No Other Foundation
Speaking out against Anti-Semitism
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Authentic Orthodox Christianity is opposed to anti-Semitism. That said, the Orthodox Church throughout the world is a far-flung family, not a centrally-controlled cult, so that it cannot police or control every utterance made by its members.  That being so, it must be admitted, with much sadness and regret, that anti-Semitic comments and behaviour have in our history characterized some Orthodox Christians, and continues in some parts of the Orthodox Church. This is…
Faith Encouraged
Cure for the Troubled Soul
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In our nihilistic age, with all the turmoil of our society from pandemics to politics to violence in the streets, we moderns seem to be having a crisis of purpose, a crisis of meaning! I was having a conversation the other day with a dear, educated man, who also happens to be an ordained clergyman in one of the many Protestant denominations in our fair city. The conversation turned, as it often…
The Word of the Day
Sacramentally Dead to the Law and Alive to God (Mon. Sept. 11)
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The word of the day is “law.” We take it for granted that the Mosaic Law and its regulations and restrictions do not apply to us. But today, we reflect on why it no longer holds us captive. We learn that freedom from the law is not a generality. In Holy Baptism, each one is personally released from the bondage to the law and its judgement and given the grace of the Holy Spirit. Today, we learn to think sacramentally about our salvation. We realize that the water and oil of the Holy Mystery of Baptism and Chrismation are agents of grace by which we die to sin and rise to the freedom of the New Life of Christ in the Spirit. In today’s reading of…
The Word of the Day
The Holy Spirit: God’s Warranty (Sun. Sept. 10)
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The word of the day is “guarantee.” In today’s reading of 2 Corinthians 1:21-2:4, Paul has just said that “all the promises of God in Him [Christ] are “Yes.”  Now he adds that God has made both the Corinthians and him secure and firm in these promises of God (Strong’s #950,53).  Today we learn how we can put our complete confidence in these pledges. Anointed as Kings: Sealed as God’s Own How can we be so sure of God’s Word of promise?  We find the answer in the following verse:  God is the one “who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (vs. 22).  We know for certain that God will fulfill His promises…
The Word of the Day
On Not Judging Others Before the Time When God Will Judge (Sat. Sept. 9)
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The word of the day is “judge.”  Who are we to judge others? There is one Judge and one final time of Judgment. When we condemn others, even if we think they deserve it, we act as if the “End Time” had already come and we are sitting on the throne of Christ. Thus, we forget our own sinfulness by our concentration on the faults of others. Today, in our reading of 1 Cor. 4:1-5, Paul answers those who are judging him.  They are impugning his motives (9:1-14) and comparing him to their standards of wisdom in teaching and eloquence in preaching (1:17, 2:1). Judging Others Puts Them on Trial The Greek word for “judge” calls to mind the setting of a courtroom. The…
Faith Encouraged
Thinking Like Jesus Thinks - Happy Marymas!
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How do you think? Or, a better question is, What has formed the way you think? SDcientists call this question “epistemology” from the Greek word “episteme.” How you think flows from what has shaped how you think. So, what do you allow to shape your thinking? Because how you think, and what you think shapes your choices, attitudes, and decisions. It’s the reason why the Church’s wisdom on repentance is so foundational…
No Other Foundation
What’s Wrong with Suicide?
