REFLECTIONS

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

For many who struggle with fear, anxiety, a deep sense of unworthiness, or addictions of any sort, the voice of shame is certainly part of their narrative. For many, shame becomes an uninvited guest that takes over life! We have seen how shame makes people feel they are wrong, bad, or simply unworthy of love. According to Brené Brown, shame is basically the fear of being unlovable—it's the total opposite of owning our story and feeling worthy of being God's beloved child...

On that first glorious morning, as the myrrh-bearing women came to the tomb with heavy hearts and spices in hand, the angels confronted them with a question that echoes across the centuries to the ears of our heart today: "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!" (Luke 24:5-6) This question is not just for these women but rings loudly for us, today, right now. Identifying what is dead in our life is crucial. We often don't realize it, but we

Mary Magdalene ran with her companions to Jesus' tomb to complete the anointing of the body of their dear and beloved friend Jesus but hesitated, knowing there was a huge stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb. "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?" So often we hesitate not knowing who or how the huge stones that block our hearts will be rolled away. We must learn to want our stones rolled back so our heart can be exposed! Yes, rolling stones i

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

Before the Cross, the devil believed death was his greatest weapon. But Jesus reversed this order completely, opening the path to life...

Have you ever become ashamed or afraid when you've thought of praying for forgiveness? Asking for forgiveness is priceless.

As we draw near to the beginning of Lent, we're called to examine ourselves more deeply, to clear away what dims the light of Christ...

I had a brilliant, talented, creative friend, Jim, who got in an argument with his UW professor 40 years ago. He became enraged at the...

Well-Baby Check-Ups and Spiritual Health Most parents realize that keeping our babies healthy requires taking them to the pediatrician...

Presbytera Pat was in Baltimore with her sister, an accomplished violist and two other fantastic musicians who are part of Our Joyful Noise.

A big question that faces all of us is what should we do with our losses? Is there a way for that which is lost to be found? Can sadness...