After 38 years of invisibility in a well-travelled area of Jerusalem where people passed daily, Jesus noticed one particular man among the many “invalid, blind, lame and paralyzed” huddled in the five porticoes around the Sheep Gate. The action throughout the Gospel of John unfolds in the context of six Jewish feasts in Jerusalem, beginning with … [Read more...]
Who, me?
According to the Apostle Luke, Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican “to some who trusted firmly[1] in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.” [Lk 18:9] The contrast between the two offers some valuable lessons. The Pharisee’s starring role in the parable depends on Being on display in the theatre of his own … [Read more...]
Send That Annoying Foreigner Away!
Early in his ministry, Jesus sent the Apostles out two-by-two with instructions to “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” They were instructed to preach repentance saying “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand; heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast … [Read more...]
What Do You Want Me To Do For You?
"What do you want me to do for you?" is a simple question we often hear get asked by whoever we consult for the services or assistance they can offer. Then there's the magical version of the question which gets asked in the delightful stories we all know where the person who gets three wishes ends up having to use the last one to get rid of the … [Read more...]
The Value of a Single Leaf and the Oneness of All
Approaching the Theophany of the Lord, we are again before the intersection of time and eternity. In the Apolytikion for Epiphany we sing “At your baptism in the Jordan O Lord, the Worship of the Trinity was made manifest…” There is a story from II Kings, chapter 6 in which the prophet Elisha invites some people to go to the Jordan river and build … [Read more...]
OCN Created Icon: Why am I a Christian
Part 2 is a dialogue with Fr. Dn Stephen Muse on the Image of God in Man and how as we encounter one another in and through the Logos, Christ is the guest who becomes our host in an eternal dialogue of love. Available from https://www.etsy.com/listing/768128296/the-dia-logos-prayer-art-print-free … [Read more...]
Introducing Antiphon Journal
Antifon is an on-line journal published in Greece which presents very high quality literary, theological, philosophical, cultural essays, aesthetics, and poetry. It regularly features a variety of interviews and discussions relevant to contemporary culture in light of Orthodox understanding. Interviews with Fr. Dn Stephen were recently … [Read more...]
Destroy This Temple…
It has been some five months since we have willingly removed ourselves from worshipping in the temple of Holy Transfiguration Church at the request of our Bishops as part of the precautions taken in response to the COVID pandemic to limit the spread of the virus. I miss the worship life and fellowship we had before all this began. In addition, in … [Read more...]
Throwing Bricks At Jesus
In 7th grade, my friend Andy and I were looking down from the top of the football stadium seats as the 8th and 9th grade cheerleaders with their pompoms and clean white shirts were passing below. A split second before they disappeared into the stadium, I poured out part of the Coca-Cola in my hand and rushed back to sit down in the bleachers, … [Read more...]
The Most Important Question
What is the most important question of human existence? If we have not yet discovered this, then we can be assured that we are not very far along toward answering the question. My six-year-old grandson Collin suffers from severe asthma. When he heard that asthma was a condition that made people more vulnerable to the COVID virus he was worried. … [Read more...]
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