Today we celebrate the birthday of one of the most unusual and important people in the history of our faith: St. John the Baptist. He has the titles of prophet, forerunner, and baptist because he fulfilled all three roles, speaking the word of the Lord as he prepared the way for the coming of Christ, calling God’s people to repentance and baptism, and even baptizing the incarnate Son of God at the…
I heard a radio report today that described single men becoming fathers through the services of surrogate mothers. The report discussed the practice as though it were a perfectly normal and healthy way for a man to have his own biological children without the trouble of getting married. On yet another issue involving the relationship between men and women,…
Homily for the Second Sunday After Pentecost Matthew 4: 18-23 St. Luke Orthodox Church, Abilene, TX Sometimes we long for things to be crystal clear, cut and dried, totally black and white. We think that it’s easier to decide what to do when the options are laid out before us with no ambiguity or confusion at all. Unfortunately or not, life usually isn’t like that. There are…
It happens fairly often. Friends or students tell me that they their churches have taught them that God is someone of whom they should be afraid because of the Lord’s wrath and anger toward sinners. Instead of the receiving the Good News of Christ’s mercy and love, they have heard only the bad news of judgment and condemnation. So they are usually pleasantly surprised to hear the Orthodox view of…
Here’s my homily for Pentecost, which was a week ago on the Orthodox calendar for 2012: Today is the Sunday of Pentecost, when we commemorate the Holy Spirit coming upon the followers of the Risen Jesus, which is the birthday of the Church. The Lord had already ascended into heaven and had promised to send the…