Romans 15:1-7; Matthew 9:27-35 We often overlook the simplest and most important things because we want to achieve our desired results quickly and on our own terms. In any worthwhile endeavor, however, there is no alternative to taking our time as we get a solid grounding in the basics before trying to take more advanced steps. Illusions of being more advanced than we really are will lead…
Romans 12: 6-14; Matthew 9: 1-8 Many people today probably think of Christianity as a collection of religious rules that tell us what to do and what not to do. The problem with a religion of law is that, while it points us in the direction of how we should behave, it does not give us the spiritual strength necessary to follow the rules. A faith that…
Titus 3:8-15; Matthew 5:14-19 Not long ago, I got on a treadmill at the gym, set the pace and incline as usual, and was then amazed at how easily I began to walk on it. For a moment, I thought that my physical fitness had reached a new height and that I would need to find ways to challenge myself further, for what I had been doing now felt too easy…
The centrality of peace to the worship and spiritual vision of Eastern Orthodox Christianity magnifies the tragedy of the invasion of Ukraine. Petitions for peace abound in Orthodox services, including for deliverance from “the sword, foreign invasion, and civil war.” The Church prays regularly for “the peace of the whole world,” as well as for the liberation of captives and for people “in exile, in harsh labor, and…in every kind of…
2 Timothy 2:1-10; Matthew 8: 5-13 Today we commemorate Saint Joseph of Damascus, a married priest who made the ultimate witness for Christ in 1860. When a brutal massacre of Christians that had begun in Lebanon spread to that city, Father Joseph headed to the Cathedral (where most of the Christians had taken refuge) by jumping from rooftop to rooftop with the Reserved Sacrament. He confessed and…