To Be Pitied
"For pity's sake," a phrase I heard my grandmother used and the context was a conversation about a man who just couldn't seem to stop making trouble for himself. She had tried and tried again to help this man stop abusing himself, but he refused even "for pity's sake." But...
An Invitation to Cleanse the “Temple” of Your Heart
If you have a younger sibling then you've heard this before: "She did it! Why can't I?" I know I've heard it in my house on numerous occasions, especially when the younger kiddo wonders out loud "What about me?" But sometimes (actually, many times) the younger child isn't developmentally ready...
Are You Able To Drink This Cup?
When I think of the requests we make of God, I find my own requests break down into a few categories - Personal needs, Family concerns, Parish concerns, and Hopes and Fears. But one of the blessings of being Orthodox is that the wise prayers preserved in the Faith cause...
Truly Marvelous
It's the second day of the Dormition Fast! The wisdom of the fasting disciplines of the Church is meant to reinforce the reality that unless the faith is holistically practiced, that is it affects every aspect of your person, the real danger of compartmentalization exists! One aspect of Orthodoxy that...
It Is Not You Who Speaks
Welcome to August and the first day of the Dormition Fast. Let us not neglect the wisdom of the Faith as we prepare for this Great Feast! "I wish I had said this!" That's what I said to myself after a particularly difficult conversation with a friend over a very...
Do You Desire to be Great? The Path is Humility!
The words of Jesus often strike us as paradoxical: To be free, you must be a slave, to live you have to die, to be great, you must be humble! Hundreds of books have been written trying to understand the paradox of Jesus and His influence on humanity. The...
Conflict Reveals Important Truths
It seems we humans have an ingrained "love" of fighting, defending ourselves, and drama. We are really good at it. Just look at the conflicts that are raging today in our world. We seem to love to fight, and that, in itself, should be a sign of deep brokenness...
Learn To Compete According to the Rules
I love a line from the Paraklesis to our parish saints, Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene: "We entreat you, O Martyr of Christ, who with Nicholas and Irene for His sake competed according to the rules: Save us from injuries by our unruly opponent, through your earnest prayers to...
The Path To Wise Living
It took me a long time to finally get my mind and heart around the profound difference between wisdom and legislation. For most of my life, I spent most of my time being a rule keeper. After all, I was the firstborn son. I was responsible to obey the...
An Old Story Still True Today
"...of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna..." At every liturgy, at the end of every prayer service, the priest remembers the grandparents of Jesus, the parents of the Theotokos! If something like this is repeated long enough, we humans start experiencing it as the familiar...