26, 2021

This week seven young men from our church and I visited St Nektarios Monastery in Roscoe, NY. I’m sure most people in the church have never visited a monastery and many people question what monastics (monks and nuns) do. Why do they renounce the world and go off to live in a secluded monastery? Read more »

September 12, 2021

The call to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” is one of the most radical teaching of Jesus Christ and His Church, and yet, it is a teaching upon which we need to reflect today more than ever. Read more »