Lent and Priesthood #5: The Priesthood of Reconnection

Sunday of Orthodoxy, March 5, 2017 Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-40; John 1:43-51 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today is the First Sunday of Lent, which is commonly called the Sunday of Orthodoxy or the Triumph of Orthodoxy. This “triumph” is dedicated to the historical event of…

Lent and Priesthood #3: The Priesthood of the Last Judgment

Sunday of the Last Judgment, February 19, 2017 1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2; Matthew 25:31-46 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. We continue today with our ten-week series of meditations on the priesthood according to the themes of the Lenten Triodion, which includes these pre-Lenten weeks. Today’s theme…

Lent and Priesthood #2: The Priesthood of Return

Sunday of the Prodigal Son, February 12, 2017 2 Corinthians 6:12-20; Luke 15:11-32 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. We continue on this second Sunday of the pre-Lenten period to discuss our theme for the next many weeks—the priesthood. And as we meditate on the priesthood…

Lent and Priesthood #1: The Priesthood of Humility

Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, February 5, 2016 2 Timothy 3:10-15; Luke 18:10-14 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. In his famous work On the Priesthood, St. John Chrysostom says this about the priesthood: “For the priestly office is indeed discharged on earth, but…

A Covenant in Flesh and Spirit

Circumcision of Christ / Feast of St. Basil the Great, January 1, 2017 Colossians 2:8-12; Luke 2:20-21, 40-52 V. Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today is the eighth day from the Nativity, and on the eighth day from birth, newborn Jewish boys were circumcised. The Lord…

Heaven is Like Good Company

Sunday of the Forefathers, December 11, 2016 Colossians 3:4-11; Luke 14:16-24 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. What is the Kingdom of Heaven like? In our time, a lot of people if asked what Heaven is like would probably give answers that are not very compelling—we…

Children of Abraham or Religious Consumers?

Ss. Barbara of Ba’albek and John of Damascus / Tenth Sunday of Luke, December 4, 2016 Galatians 3:23-29, 4:1-5; Luke 13:10-17 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today we have two readings from the Scripture that mention something similar. In the epistle reading from Galatians 3,…