“Thoughts in Christ”

In my first few years following ordination, I was the youngest and of course lowest of the eight priests at our New York City cathedral. Between Fr. Leonid and me was forty one years. I knew my place literally at all services—far removed from the celebrant, normally the Metropolitan. I enjoyed my rank. The celebrants were consistent in assigning…

In a lovely frequently sung service to Christ Jesus, the Akathist [in Greek not sitting], the Orthodox Church celebrates our love for our Savior in a series of fourteen stanzas, the constant theme being one of praise, honor and glory to the Lord. If we were to analyze the meaning of the service I should suggest that it’s therapeutic. When sung, it…

Finding that kingdom is the whole purpose and meaning of life. Nothing else matters, yet so many unfortunate humans live and die not only never discovering that hidden realm, but not even knowing that it exists. Nathaniel may have been thinking about it when Jesus told him that He knew what was in the mind of Philip’s friend. (John 1:45-49)

“How do…

Knowledge, wisdom and understanding are the three elements of intelligence that make us human beings superior to all forms of existence on the earth. They are not the same at all.

Knowledge is what we know. Measured in I.Q., it sums up the facts we have learned and stored up in our memory banks. You may recall examples of those blessed with vast…

Many think of the Mother of God and ever-virgin Mary as a mild, meek woman patiently suffering with her anguish, if indeed they think of her at all. Those western Christians who have no place for saints feel her presence in the Church to be unwarranted and unnecessary. Yet we find in the first words following the glorious annunciation to her from…

Even as a teenager I would turn to the back part of the Bible to find the epistles of St. Paul, because they are so upbeat and positive. They cheered me up and still do. Yet if we turn to II Corinthians 6:3-13 and read of the many hardships he suffered in his ministry for Christ, we wonder how St. Paul was able to rejoice in the Lord with such…

St. Paul has such an open, innocent and unaffected way to connect himself with God and with those whom he loves, even if he had never met them. What a joy it had to be receiving an epistle from that great apostle, hearing it read in the congregation and realizing that he not only addressed them, but he prayed for them. It’s good to pray for others,…

The Lord Jesus was preparing the apostles for His leaving them and comforting them with the promise of another Comforter, none else than the Holy Spirit. He will ask the heavenly Father to send the Spirit, and He will console them by making it plain that they will always have access to the truth. Christ goes on to say, “The world cannot accept Him,…

Good
intentions alone cannot bring a person out of depression if the miserable one prefers to remain in misery. As the proverb states it, we’d prefer not to acknowledge our anger and frustration but rather to project it onto others—even at the Lord. I recall an instance of this from my earliest years of priesthood in New York City. Being young and…

Our nation’s pop culture is enthralled with the television program American Idol. One singer is selected from among hundreds of contestants voted by the public to be awarded the title. We Christians, like Jews, are reluctant, even averse, to making idols of anything or anybody; nevertheless, throughout my life I’ve honored the singers who have…

She didn’t realize the implications of her request. It annoyed the other disciples and surprised our Lord Jesus. Here is what seems to be an incidental anecdote hardly worth including in the serious business of salvation, which is the major theme of this and the other gospels, and yet it has great value for us to explore.

At a basic level here is a…

Twelve men were selected to match the twelve tribes of Israel, for this was a second and ultimate covenant inaugurated by the Son of God. Somebody would take the place of Judas. The basic qualification was that he had to have witnessed the many miracles the Lord Jesus performed since the inauguration of His ministry and most important of all, to…

People nowadays are just too busy to consider death. It’s an irritation they brush aside and avoid thinking about. Oh, death does happen, but mostly to strangers or on TV or in the movies. That’s just entertainment. It doesn’t count. There’s the matter of casualties in Iraq or Afghanistan, but those are mere statistics. Put it out of your mind.

At…

St. Paul may have in mind the temple in Jerusalem. In a dozen more years it would be leveled to the ground by the Roman conquerors. It was the only place for his people to offer sacrifices. Animals would be slaughtered daily and offered to the Lord as expiation for their sins. Only the spotless healthy beasts and birds were worthy to be put to death…

Well, really what else can you do with dead wood? It’s a messy job to rake it all up on a pile and burn it. Jesus is talking not about wood, but human beings. It brings us to understand some problems we have about living in Christ during this lifetime and what happens in the next world. In this life we are baptized into Christ and blessed with the…

St. Nicodemos the Hagiorite in writing an eloquent Encomium as a tribute to St. Symeon the New Theologian addressed the Church on earth and the Church triumphant and asked them to consider the achievements of St. Symeon. He listed six ranks or levels of people who are being saved, maintaining that the “New Theologian” had passed through all six…

The episode of the Garasene demoniacs occurs twice in the Sunday gospel readings. In one version two demon-possessed men appear, in the other, only one. Orthodox preachers protest that there is only so much one can explain about an incident in the ministry of Christ so remote from our times and understanding of mental disturbance. It’s not just the…

How much stronger is this warning than that in the Ten Commandments: “Honor your father and mother.” It transcends respect, demanding obedience and loyalty. You can hear the outcry of protest from young Americans. It’s not our way. We are free to do as we please, even when it hurts our parents. From “Abies Irish Rose” through “The Graduate,” toss in…

Does it strike you as strange that the writer, St. John, would go from the meaning of love to the warning against deceivers, and antichrists? Yet it makes sense. The church or any church he is writing to being filled with love for God and one another will have a tendency to gentleness. That tender affection will tend to open itself to those who are…

Many Christians assume by Spirit, even Holy Spirit, is meant an idea or principle, an influence on us. The Holy Spirit is in every sense Person equal with Father and Son in the Holy Trinity. As in our prayer, He is “everywhere present and fills all things.” How He does this is a great mystery, but a great truth also. “All things” includes you and…