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Eventually every pastor will be faced with the question of what to do about the theological issue of suicide, either because he will be asked to preside at the funeral of someone who has taken his or her own life, or because he will be asked to offer prayers for their repose. What is the proper response, both theologically and pastorally? May one legitimately preside at the funeral of a suicide or…
A Lamp for Today
Light from the Psalter 5: Crying Out of the Depths
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Psalm 129LXX/130 MT and 116/117; Deuteronomy 30:11-14; Romans 10:6-8, Luke 23:34-46, Mark 14:37, 15:34 In the darkness of Vespers, and from the depths of our hearts, we cry out to God, knowing that the Lord’s Day will follow the night. The third and fourth of the lamplighting Psalms (Psalm 129/130 and Psalm 116/117) are chanted one after the other. We sing them in short bits, and in response with verses that recall…
Faith Encouraged
Knowing Your Freedom in Christ
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There was a day when I relished a good theological argument. Jousting with this or that “opponent” over this or that doctrine was as much fun as it was challenging. My favorite fights were over questions about the Trinity or predestination or even the very question about what was salvation anyway. I’d pour over scriptures read books about apologetics and hone my “arguments” until I thought they were ironclad! And then I’d…
Growing the Church
Remembering Evils Done to Us
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Another obstacle to spiritual growth is a preoccupation with the past, more specifically actively remembering evils done to us. This is a bit complicated, however, since some of what we experience at the hands of others is indeed wrong, unjust, if not an outright moral outrage. As such, we think that these events demand a specific response or an accounting of some kind. This reaction to the offense seems reasonable not only…
Praying in the Rain
I Am Adam
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I have a wonderful ten-year-old boy in our church community named Levi, Levi Matthew. Levi was born with terrible birth defects, a condition—I don’t know the name of it—that usually limits the life expectancy of children with this condition to six months. Levi broke the record.  When I first told my spiritual father about Levi, his only response was to be quiet for a moment, shed a tear and eventually say,…
Faith Encouraged
The Stone Rejected Has Become the Cornerstone - Sunday Homily
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Your life is a gift from the God Who loves you. The Creator has allowed you to be His tenants of His world, and all He asks is that we remember that our life is gift and return gratitude to the Creator, not for His benefit (He needs nothing) but for our benefit. When confronted with the ugly unfaithfulness of ungrateful “tenants” the shortsighted leaders attacking Christ condemn themselves. Learn the power…
Walking an Ancient Path
Remembrance of Death and "Celebrations of Life"
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News flash: Before we get to today’s topic, I want to tell you about a new book that I’m very excited about. Yesterday Ancient Faith Publishing released Behold a Great Light: A Daily Devotional for the Nativity Fast through Theophany. Some of you may not know that I’m an editor at Ancient Faith, and at Christmastime about two years ago I started thinking about how the Orthodox approach to Christmas is so…
Faith Encouraged
How Can Suffering Make You Perfect?
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The word “asceticism” is something of a mystery to our modern way of life. We have lived with such plenty and such amazing comfort and ease for so long that now we assume that all of life is meant to be pain (and even effort) free. Just consider our attitudes towards marriage. We assume that marriage is meant to “fulfill us” or “complete us” as if the Hollywood version of romantic love…
The Word of the Day
Being in Christ and Living in Christ (Wed. Sept. 6)
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The word of the day is “in.” We often use the expression “in Christ” or “in the Name of Christ.” What do we mean? Today in our reading of 2 Corinthians 13:3-14, Paul uses the term “in” in two senses. He writes, “since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you” (OSB vs. 3).  He also says, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you– unless indeed you are disqualified” (OSB vs. 5)?  Today we will analyze today’s passage according to the meaning of these two uses.  Our study will help us expand our understanding of our relationship to Christ. Today in…
Glory to God for All Things
The Act of Veneration
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No spiritual activity permeates Orthodoxy as much as veneration. For the non-Orthodox, veneration is often mistaken for worship. We kiss icons; sing hymns to saints; cry out “Most Holy Theotokos, save us!” And all of this scandalizes the non-Orthodox who think we have fallen into some backwater of paganized Christianity. It is not unusual to hear Orthodox who more or less apologize for this activity and seek to minimize it. “We are…
Faith Encouraged
It Isn't Easy, But It Is Good!
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Every parent has heard themselves say this at one time or another: “If you two don’t stop bickering, I’ll stop this car and punish you both!” I mean, surely I’m not the only one! Please tell me I’m not the only dad that has threatened this! Seriously, as parents, we really do set expectations of behavior for our children. One of the most fundamental tasks of parenting is to both model and…
The Word of the Day
How To Treat Open and Unrepentant Offenders in the Church (Tues. Sept. 5)
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The word of the day is “repented.”  Today’s reading from 2 Corinthians 12:20-13:2 concerns the treatment of open and unrepentant sinners in the Body of Christ. The Lord said, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance (OSB Luke 15:7). But what about sinners who do not repent and yet remain in the church? On the one hand, the Lord taught, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (OSB Matthew 7:1). On the other hand, Paul wrote: “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard,…
No Other Foundation
Stand Aright!
