Posts Tagged ‘1st Corinthians’
Why Pray for the Dead?
The other day I was asked (it wasn’t the first time) why we offer memorials for the dead if they have ‘finished’ and reached the objective? I get a variety of questions about praying for the dead, so today’s reading from Saint Paul is a good opportunity to take another look. Brethren, what do people…
Read MoreFork in the Road
Life is full of choices. Do we wake up or sleep in? Do we eat healthy or binge on junk food? Do we ‘give it our all’ at work or settle for ‘just enough’ to get by? With every choice we face our options include some sort of benefit. Good eating and hard work pay…
Read MoreOrder Instead of Chaos
Some people believe Orthodox Christianity is too complicated. There are so many rules and regulations. Everything from what and when we can eat to how and when we should enter the Church. There are so many rules to ‘figure’ out that most stop trying or try to change the rules. Brethren, when you come together,…
Read MoreEdify the Church
In every aspect of our life, we have an established goal. Even when that goal is to retreat for some peace and quiet, we always have a purpose in our choices and actions. When we work, when we play, even when we socialize, we always have a purpose. So, what is your purpose when you…
Read MoreThe Future
The Church is always reminding us that we do not have any guarantees for the future. We may not live to see tomorrow, let alone decades from now. We are taught as Christians to focus on today, so we are prepared for whenever God calls us home. But we can’t ignore the future. Brethren, love…
Read MoreCommon Life
In every Divine Liturgy we proclaim our common life in Christ when we pray, “Let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.” We do not commend our unison lives to Christ. We commend our life, singular, to Christ. That should mean something. Brethren, let any one who thinks…
Read MoreDon’t Allow Yourself to be Tripped Up
I was once taught the first step to any sin is to believe I would always be able to ‘say no’ to temptation. Instead of counting on my willpower, I was taught to do whatever I could to set up protections against temptation. That way I would increase my chances of avoiding sin. Brethren, God…
Read MoreRemain or Repent; Which is it?
It has become popular to use the expression, “God made me who I am,” as an excuse toward all sorts of behaviors the Church teaches against. “God doesn’t make mistakes,” is another excuse. I say excuse, because we never want to remain how we are if we don’t like who we are. Brethren, in whatever…
Read MoreMind Your Business
We all like to think we are successful Christians. We all like to think we ‘know what we’re doing’ when it comes to how to live our Orthodox Christian Faith. If that weren’t bad enough, we all also like to think we ‘know better’ than other people how to be ‘good’ Orthodox Christians. The sad…
Read MoreHidden Blessing
We live in a society based heavily on rewards. When we excel at work, we get a raise or promotion. When we excel in sports, a trophy adorns our house. When we excel in the spiritual life, things are different. God knows our achievement but rewards us secretly. Brethren, “What no eye has seen, nor…
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