Faith Encouraged
The Kiss
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Everybody seems to have the same dream at one time or another. For me, it was a dream where I had a big presentation in front of a large crowd, and in my dream, I forgot my pants! Embarrassed and humiliated, I ran off stage wondering how I could have made such a mistake! All of us fear being humiliated and embarrassed. It’s a natural fear and it uncovers ( forgive the…
Faith Encouraged
Transform Your Desires! Sunday's Homily
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Faith Encouraged
One Of You Will Betray Me
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One of Rembrandt’s classic paintings is called “The Raising of the Cross” and in this painting of the people raising the Cross where Christ is already nailed, is the picture of a strange man in a blue cap. Looking closer, we see it is actually a picture of Rembrandt himself. You see, Rembrandt was a Christian and he was saying that he also was responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus because the…
The Word of the Day
Forgiving Ourselves as God Forgives Us (Tues. Feb. 14)
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The word of the day is “condemn.” We believe that God forgives us when we turn to Him for mercy.   But though we receive this forgiveness from the Lord, do we forgive ourselves? Today’s reading of 1 John 3:11-20 proclaims our Heavenly Father’s answer to those of us who cannot let go of the guilt we carry. The apostle writes, “for if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things” (vs. 20). Becoming aware of our sins is a good thing. As the story of the Prodigal Son teaches, coming to terms with our trespasses propels us on the way back to the home of our Heavenly Father. As the parable of the Publican and…
Faith Encouraged
The Lord Has Need of It
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It’s a paradox. A paradox is a concept that we humans, especially we humans shaped and formed by post-Enlightenment secularism, have a hard time grasping. Paradox makes us uncomfortable. It feels like a “problem” to be “solved.” That’s why we humans stumble over paradox. You know what I mean, don’t you? It’s like what Jesus said when He taught that to save your life, you must lose it, and to be a leader, you…
The Word of the Day
Hope Becomes Anticipation (Mon. Feb. 13)
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The word of the day is “hope.”  There is a difference between hope and anticipation. To hope is to desire something with the expectation that you will receive it in the future. But to anticipate something is to experience what receiving it will be like in advance.  A child may hope for a birthday party. But if she anticipates it, she feels as if its reality has already come.  She is filled with the happiness of expectation. What We Shall Be In today’s reading of 1 John 2:18-3:10, the apostle notes that the hope to be “like Christ” can be so strong that believers anticipate it in the present. Accordingly, John reveals the hope of the vision of God, “ Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has…
Remembering Sion
Finding the Father's House
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All of us are born into this world with a deep and insatiable longing for Paradise. Perhaps we are not even aware of it. Most of us bury it beneath the mire of our passions; we try to satisfy this pure and holy desire with the trinkets and amusements of this fallen world. We become as ships tossed to and fro, as wanderers amid the wasteland of this life, consumed by a…
The Word of the Day
How to Treat the Body: Reverence and Discipline (Sun. Feb. 13)
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The word of the day is “body.”  Of all the gifts of God, one of the most precious and yet neglected and mistreated is the body. Yet in our reading of 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, the apostle writes, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own” (vs. 19). Today the apostle teaches us the proper reverence for the body that Christ has “bought with a price” (vs. 20). Many people have a complex relationship with their bodies. When it comes to the treatment of their bodies, many vacillate between self-indulgence and self-punishment. We have found in the current pandemic that our bodies are…
Eastern Christian Insights
Returning Home from Self-Imposed Exile: Homily for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son in the Orthodox Church
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Luke 15:11-32      The themes of exile and return are prominent throughout the entire narrative of the Bible. Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise. The Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt until Moses led them back to the Promised Land. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah went into exile in Assyria and Babylon, respectively, with only Judah returning home. The Jews endured a kind of exile when…
The Word of the Day
How to Come to the Knowledge of the Truth—Or Not (Sat. Feb. 12)
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The word of the day is “truth.” In matters of faith more than any other, the truth is of utmost importance. But how do we arrive at the truth? Some think that they can achieve truth through constant study.  In our reading of 2 Timothy 3:1-9, the apostle teaches that those who rely on human inquiry are deluded and subject to delusion.  He observes that they are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (vs. 7). If we do a “close reading” of this verse, we can find suggestions about avoiding endless and fruitless pursuits of learning about the spiritual. At the same time, we can discover how to reach the truth of the sacred things of God and our salvation.…
