Posts Tagged ‘Hebrews’
Being Faithful
When we think about being faithful to someone, we imagine loyalty and sacrifice. If we are faithful to our friends, we fight for them. So long as our friends do not abandon us and our priorities continue to be aligned with their priorities, we remain faithful and willing to fight. If just one thing changes,…
Read MoreMarble and Gold
Many people complain that the Orthodox Church adorns our church buildings with majestic marble and gold. “Jesus was a simple carpenter,” they say. What these same people forget is that it was God who commanded the absolute best materials be used to build the temple. God didn’t stop at gold and marble. He demanded the…
Read MoreConsecration
Today the Church commemorates the consecration of the most glorious church of the Resurrection of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. Built by Saints Constantine and Helen in the 4th Century, this Church stands as a reminder to the world that God was resurrected from the dead. Although the building has seen changes and…
Read MoreNot 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…
Read MoreTrue Forgiveness Begins with Coexistence
As you can imagine I meet many who struggle in the art of forgiveness. Many say they can’t seem to forgive no matter how much they try. We’ve been wronged! We can’t get over what they did to us. I’m still angry. I know I should forgive them, but I just can’t. These are all…
Read MoreDon’t Be Led Astray
It is tempting to trust everything someone in authority says. We know intuitively that not everyone will speak the truth. In fact, many will speak lies to further their own agenda. This is true not only in politics, but also in the Church. For centuries the Church has been fighting against such realities, always remaining…
Read MoreGod Doesn’t Expect More from Us Than from Himself
I hear it all the time, or something like it. “I can’t do that. I’m not perfect like God.” It is so easy to turn our attention away from the life God desires for us. It isn’t that we don’t want to follow God. Our soul is most definitely called by God, and deep down…
Read MoreA Sunday Only Experience
I often say that Orthodox Christianity is a 24-hour life. There is never a time when we are not Orthodox Christian. Our faith is not limited to Sunday morning and Feast Days. Our faith is lived daily for Christ. Unfortunately, the Church in America has become in too many cases a ‘Sunday only’ experience. There…
Read MoreAngels and Men
I often hear the phrase, “Now we have our own angel,” when people describe loved ones who have died. While this is not accurate, since human never become angels, it comes from a longing for a heavenly advocate. Life is tough ‘down here’ and knowing someone ‘up there’ is looking out for us brings us…
Read MoreAltar of Gold
Our host parish in Tarpon Springs is a tourist stop for the city. People arrive every from other cities and states, even other countries, to see the historical Saint Nicholas Cathedral. From the Czechoslovakian crystal chandeliers to the marble iconostasis from the 1939 World’s Fair to the stunning stained-glass windows, tourists and pilgrims stand open-mouthed…
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