March 28, 2021

Union with God. Communion with our Creator. Here lies the focus and center of our Christian journey. Our goal in life is nothing less than this union with God. Read more »

March 21, 2021

When I come into the church on Sundays, I typically get here an hour before the Matins service begins, and the first thing that I do is go around to all the icons on the walls of our church and greet all the saints by kissing them. Read more »

March 14, 2021

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” does not mean God is unwilling to forgive us if we won’t forgive others. “But if, despite God's unfailing eagerness to forgive, we on our side harden our hearts and refuse forgiveness to others, then quite simply we render ourselves incapable of receiving divine forgiveness. Read more »

March 07, 2021

“Let him do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination will harm us if we can keep it out of his will. Let him do anything but act.” This is the guidance of Screwtape, who is a senior demon training his junior demon nephew on how to lead Christians away from God. Read more »

February 28, 2021

here is only joy in the return of a sinner, no matter when it happens in their lifetime. God patiently waits and then rejoices. He has no interest in punishing. He’s not giving the sinner what he deserves. He patiently waits, day after day, year after year, with hope that every sinner will come to his senses and turn back toward God. Read more »

February 21, 2021

Saint Anthony the Great’s words summarize the spirit we are called to attain: “Always reject pride and consider everyone more righteous than yourself.” Read more »

February 14, 2021

Humility. It’s not really a popular virtue today. It seems like our society promotes much more pride, egotism, vanity, even conceit and arrogance. Read more »

February 07, 2021

There are many other athletes that may have just as much or even more talent than someone like Tom Brady, yet they never make it into the professional leagues, no less win 7 super bowls. What can we learn from Tom Brady? Read more »

January 31, 2021

Do you know what makes you special? God created each one of us unique and beautiful, He created us in His image, He created each of us as beautiful as a rose. Read more »

January 24, 2021

How serious are we in our pursuit for the Kingdom of God? Before we answer that question, let’s reflect on the lives of a few of the saints we commemorate this month. Read more »

December 27, 2020

Did Christmas truly change the world? Did Christ come into the world to usher in a utopia? The Jews waited for a Messiah, whom the ancient prophets foretold would usher in a new era, fundamentally changing history? Yet let’s be honest, can we say that the world we live in is such a different place pre-Christmas compared to post-Christmas? Read more »

December 25, 2020

The year 2020 will be remembered throughout history as the year of the global pandemic. Not only disease and death. Corruption. Greed. Violence. Hatred. Divisiveness. Fear. Anxiety. The future surely seems uncertain. Is there Good News during difficult times? Read more »

December 13, 2020

During this year of a pandemic, when we’ve all quarantined and separated ourselves from one another, it’s so hard to stay disconnected from people. Fellowship and communion with one another offer us life, and yet, the pandemic keeps us apart! Where do we find joy? Read more »

November 22, 2020

What is success? How many of us think that success depends on what we possess, on how much we have? Read more »

November 15, 2020

It’s interesting how Jesus changes the dynamic from focusing on understanding “Who is my neighbor” to “Which of these three people proved neighbor to the man in need?” Read more »

November 08, 2020

As we come to a contentious conclusion of our presidential election, even though the aftermath of this divisiveness in our national politics may unfortunately continue, I really want to challenge all of us to take a step back and look deeply and honestly at ourselves and our actions over these past weeks and months. Read more »

October 31, 2020

Fear threatens to overwhelm us and endangers to divide us more and more from one another. It jeopardizes our sense of community and love for one another, leading us to bunker down into our own self-made shelters with people who are like minded. We keep away from the other, whom we fear. We separate ourselves from those whom we feel are different, and thus dangerous. Yet, fear is not from God! Read more »

October 25, 2020

If we would meet Christ in all his power, would we welcome Him, or would we turn Him away? Would we obey Him, or would we fear Him and ask Him to leave us alone? Read more »

October 18, 2020

Twenty-six years ago today, on the feast of my patron saint, Luke the Evangelist, I was ordained to the priesthood in Tirana, Albania by His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios. Read more »

October 11, 2020

How is it that in the same family, with the same upbringing, and with the same pious mother, siblings could end up on very different ends of the faith spectrum? Read more »