The Gospel reading the Holy Fathers have chosen for the Sunday before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which we will celebrate with the Divine Liturgy on Wednesday, is part of the dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisee Nicodemus, a member of the ruling body of the Sanhedrin whom we are told comes to Jesus “by night” as an ally and tells him, “We … [Read more...]
What Must I Do to Feel Alive?
In the search to feel alive and at peace with life and one another, contemporary post-modern digital culture has given rise to some strange contradictions. People are lonelier while having more and more digital “friends” on Facebook. At odds with and dissociated from our physical bodies, there is an increasing preoccupation with constructing a … [Read more...]
Can Someone Show Me the Light?
Ninety to nothing can happen when you are cruising 35 mph above the speed limit and suddenly notice flashing blue lights in your rear-view mirror gaining on you even faster. Or it can happen when, like Stephanie Clegg, you purchase a Marc Chagall painting from Southeby’s auction for $90K in 1994 only to be told it is worthless in 2022. In 2008, … [Read more...]
You Don’t See Me
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. Stephen were recently published on … [Read more...]
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