Homily on Colossians 3:12-16[This closely follows St. John Chrysostom’s exegesis] [St. Paul just told us to put away worldly things – now he teaches us how the new man is to act] Ver. 12-13. “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on … [Continue reading]
Homily – The Hypocrisy of Defending Bad Habits and Rules
December 13, 2015 By
Homily – The Hypocrisy of Defending Bad Habits and RulesSt. Luke 13: 10-17 This Gospel lesson is profound, teaching us many things about the nature of healing, hypocrisy, and thanksgiving. Today I would like to focus on three of the things that it … [Continue reading]
The Joy of Baking Prosphora
December 11, 2015 By
I love baking phosphora. I've worked at it and learned what I can from my betters, but I certainly can't claim to be great at it... so it's all the more humbling to realize how this offering is transformed into something so glorious (a prefect … [Continue reading]
Homily Notes: 27th Sunday after Pentecost
December 6, 2015 By
Epistle. Ephesians 6:10-17. Summary: There is evil battling against us. God gives us protection – put on the full armor of God!Gospel. St. Luke 12:16-21. Summary: Get outside your comfort zone and use your gifts to the glory of God. Three … [Continue reading]
On Transitions – how to leave well
December 1, 2015 By
On 13 September 2015, I served my last Divine Liturgy at St. Michael's in Woonsocket, RI. Although in many ways the situation was ideal (it was an amicable parting; I wasn't driven out by them or by frustration with them), it was still very … [Continue reading]
Personal Tribute to St. Sophia Seminary
November 30, 2015 By
I wrote this for the "Tuesday of Giving" development effort at St. Sophia's. V. Rev. Anthony Perkins, rector of St. Mary Protection of the Holy Theotokos Cathedral, Allentown PA.Vocations Director, Associate Academic Dean, & Adjunct … [Continue reading]
The Good-Idea Fairy has Run Amok
November 28, 2015 By
Full disclosure: I am a retired CW-3 (Military Intelligence, USAR). I spent most of my time post-9/11 providing intelligence support to warfighters in Afghanistan. It was important work. However, colleagues and friends would be quick to point out … [Continue reading]
Homily on Unity: How to Fix the World
November 22, 2015 By
Ephesians 4:1-6. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of … [Continue reading]
The Holodomor, Lazarus, and the Rich Man
November 9, 2015 By
Holodomor (dedication and blessing of the Holodomor Memorial in DC). Background info: the Holodomor (i.e. murder by starvation) was an intentional policy of the USSR under Stalin. In 1932-33, the Soviet regime killed upwards of ten million people … [Continue reading]
Homily Notes: Tending the Garden of our Souls
November 1, 2015 By
November 1st; Tone 5, The 22nd Sunday after PentecostSt. Luke 8:5-15: The Gospel of the SowerGalatians 6:11-18: Boasting on nothing but the Cross "Have you rejected Satan and all his works and all his pomp and all his pride? Have you rejected Satan … [Continue reading]
