“This is the Way”
It has been repeatedly stated that we are in an unprecedented situation. While parallels have been drawn to the Spanish Flu Pandemic, there…
Reflections in Christ
Is Social Distancing a Form of Secular Asceticism?
The phrase “social distancing,” and the practice of doing it have now entered into our everyday discourse and actions, probably never…
The Outstretched Arms of Moses
After Israel was brought out of Egypt and as they journeyed to the foot of Mount Sinai, they faced a multitude of dangers in the howling…
On Creation and the Environment
Christ is “the source of life and immortality, and the Maker of all creation, both visible and invisible,” but today, the topic of creation…
Pascha 2003 - Baghdad, Iraq
The Pascha of the Lord, the Feast of Feasts, Holy Day of Holy Days – these lines from the Paschal Canon were sung solo by me amid…
How the Grinch Stole Pascha
The year 2020 will be remembered by Orthodox as the year without Pascha. At the beginning of the year, and even at the beginning…
Did God Send the Covid Virus as a Judgment?
In the sometimes over-abundant discussion now taking place about the current Covid virus, one sometimes hears the assertion that God…
Invite a Friend to Church: Its Easier Now More Than Ever
“Every time my friend and I get together, we always end up talking about Orthodoxy. She’s always so interested, that after a sleepover…
Human Suffering and the Suffering of God
As we remain cloistered due to the ensuing pandemic, in the midst of Holy Week, it is apt to consider the meaning of human suffering. Where…
“The Grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us together”
In an earlier age, ascetic monks would have spent their days of Lent fasting and praying alone in the desert beyond the Jordan. And on this…