Posts Tagged ‘humility’
Great Compline Prayer Two
Many weeks ago, even before we began our Great Lenten Journey, the Church prepared us with the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee. One saved and another not. One filled with pride and another who could not even lift his eyes to heaven. We return there today. Today’s prayer reads like the ‘extended version’…
Read MoreLenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim
This year’s Daily Lenten Journey will be about prayer. I have written extensively on fasting over the years. Other years the Daily Lenten Journey has been about the daily scripture readings. All the fasting and all the bible reading is useless without prayer. So, we will spend the next 40 days discussing various prayers. Today…
Read MoreOnly God is Perfect
The Church takes another glimpse toward Great Lent today. We are just reaching the end of the first week of fasting (from meat only) and I pray you are getting excited about the Great Fast that begins on Monday. But before we get there, I have one more warning. Only God is perfect. Before I…
Read MoreBetraying God
When we think of betrayal, we often think about how Judas teamed up with the elites to arrest and kills Jesus. We think about how the elites willingly chose to release a murderer from prison and kill Jesus. We never think of how we betray God. We betray Him all the time. At that time,…
Read MoreA Lesson in Humility
No human being is immune from temptation. For some it is physical temptation. For others it is power and prestige. One thing that is common to all is the temptation of our ego. We always think we are special. We always think we are better than ‘that guy’ but we are often wrong. Today is…
Read MoreAlways Point to Christ
It is not easy in our society to escape attention. Either we ‘stand out’ because we are successful or because we do not act like the rest of those around us. In fact, most of us enjoy the attention, if even just for ‘our five minutes’ of fame. Like so many worldly realities, we should…
Read MoreBe Blameless When Society Is Wicked
Sometimes we like to think is was ‘easier’ to be a Christian in the past. We read the stories about Church growth and mass baptisms. We then think of today. We can’t imagine the same stories taking place today. It is so much harder to be Christian today than ‘back then.’ Brethren, as you have…
Read MoreTrue Faith Doesn’t Demand Favorites
As a Priest of a large community, I have the difficult task of choosing between one ministry and another. I am forced to limit time spent with people simply because I am needed in another place. I don’t like to cut time short, but nobody can be in two places at once. I say this…
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 MoreInsatiable World
Throughout history the Church has been faced with extinction from the world. We are always under attack by those who either do not believe in God or believe differently about God than we do. We do our best to live peacefully among them, but alas, we are always under attack. Jesus was constantly asked what…
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