No Other Foundation
The Papal Claims
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One sometimes hears of Orthodox Christians converting to Roman Catholicism. In my experience, they usually do not leave Orthodoxy for Roman Catholicism because of their delight in the Novus Ordo post-Vatican II Mass, nor out of infatuation with the current Pope Francis, who has proved such a problem for RC traditionalists that they seem to employ an army of spin doctors to photoshop his comments, such as those about homosexuality when he…
The Word of the Day
The New Commandment of Sacrificial Love (Fri. Feb. 10)
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The word of the day is “commandment.” “Love your neighbor!”  It’s an age-old commandment that is repeated so often it seems almost like an old and worn-out platitude. But in today’s reading of 1 John 2:7-17, the apostle appears to contradict himself by saying that the command to love one another is new.  He writes, “I am writing you no new commandment but an old commandment that you had from the beginning… Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is in Him [Christ] and you…” vs. 8). Today we talk about what makes the commandment to “love one another” radically new.  The “Old” Commandment “From the beginning,” John says that the faithful have already heard the “word” of the old commandment that he is giving them. It is “old”…
Faith Encouraged
Compete According to the Rules
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I love a line from the Paraklesis to our parish saints, Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene: “We entreat you, O Martyr of Christ, who with Nicholas and Irene for His sake competed according to the rules: Save us from injuries by our unruly opponent, through your earnest prayers to our tender-loving Lord.” The good Monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanites wrote this Paraklesis to our patron saints and I love how he contrasts the saints,…
Faith Encouraged
Admit it; You're Not OK!
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I’m my own worst enemy. The reason for this is that my ability to either delude myself or to overreact is so “normal” to me that it is really hard to be objective about my struggles by myself. I’m either too hard on myself or too easy on myself! Learning this opened my eyes to the wisdom of the Timeless Faith in encouraging me to have a regular confessor and to see…
The Word of the Day
To Know Christ Is to Walk in His Steps (Thurs. Feb. 9)
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The word of the day is “know.” Do we “know Christ?”  Consider what is at stake in this question. The Lord said, “And this is eternal life that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). In our reading of 1 John 1:8-2:6, John proposes a test to answer this ultimate question.  The apostle writes, “By this, we know that we know Him [Jesus Christ], if we keep his commandments (vs. 3).  We can worship, pray, fast, read the Scriptures, give offerings, and do many other acts of piety, and still not “know” Christ. Our reading teaches that the way to know Christ is to “walk just as He walked” (vs. 6). And that means obeying His Word. To Know…
Walking an Ancient Path
Why Bother with Church When I Can’t Focus?
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It’s happened more than once. Way more than once. I will be standing in church during the Divine Liturgy, singing the responses, crossing myself, and literally going through the motions, but my mind is a million miles away. I’m filled with worry, with grief, with stress over my to-do list. My heart might be heavy, or simply numb. Or, I just can’t focus. I’m sure you’ve been there too. The list of…
Faith Encouraged
The Immesurable Riches of His Grace
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“All is gift.” This phrase captures both the simple and profound message that embodies the mystery of living a Eucharistic life. You may ask “What does that mean?” And I understand. We moderns are far removed from a world where mystery and wonder and story dominated our human society. And we are impoverished by this reduction of true mystery in our lives. Although, I will say that our modern world is slowly…
The Word of the Day
The Lord is Not Slow to Act: He Is Patient With Us (Wed. Feb. 8)
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The word of the day is “slowness.”  The Lord has promised to return in glory to judge the world and reign over a new heaven and a new earth. Today’s reading of 2 Peter 3:1-18 answers scoffers who question whether the Word of the Lord will occur since it has not happened yet. To rebuff their arguments, Peter says that the cynics are asking the wrong question. He writes that the most important thing is to answer, “What manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?” (vs. 11). We cannot know the day or hour of the Lord’s coming. Yet, we can only look forward to it in faith and conform ourselves and our lives to its…
Faith Encouraged
The Wisdom of Humility; The Foolishness of Pride
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On this Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, we are once again invited to prepare our lives for the Arena of the Virtues called Great Lent. The whole point of this spiritual spring cleaning season is the tried and true wisdom of learning the power of humility to create virtues and the damnable disease of pride that always destroys. Even a sinner who embraces honesty is justified just as apparent pious…
