Orthodox Bucket List

Whats On Your Bucket list Written On Front OF A Notebook

Christ is Risen! The other day I saw a meme about aging. It said something to the effect of, “With age every day becomes more urgent to get right with God.” I laughed, because today we normally associate fewer days ‘left’ in life as fewer days to have fun. We are encouraged to have bucket…

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2023 Daily Lenten Journey – Day 5

A golden abstract artwork of the Jesus

As we approach the end of the first week of Great Lent, we reach a shift in the story of our beginnings. It was just last Sunday that the Church reminded us of the story in today’s reading from Genesis. Today, we learn what happens when we turn out back on God. The man gave…

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Armor is for Battle

A metal helmet kept on a ground

A dangerous trend exists among many Christians, too many. Many mistakenly think that if we believe in Jesus Christ as God, then we will forever be comforted. The so-called ‘prosperity gospel’ goes so far as to suggest that God wants all believers to be rich. Rich or poor, the idea that Christians don’t have to…

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Episode 378 – The Physical Touch of God

Rev. Fr. Athanasios Haros

As God revealed in the miracle at Nain as described in Luke 7.11-16, God has chosen to come and visit His people with His own body. With His physical touch, Christ brought the son of the widow back to life. We are the temple of the Living God because God has visited His people. Through…

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A Single Book is Never Enough

The Bible with praying beads on a table

As I wrote in “Our Own Church” yesterday, there are many other things that are not included in the Scriptures. We simply cannot limit our experience of God to one book, even if that book is the Bible. It doesn’t make everything true. In the same token it doesn’t make everything false. There must some…

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Love Defeats Fear

A beautiful view of the mountains

When the time came for Jesus to be crucified only one of His disciples remained until the very end. This disciple had been with Him from the beginning and never waivered in his love for Christ. He is the only one of the Twelve that did not die a martyr’s death. He cared for the…

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Rules are Tools

The other day I was at a party and was asked, “Can you eat this today?” It was Friday and the person asking knew I would be fasting on Friday. I replied, “I CAN eat anything I want. I choose not to eat certain things.” That is the essence of fasting. If you think we…

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With Every End Comes a New Beginning

Candles lighting

Last night was the end of the 46th Biennial Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. It was a celebration of the centennial of the Archdiocese, during which time the Church as evolved from an immigrant enclave to a nationally recognized Church. We had celebrations that focused our attention on the great…

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Are You Wise?

Candles lighting

In today’s world education is central to everyone’s identity. As a society we spend billions of dollars annually on education, whether it be for preschoolers or graduate students. Around every corner is the enticement to more and more education, as if we can somehow become wise ‘just’ by sitting in a classroom. To become wise,…

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Holding God

Can you imagine holding Christ in your arms? Can you imagine the blessing of hearing from the Holy Spirit that you would not die before you saw Christ? Well, today both are true, and both are possible. Today the Church commemorates the memory of Saint Symeon the God-Receiver. He was the one to whom God…

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