Posts Tagged ‘Gospel of Matthew’
Healing is about Mercy
We live in a society torn apart by anger and division. We listen to the words of politicians as if they are enemies. We doubt the ability of anyone, except ourselves naturally, to repent. We call vengeance by another name, pretending it to be justice. We admit the world is sick, but they are the…
Read MoreShare the Secret
There is a saying that really disturbs me. People say, “The Orthodox Church is the best kept secret.” If this is true, it is quite unfortunate. A secret is something that should be kept private. The Church is the Body of Christ and has come for all. It is time to share the secret. The…
Read MoreIn Front of Your Eyes
Many times, we are faced with facts we just do not want to believe. Sometimes the facts make us sad. Sometimes the facts make us want to crawl under a rock and hide. The only way, we think, to survive is to deny the facts in front of our eyes. At that time, the Pharisees…
Read MoreSpiritual Fasting
I hear it so often I can’t count. “It’s not what goes into the mouth, but what comes out!” Every time I talk about the importance of fasting, this argument is taken like an arrow from its quiver. I wonder if people understood that Christ used this comment in reference to the hypocrites, if they…
Read MoreSave our Children
The other day I went to see the movie Sound of Freedom and was profoundly disturbed. Knowing what happens to children in the wickedness of the slave trade was not the same as watching it. We are supposed to protect children. We are supposed to honor children. We are not supposed to harm them. At…
Read MoreTake a Chance on the Church
I wonder sometimes just how it is possible for people not to want to be Orthodox. That may sound snobbish. It just seems like so many agree with what the Church teaches but refuse to become part of the Church. It is like someone who hears but does not understand. Even that is nothing new.…
Read MoreHow are you Using Your Gifts?
We hear about Stewardship all the time. The problem is, we only ever hear about money. What is worse, we only hear about how much money the Church needs. We might hear a token mention of time and talents in the annual stewardship pitch. We hardly ever hear about stewardship outside of the Church’s needs.…
Read MoreRejecting God
Ever since Eve listened to the advice of the serpent, humanity has been stuck between a rock and hard place. On the one hand, we hear God’s voice in our hearts calling us to a better life. On the other hand, we hear the devil’s voice urging us on to please our ego. More often…
Read MoreStanding Up as Christians
The idea of ‘standing up’ for what we believe has become synonymous with the idea of protest. If we don’t like what someone is saying or doing, we protest. As Americans we have been protesting since the first days of our nation. In that, nothing has changed. What has changed is what we are willing…
Read MoreEpisode 400 – We Have a Job to Do
When Christ invited the first disciples to follow Him, He called them to a job. He called them to become fishers of men, to bring people into the Church. Today we are called by Christ to bring people to Christ. We are not just supposed to bring them into our community, but into Christ. The…
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