Faith Encouraged
They Despise Authority
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“Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way! I can’t wait to look in the mirror, ’cause I get better lookin’ each day.” Hilarious, right? But what makes it funny is that we know people who actually feel that way about themselves. They are always saying things like “Listen, it’s going to be huge. I’m going to make everything right again!” OK, careful there padre! (hee hee)…
The Word of the Day
Dry Wells or Flowing Fountains? (Tues. Feb. 7)
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The word of the day is “wells.”  Wells are meant to provide water.  But if a well becomes dry, it is a useless hole in the ground.  In our reading of 2 Peter 2:9-22, the apostle compares false teachers to dried-up wells (vs. 17) that are a  great disappointment to a thirsty traveler.  In today’s study, we will contrast these empty pits with the flowing fountains of living water that the Lord gives to those who come to Him to drink (John 4:13-14). Appealing to the Passions of Covetousness and Lewdness The apostle’s emphasis is on deceivers who exploit and allure the faithful. The term “exploit” is derived from the idea of business or trade. In this case, the trade is…
Faith Encouraged
St. Photios The Great
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Today’s devotional is a bit different. I wanted to write about a part of my story of becoming Orthodox, which can’t be told without talking about my best friend, Rod Loudermilk. So, indulge me a bit and I pray this is an encouragement to you. Rod and I met many years ago when his family moved from West Virginia where he was a Pentecostal pastor, to my hometown of Marietta, GA. Rod…
The Word of the Day
The Role of the Spirit in the Writing and Reading of Scripture (Mon. Feb 6)
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The word of the day is “Spirit.” Today’s reading of 2 Peter 1:20-2:19 explains why the apostle could say that the word of prophecy is a trustworthy lamp to guide us in our dark world (2 Peter 1:19). He writes, “No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (vs. 20).  Thus, the apostle confirms that the words of the prophets are wholly reliable.  But is our reading of the same words equally dependable? A Message Not from Human Persons The apostle points out that we can trust the prophets’ word because their message did not come…
The Word of the Day
Bonus: Standing on the Doorstep of Lent
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With this Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee,  the Orthodox begin to use the Lenten Triodion which will be the resource for their worship throughout Lent.  Three Sundays of “Pre-Lent” take us to the doorstep of the “great” season of fasting and repentance.  After the Sunday of the parable of the two men at prayer in the temple, there are the Sundays of the Parables of the Prodigal Son and the Last Judgment. The Church prescribes all of these to prepare us for Lent by compelling us to “come to ourselves” and recognize our need to return to the Father’s House. We can see the three parables as the framework in which the whole Lenten season is set. They…
The Word of the Day
Don’t Let Religious Imposters Fool You (Sun. Feb. 5)
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The word of the day is “imposter.” From his earliest letters onward, Paul had to include a warning against interlopers who would lead the faithful astray. In our reading of 2 Timothy 3:10-15, Paul cautions his apprentice Timothy that these pretenders are bound to increase. He writes, “But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (vs. 13). In today’s study, we learn how to identify these charlatans and to guard against their deception. The Lord warned that “false Christs” and “false prophets” would appear and attempt to lead many astray (Matthew 24:24). His warning has applied to the church throughout the ages.  Deceivers have ranged from Hymenaeus and Philetus in Timothy’s day (2 Timothy…
Eastern Christian Insights
Refuse to be Distracted from Seeing Yourself Clearly in Lent: Homily for the Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican in the Orthodox Church
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2 Timothy 3:10-15; Luke 18:10-14            One of the greatest challenges that we all face is to learn to see ourselves, our neighbors, and our world truthfully and clearly. Typically, we do not. Our first parents were cast out of Paradise due to their prideful choice to satisfy their own desires instead of fulfilling their calling to become like God in holiness. We have all followed them in seeing the good things…
The Word of the Day
The Unchanging Faithfulness of God in a Changing World (Sat. Feb. 4)
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The word of the day is “faithful.” Change is the way of the universe, and no one in the world can stop it.  Day and night, the seasons, the years, the tides, the weather, the social order, the generations– all these change. Governments, economies, fashions, and fortunes may also change, but there is One who does not change, the eternal God. And because He was, is, and always will be the same (Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17), He is faithful. In our reading of 2 Timothy 2:11-19, Paul testifies to this faithfulness. The Everlasting God remains faithful whether or not we are faithful or unfaithful. Accordingly, the apostle affirms, “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him He also will deny us. …