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Our society is not accustomed to hear a word from God; we are unfamiliar with oracles. Instead, we are awash with the words of men—usually fairly worthless words—coming at us from all sides, like incoming missiles in a war zone: texts on our phones, emails on our computers, blogs, advertisements, political propaganda (i.e. newscasts), junk mail. Such a barrage leaves us stunned and a bit insensitive to the power of the printed…
Faith Encouraged
I Don't Seek Yours; I Seek YOU!
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Steve Jobs said ” Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” So true. Most of us are far too comfortable with mediocrity or “that’s good enough.” Because of this, we get a life that never is pressed to discover its potential, the possibilities. What a waste. This addiction to mediocrity is a symptom of pride! And yet, because we are so comfortable with…
Eastern Christian Insights
Good Tenants of the Lord's Vineyard Do Not Hoard the Fruit for Themselves: Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday of Matthew in the Orthodox Church
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Matthew 21:33-42 We sometimes fall prey to the temptation to read Christ’s criticism of the chief priests and Pharisees in a fashion that does not criticize us at all. We can easily condemn those corrupt religious leaders as bad and praise ourselves as good, for we are presumably the “other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”  To do so, however, is to refuse to hear the prophetic message…
Faith Encouraged
A New Year! Let's Be Peaceful
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Today marks the start of a new Church Year on the Orthodox calendar, and, like all New Year’s celebrations, this offers us a moment to reflect and reorient our actions and our attitudes to a more peaceful life. And in the midst of this chaotic age of “us vs. them” and “Red vs. Blue” and “Right vs. Left” and all the other ways we use our fantasy words to belong to tribes…
The Word of the Day
On Guard For the Truth (Fri. Sept. 1)
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The word for today is “false.” In today’s reading of 2 Corinthians 11:5-21, we note how seriously St. Paul takes the false teachers who are misleading the congregation at Corinth. The Apostle is so concerned—and incensed—that he is willing to defend himself on the low level of his adversaries. St. Paul begins his diatribe against those who are pretending to be apostles, “For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles” (vs. 5). Then he writes that he is going to “boast a little” (vs. 16). His boasting will not be “according to the Lord” (vs. 17). In this case, the Apostle admits that he will not follow the Lord’s direction, but he will…
Beyond the Bars
Mike Kosanivich, Special Agent FBI
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Michael Kosanovich was a Special Agent for the FBI and was promoted to FBI headquarters to work International Terrorism matters just prior to the 9/11 attacks in Washington D.C. and New York. In 2003 Michael was assigned to Chicago as a Terrorism Supervisor and in 2010 was promoted to the number two position in the Chicago office as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge. Michael retired from the FBI in 2014 but…
Faith Encouraged
Making The Hard Decision to Change
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I was watching a well-known leadership teacher speak recently (I like to keep up with this world since I find this both helpful and cautionary) and he was commenting about the necessity of making decisions to change. And he used some commonly heard excuses about why someone doesn’t live up to their potential: “I am not a leader. Then CHANGE and become a leader!” I get where he’s coming from and I…
The Word of the Day
Of Boasting and Modesty (Thurs. August 31)
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The word of the day is “boast.” Our society sees achievement as a sufficient reason to be proud of ourselves. It sees nothing wrong with football players who do a dance of exaltation when they score or sack the quarterback. But today in our reading of 2 Corinthians 10:7-18, Paul joins the Lord who criticized the Pharisee who congratulated himself in the “Parable of the Pharisee and Publican” (Luke 18:11). It’s Easy to Boast When One Measures Oneself Like the Pharisee, Paul’s opponents in Corinth are boasting of their superior powers and gifts. Moreover, they are criticizing Paul’s supposed weakness and lack of talent. But Paul answers with the observation that it is easy to boast when one measures oneself by one’s own standards. The…
Glory to God for All Things
Are We Connected?
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How connected are we? Do your actions, thoughts, feelings, have an effect on me even if I am unaware (or on the other side of the world)? Is my existence bound within the existence of other human beings, or are we simply sharing the same planet for a period of time? Connections between people, particularly of a spiritual nature, were declared to be mere superstitions in the march of modern rationalism. To…
