Archive for April 2022

Once each month I attend a Orthodox Men’s Breakfast. Today was our May breakfast, during which I asked what everyone’s ‘favorite thing’ about Holy Week was. Everyone answered differently, as would be expected, but all were moved by some aspect of Holy Week. For centuries the Church has gathered us, and each village/city/island/country has their…

With Pascha this week comes the beginning of the yearly lectionary of the Church. Beginning with the Gospel of John and the Book of Acts, the entire New Testament will be read, bit by bit, between now and next Pascha. Having just completed the cycle last week, and having just celebrated Pascha, there is a…

Tomorrow is the last day of Great Lent and I’m wondering what I learned about myself this year. If we don’t stop and ask this question, then our journey was nothing more than a list of ‘dos and don’ts’ without any benefit. It might make us good Pharisees, but it makes us worthless Christians. So…

For many, Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha are an intense seven week of prayer, fasting, and attending as many Church services as possible. On the surface this annual pilgrimage appears to be temporary, as many return to their ‘normal life’ after Pascha. This was not the case in the ancient Church. In those days,…

There is an old saying, “Strike while the fire is hot.” Nothing can be more true this week we Orthodox call Bright Week or Renewal Week. It is the week we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ as if every day is Pascha. Our prayers are different. Our greetings are different. Our food is different. Everything…

It has been almost three days since we celebrated the glorious resurrection of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. As a priest, the past ten days have been the most inspirational and the most exhausting days of the year. In fact, every year I find myself not wanting the week to end despite the…

Today is the final day of Great Lent, and our final post for our 2022 Daily Lenten Journey. For forty days, the Church has asked us to read from the Old Testament, specifically Isaiah, Genesis and Proverbs and today we come to the final verses in each. They might be the final verses we read,…

Many people ask the question, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we new the future?” What would you change about your life if you knew the future? If you knew that tomorrow you were going to be hit by a bus on your daily walk, would you change your normal path to avoid the bus? I…

When someone suffering from addiction desires to stop his addiction, radical changes in his way of life are required in order for him to isolate the behaviors that feed his addiction. This is the process that is so successfully carried at drug and alcohol rehab facilities throughout our nation. Many times the first step in…