PARISH VOICES

As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Apostles, we honor those ordinary men whose lives were forever transformed by an extraordinary encounter with Jesus Christ. Having come to know the risen Lord, they left behind everything to proclaim not merely a set of teachings, but a living relationship with the One who is "the way, the truth, and the life." Their witness reminds us that Christianity is far more than a philosophy or a private spirituality; it is an invitation to know,

Do you remember James Taylor's hit song from the nineties, "The Frozen Man"? The song was inspired by an article Taylor had read in National Geographic about the discovery of a frozen man, a New Englander who perished in the nineteenth century. There is a haunting moment in the song where the frozen man asks an angel of mercy whether he is alive or dead. The song ends with these words: "I know what it means to freeze to death; to lose a little life with every breath, to say

Commencement speeches come and go. Most of you don't remember what was said at your own graduation or you might remember the feeling of being sent. One chapter closes, another opens, and suddenly your life is your responsibility. Steve Jobs said at Stanford's 2005 commencement, that "the reality of our death is the most important tool for making decisions. Death strips away illusion, pride, fear, the need to impress, and leaves only what matters." It's a jarring thought, b

Whosoever is a devout lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful bright Festival. And whosoever is a grateful servant, let him joyously enter into the joy of his Lord. And if any be weary with fasting, let him now receive his reward. If any has toiled from the first hour, let him receive his just debt. If any came after the third, let him gratefully celebrate. If any arrived after the sixth, let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss. If any have delayed to the ninth

When you go to bed with a contented mind, recall the blessings and generous providence of God; be filled with holy thoughts and great joy. Then, while your body sleeps, your soul will keep watch; the closing of your eyes will bring you a true vision of God; your silence will be pregnant with sanctity, and in your sleep you will continue to glorify the God of all with the full strength of your soul. —St. Anthony the Great

As we stand at the threshold of Great Lent, we are invited into a story that feels strangely familiar. It's about a set of twins hanging out having a conversation in their mom's womb. The sister said to the brother, "I believe there is life after birth." Her brother protested vehemently, "No, no. This is all there is. This is a dark, warm and cozy place, and we have nothing else to do but to cling to the cord that feeds us." The sister insisted, "There must be something more.

I once read about scientists developing fabrics that can generate small amounts of electricity simply through movement and pressure. As two fibers rub together, energy is produced, power created through friction. It is a fascinating image, especially in our current moment, where friction seems to be everywhere in the air. In today's political and social climate, there is plenty of friction where voices are constantly clashing, where everyone accuses the other side of lying,

I am humbled that our Holy Orthodox Church clearly proclaims that God's great gift was not a philosophy, a code of ethics, or a new age way to look at life, but His gift was God Himself, Jesus Christ! One of the pearls in the book Daily Meditations and Prayers for the Christmas Advent Fast and Epiphany by Harakas and Coniaris is the following: Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. But where is Bethlehem? Did the Son of God come to be born in a tiny hamlet in far-away Palesti

On the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, we read the Gospel of St. Matthew 1:1-25, which traces the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. It's always a powerful thing when our Church reminds us that we come from a lineage that goes all the way back to Adam and Eve. As we celebrate Christmas, we need to be reminded where our roots are, where we're from, and who we are. The world is telling you so many things about who you need to be. We hear, "j

St. Paul challenges us to practice giving thanks to God, and our beloved St. Anthony's words implore us to have a peaceful and contented mind! We are called to filter the negative thoughts and to resist focusing on what is wrong with the world, what is broken in life, what needs fixing, and make time to cultivate a grateful heart. One way that helps cultivate a grateful heart is to recite the amazing prayers of the Akathist Hymn "Glory to God for All Things."

We've enjoyed the fall colors, and now the crisp air fills our surroundings. Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner. For many, it is a time to reflect on blessings and to celebrate life's gifts with warmth and joy of the holiday season. Yet, for others, Thanksgiving can be a hurtful reminder of absence, loss, or unmet expectations. Cultivating a grateful heart in these circumstances requires intentionality, perspective, and compassion, for oneself and for others.

Jesus talks to us about the seed. The seed is so powerful. When you look at it from the outside, it seems like nothing—just a little thing. But if you really knew the holiness of a seed! An entire forest exists within a seed. If you put an acorn in the ground with the right conditions, it will eventually give you not just a tree, but a whole oak grove. A tiny apple seed has the power to grow an entire orchard. One seed! This is what yielding a hundredfold looks like.

In one of our recent Gospel readings, Jesus tells us: "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me." (Mark 8:34). This is a radical statement! When we hear this, we sometimes think about the cross Jesus carried up that hill. We think about fasting, giving things up, enduring difficulties. And yes, this is part of taking up the cross, but the Church Fathers talk about a different kind of cross. Not just the external cross, but the dee

In the wake of this tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk and last week's shooting in Minneapolis at the Annunciation Catholic School, it is natural to search for answers and accountability. Yet as we watch politicians and others rush to blame one another, to claim moral superiority, or to assign guilt to certain groups, we fall into a familiar trap described by Fr. Meletios Webber: the mind's compulsive need to be right.

Happy New Year, everyone! Yes, I truly mean it—Happy New Year. On September 1st, the Church gives us the gift of a new beginning—the Ecclesiastical New Year. Unlike the turning of the calendar in January, this New Year is not about resolutions that fade after a few weeks. It's not about good intentions we rarely keep, diet plans, exercise goals, or career ambitions. This New Year is about reorienting our whole life toward Christ and His Kingdom. It is about resetting our

Today, heaven and earth are united in a holy mystery! Today we celebrate the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, her falling asleep in peace, her translation into life, and her continued intercession for the whole world! The Church, in her hymns, does not speak of the Theotokos as someone lost to the grave, but as the one who, having given birth to the Source of Life, has now been received into the fullness of that Life.

Our Holy Orthodox Church is such a blessing and light to the world, reminding us of what is important, navigating us towards reality, directing us to focus on things that are from God. Our church is constantly inviting us to make love our aim and to desire the spiritual gifts as we celebrate two life-changing feast days in August: the Transfiguration of our Lord on the 6th, and the Dormition of our Holy Mother of God, the Theotokos, on the 15th.

Jesus intentionally chose and invited these twelve Apostles to follow Him and they faithfully walked side by side with Christ during his earthly ministry. He chose simple, ordinary men to enlighten and change the course of the world. Indeed, they did. These followers of Christ left their familiar routine to follow the King of the Universe! The twelve Holy Apostles left their comfortable life to learn from the Master. Through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, they spre

Remember some of the games we played as kids, games like dodge ball, catch, football, tag, you're it, you got cooties, hide and seek? Yelling screaming, laughing and crying were all experienced in those games. When the game got out of hand we called each other names. Remember calling or being called the nerd, geek, stupid, freak, etc.? In the midst of all the name calling, all the hurt and fun of the games there was one universal accepted reality in that kid culture that ever

Jesus proclaimed 2000 years ago and says that same thing today to us: "We are to be baptized with water and we shall receive the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to Him." Jesus' final words at His holy Ascension should empower us to proclaim His Gospel, His truth, and to know that we will receive the power from the Holy Spirit to do His will. We are called to become His followers who will proclaim the truth that He is God, that He is the Light, that He is the door, th