What a provocative Gospel Lesson today! This is the passage that recalls our Lord's 40 day sojourn in the wilderness after His Baptism. You know the story well. The Lord is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to pray and prepare for His public ministry that will eventually lead Him to the Cross, the…
Knowing WHY you do WHAT you do is the first step in discerning if you're on the right path!
Think of it this way: You can use a hammer to do many things, from nailing a board to a stud to breaking a window to even more nefarious and criminal acts, but "why" was the hammer made…
The American astronaut Buzz Aldrin once said "Timing has always been a key element in my life. I have been blessed to have been in the right place at the right time." And, of course, this reminds me of the old saying in comedy "Timing is everything."
It really is amazing when all the elements of…
When You, O Lord, were baptized in the Jordan...
Christ is Baptized!
We are a death denying culture. In the US, the Funeral business is a $20 Billion industry employing over 13,000 people nationwide! And, in 2016 we crossed that line where over half of the American's who passed away choose cremation over a burial. If we…
Christ is born!
It was arrogant of me, I know. I thought I knew how to communicate deep Orthodox wisdom to everyone. But, here I am in front of these folks who are very different from me. They weren't from my country. They didn't speak my language. They didn't know any of the references to…
Christ is born!
"To Make the Invisible Visible." These were the words of a catechist to a catechumen when he was asked why would God become a man? The Christian Faith is unique among all world religions in this mystery of God in the Flesh. Oh, to be sure some religions have gods they can…
Christ is born!
Why do people stop practicing the faith? Why are we seeing so many young people abandon the faith of their youth? Countless studies have been done trying to answer this question. Every time I travel to speak around the country in parishes big and small, I get asked this question as well.…
Christ is born!
"But why does it matter?" With that question, I was stumped. I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the subject we were discussing and had made some strong points as to why I was right about this. Then came that question: "But why does it matter?"
And a very good question it…
Christ is born!
Fear is an emotion that has both a psychological and physical response. When I am afraid, my knees knock; my hands sweat; my mind races; and my heart beats faster, all in response to fear! Funny how my body reacts the same way to being in love! I'm just teasing.
But, seriously,…
Christ is born!
This is the time of year when we normally spend some moments reflecting on the previous year and looking forward to the next. Some will make some New Year's Resolutions. Others will systematically set goals and specific benchmarks for the coming year. Me? Well, I do a little bit of both. But an…