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“Christ is risen, my joy!” St. Seraphim’s characteristic greeting is well known. Also well known is his love for animals and his friendship even with bears. However, we should not allow St. Seraphim to become for us a sort of Santa Claus figure, friendly and soft. St. Seraphim’s ascesis—kneeling on a rock for a thousand days, the chains he…
Prior to his conversion, St. Vladimir was an infamous polygamist, fornicator, and worshipper of idols. And indeed, we know from the story of Solomon that these behaviors—sexual incontinence and the worship of idols—are often connected. The Scriptures often connect the cults of pagan gods with unrestrained amorous behavior; more than this, they…
St. Sergius of Radonezh is considered among the greatest of the Russian saints and, as the patron of the chapel at the old chancery in Syosset, he also has a special relationship to the Orthodox Church in America. He is himself a great saint, but he was also a son, disciple, friend, and teacher of saints. His parents, Cyril and Maria, are canonized;…
The twelve apostles shine as precious stones in the breastplate of the Great High Priest Jesus Christ; their ministry and martyrdom are the foundations of the Church forever, as the Theologian bears witness in the record of his revelation. There is a striking icon known by two names, “The Preaching of the Apostles” or “The Church of Christ.”…
Saint Nicholas Cathedral
June 29, 2023
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the persons and lives of the holy chief apostles whom we celebrate today, we can discern any number of similarities, any number of parallels. Both took new names that signified their apostolic calling—Simon became Peter, and Saul…
The two chief apostles of the Church are, to paraphrase one of the hymns of the day, the two wings upon which the Gospel of Christ is carried throughout the world. The complementarity of the chief apostles’ ministry is apparent in the very structure of the Book of Acts. The earliest part of the book is centered on St. Peter and the disciples who…
We are accustomed to speaking of twelve “great feasts” of the Church; at least one earlier traditional list contains only ten feasts and includes certain celebrations that we now consider minor. However, if we look at the service books of the Church, we find that there are around twenty feasts of the highest liturgical rank, and this number…
Today marks the feast of all saints of North America, and our churches joyfully ring out with hymns in honor of this land’s saints: Herman, Innocent, Tikhon, Alexis, Nikolai, Alexander, John, Yakov, Sebastian, Mardarius, Barnabas, Seraphim. May today’s feast inspire us to celebrate also these saints’ individual feast days, so that the whole…
Most of the Church year is made up of time “after Pentecost,” and this time is filled with the feasts of the saints. Today, we begin this time after Pentecost by celebrating all the saints, those known and unknown, from the beginning to the end of time. Christ died to send the Spirit; the Spirit came to make Christ present in the saints. The…
Saint Nicholas Cathedral
June 4, 2023
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
According to the Gospel we have just heard, today is “the last day, that great day of the feast.” The work that was begun at the time of Lord’s Nativity and perfected in his Pascha has now borne its fruit.
The words of the holy prophet…
On holy Pentecost, this last and great feast, the Gospel that was previously preached to small crowds in Galilee and Judea is now preached to Parthians and Pamphylians, Libyans and Elamites, Cretans and Cappadocians, Medes and Arabs. Jesus Christ, who was known in a circumscribed human body during the days of his flesh, is now known in his great…
Saint Tikhon’s Monastery
South Canaan, PA
May 29, 2023
Your Eminences, Very Reverend and Reverence Fathers, Venerable Monastics, and all you faithful pilgrims, beloved in Christ the Lord:
With joy I welcome all of you to the annual St. Tikhon’s Memorial Day pilgrimage. I extend a special welcome to my brother His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas,…
Saint Tikhon’s Monastery
South Canaan, PA
May 29, 2023
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Joyous feast of the Ascension of Christ!
In today’s Gospel, the Lord tell us, his disciples: “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in me. But that the world may know…
The holy fathers of the First Ecumenical Council are likened to the three-hundred and eighteen trained men of his house whom Abraham led out on a mission to rescue his nephew Lot when Lot was captured by a foreign king. This image should underscore for us the fact that Orthodox doctrine is a serious matter. Those who are led astray by false…
May 26, 2023
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God; believe also in me.”
These words, from the Lord’s farewell discourse, were read at Divine Liturgy this morning. On the one hand, these words seem simple, even obvious, almost a spiritual bromide: don’t worry, just trust Jesus.
And yet these words also contain perhaps one of…
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven.” So says an angel to the disciples as they watch their Lord depart. But we must always remember this departure is not permanent. On the one hand, Christ is with us, even till…
Christ is risen! Indeed he is risen! Leaving the Paschal feast behind can be a source of sadness, but we must recall the words of the Lord which he told us, his disciples, at the supper on Holy Thursday: “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told…
Today, the pharisees’ narrow dogmatism (“We are disciples of Moses”) is confronted with the experiential truth, the manifest reality, of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The blind man has encountered the Light of the world and it has changed him. All those around him recognize that, though he was born blind, now he can see. Moreover, he is…
May 20, 2023
Your Eminences, Your Graces,
Father Chad, faculty and staff of the seminary,
Members of the seminary board of trustees,
Students commencing and continuing,
Assembled clergy and faithful:
Christ is risen!
In the Gospel reading at today’s liturgy, we heard the words of the Lord: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they…
The name of Saint Photine, or Svetlana, is connected with light: phos (Greek) or svet (Slavic). She came to Jacob’s Well for ordinary, earthly water, but she encountered Christ who is the living Water and the Light of the world. Likewise, many people are motivated to pray because they seek solace in earthly troubles or solutions for earthly…