Not About Us

The past few days I have been writing about the importance of the Church. The Church teaches us morality. The Church teaches us to love. The Church teaches us about God. The Church also teaches us to embrace the importance of humility and patience. The Lord said to his disciples, “He who hears you hears…

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Orthodox State of Mind

Blessed written on wooden blocks

We begin our new season in the Church by reading from the Gospel of Matthew and Saints Paul’s letter to the Romans. Now that we have celebrated Pentecost, the Church turns our attention immediately to our state of mind. At that time, Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel…

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Still True

A cross sign in the middle of a sunset

Today is the Feast of Apodosis of Pascha. It is the final day of celebration of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. It is the last day to say and sing Christ is Risen! By the end of today, we will have to wait until May 5, 2024, to sing…

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Why Bless Material Things?

Beginning today, the Orthodox Church on the New Calendar celebrates the Feast of Theophany (Epiphany) with as much grandeur, maybe even more than Christmas. Among the special church services, liturgies and Holy Water blessings, many Orthodox Christians will gather around natural bodies of water for a blessing. During the special blessing service, the Holy Spirit…

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Double Leave-Taking

A beautiful sunset from the coast

Today is the last day of the year and the last day of Christmas. Yes, there are still five days left of the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ but today is the Leave-Taking of Christmas. Liturgically that means today is the last day to sing Christmas hymns. Today is also the Leave-Taking of 2022. This is…

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Preparing for the New Year

A text that says New Years Resolutions on a notebook

Today is Friday. In Greek that means the Day of Preparation. You never hear Friday referred to as the day of preparation unless it is Holy Week. That doesn’t mean the day still doesn’t have a purpose. In the ‘office’ workers are preparing for to make sure the company won’t ‘go under’ over the weekend.…

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Time Change

It has become a normal part of life twice per year for the clock to change between Daylight Savings and Standard Time. Suddenly it is dark when it was light and light when it was dark. We eventually get accustomed to the time change, but not without it first affecting our bodies. The same is…

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A Calendar Set in Stone

"The Pavement" in the Old City of Jerusalem

When a calendar only represents the past, it is a symbol of death. Only dead things have no future. When a calendar is unable to speak to the present, there is nobody available to use it. A calendar that is set in stone is good for walking on but cannot lead us anywhere. And yet,…

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