REFLECTIONS

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

During Holy Week, Fr. Tom spoke about exploring our inner space — in contrast to the exploration of outer space — as the Artemis II was completing its mission around the moon that week. What is our inner space? How can we access our inner space? What do we find in our inner space? In Orthodox theology, the word nous is often used for what many in the Christian world use for soul or heart. Given that the Greek definitions that come up for nous are "eye of the soul" or the "min

When we look at the world around us, it's easy to feel like everything is splitting apart. Institutions we once trusted feel unsteady. Technology is changing faster than our hearts can keep up with. Even our own inner lives feel stretched thin, as if the familiar structures we relied on are cracking. I've felt a lot of this in my own life lately. Most days the pace of change is faster than I can absorb. Things I thought were stable have shifted. Routines I depended on have be

Recently I was blessed to spend three weeks with my Scottish granddaughters. Scotland is roughly 4,500 miles from Seattle and 8 hours ahead of us. It makes for difficult FaceTime and phone calls. The oldest is now 8½ so I've accepted the distance and relish the times I can be with them. The youngest, almost 2 years old, so loved "reading" books. She had her favorites and even if they were placed randomly on the bookshelf, she searched them out easily. The 5 year old still enj

Through the Great Fast we are seeking to be further enlightened by Christ's Gospel, asking that the Light of our Lord penetrate our hearts more deeply so that we can recognize Him clearly and serve Him more fervently. We are on a journey to become transfigured and changed through prayer, fasting and humility, by responding to God's calling to not only receive the light but to "become light"! During each Lenten pre-sanctified liturgy, the priest comes through the royal doors a

Do you know what a Champion Leader is? In the Old Testament, we find that a champion leader was one soldier that was sent out to represent the entire army. The other army would also send out their champion leader, and the two soldiers would battle instead of the whole armies. Obviously, the most famous example of this is David and Goliath. We all know the story of the youngest, runt of the family, David going out to fight the behemoth, giant Goliath. Many times in Scripture,

One of the things I love most about the Orthodox Liturgy is how full it is. We don't just sit and watch something happen, we step into it with our whole selves. Every sense is invited to participate: we see the icons and the saints standing with us, we hear the hymns and the Gospel proclaimed, we smell the incense rising like our prayers, we touch the sign of the Cross and the hand of our neighbor, and we taste the Body and Blood of Christ. Orthodoxy doesn't treat God as an i

The decision to follow Christ is filled with much joy and wonder. It is a decision that takes us on a journey through the rest of our life. This journey is filled with high points, low points and all areas in-between. The Bible and the Church provide us with plenty of wisdom and guidance in which to follow His path. Fear not, for the Lord is with you and gives you all you need. His light, given to you at Baptism, shines within you. Our relationship with God is much like marri

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.

"Fake it till you make it." It's a popular self-help phrase that encourages us to act like the person we want to become. Pretend you're confident, calm, or capable until eventually you actually feel that way. But at its core, it's about performing a version of ourselves we don't authentically possess: hiding real feelings, presenting a polished exterior, and pushing down our struggles as if everything is fine.

In a culture focused on pronouns, what if we focus instead on prepositions? I think as a follower of Jesus, I need to shift my prepositions; maybe you will feel the same way. If you are like me, then without realizing it, there are a lot of things that you want from other people. In fact, many of us build our identities and self-worth on what we can get from others. We often want others to make us feel good. This could be through praising us, being nice to us, doing what we w