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“Many that are first will be last, and the last first.”  This is what The Lord said to His disciples, but what does it mean? Before we answer this question, we must first ask ourselves: “What does it mean to be a good Christian?”  The answer may not be as simple as just be a good person and follow the rules.  We might think we have reserved a place in Heaven simply because we believe we haven’t done anything wrong.  Well, that’s not eno... Read More

How can we spread the word of God if we do not understand each other?  Fifty days after Passover, the Apostles were gathered together to celebrate the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, which at the time was a big harvest festival, the Festival of Weeks.  Then suddenly, during the celebration, a loud sound filled the room: “the rush of a mighty wind.”  And tongues of fire appeared and one lay on top of the head of each Apostle.  In that instant, the Holy Spirit gave Ap... Read More

It has been fifty days since we celebrated the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Feast of Pentecost today for us is the celebration of the Descent of the Holy Spirit to the Holy Apostles and the Church. We learn about the feast in chapter two of the Acts of the Apostles. The Holy Apostles were gathered together in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them as tongues of fire, but what were the Holy Apostles celebrating on Pentecost if... Read More

A few days ago, the Church celebrated the Great Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus, the day that Christ returned to His Heavenly Throne forty days after His Glorious Resurrection. I was blessed last year to visit the spot believed to be where Christ ascended which made a profound impression on my faith. In fact, on every stop during my pilgrimage to the Holy Lands last year, I was constantly reminded in a tangible way that we are united to God physically, not just spiritually... Read More

This Sunday is the Sixth Sunday after Pascha, the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  This week we remember and celebrate the day that St. Constantine gathered 318 Fathers of our Church in Nicaea in 325 A.D., to discuss the issues threatening the unity of the Church.  The biggest issue was the threat and heresy of Arianism.  Arius, a priest in Alexandria, began to speak against Jesus, claiming that He was not equal to God. Jesus was just His son, a less... Read More

There was a time, many years ago, when I was graduating from high school that I thought I knew everything about life. Then as I grew older, I realized that at 20 I thought I knew everything, then again at 30 and 40 I always figured, “NOW I know everything!” Now in my 50’s I’m realizing I still have much to learn. What I thought I knew when I was 20, 30, and 40, was just the beginning. I was blind to my own ignorance, and I am thankful to God that He has opened my eyes.... Read More

Sing Loud! In the Epistle reading this Sunday, we are again shown the power of God. Apostle Paul and Silas were traveling in Philippi, spreading the word of God, when they met a slave girl who had a “spirit of divination.” In Greek, before translation, she had pneuma pythonos, directly meaning the spirit of the python. The python was the symbol of the prophetesses at the oracle of Apollo at Delphi.  The slave girl followed Paul and Silas around, telling everyone that they we... Read More

Escape is not the solution The Samaritan woman in Sunday’s gospel, at first, was trying to escape from the difficulties in her life. But this time, when Jesus approached her, the Samaritan woman did not feel shame or try to hide the truth of her sins.  Instead, when Jesus revealed to her the details of her life, she was so excited to find out to who she was talking to. But why was she so excited? Because she was thirsty for the truth and for salvation. This is why Jesus started to... Read More

It is hard to imagine that just one year ago we reopened the Cathedral for public worship after being closed for nearly three months. Everything seemed strange that day, while at the same time being familiar. We were back in the Church, but life had changed due the pandemic. Looking back on that day, I recall the emotions I felt turning around during Divine Liturgy and blessing ACTUAL people rather than a camera. It was a good feeling. Today one year later, things are slowly getting back to n... Read More

During Holy Week we heard Pontius Pilate, when he had given Christ over to be crucified, say to the people, “Behold the Man,” (John 19.5) and they took and He was crucified, ultimately saving us from death. In this simple phrase, unknowingly Pilate offered each of us a solution and an example. Christ is THE Man, the perfect human example for us to live our life in sacrifice for each the salvation of others, and in total harmony with the will of God. Things are a bit different for ... Read More

Do you believe in miracles? The Apostle Peter traveled around the villages from Jerusalem and beyond, where the first Christian communities had formed. He supported them and provided spiritual guidance. When he visited Lydda, he met a paralyzed man named Aeneas.  Naturally, St. Peter felt compassion for him and sensing Aeneas’ faith, he said to him: “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” Aeneas immediately rose and was healed. Through the power of C... Read More

This Sunday we are celebrating the Second Sunday after Pascha.  We remember and celebrate the brave myrrh-bearing women.  The myrrh-bearing women we know of were the most Holy Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, Joanna the wife of Chouza the Commissioner of King Herod, Mary the wife of Cleopas, Salome the mother of the Apostles James and John, Mary and Martha the sisters of Lazarus, and Susanna.  These were very brave women.  They were with Jesus throughout His life.  They ... Read More

As Orthodox Christians we spent ten weeks preparing our souls for the Feast of Feasts we call Pascha, the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Week after week the Church asked us to consider a life of repentance, a life of prayer, a life of forgiveness, a life of sacrifice, a life of constant preparation to encounter Christ. Week after week, the Church invited us to rededicate our lives not only to thinking about Christ, but to living united to Him in communion with Him. All tha... Read More

A Mother’s Love   Happy Mother’s Day! In the gospel reading this Saturday, we are told the story of when Mary saw Jesus on the cross. John, one of Jesus’ disciples, took Mary, the mother of Jesus; her sister; Mary, the wife of Clopas; and Mary Magdalene to Jesus.  Jesus tells his mother “Here is your son,” referring to John.  And he tells John “Here is your mother,” referring to His mother.  At that moment, Jesus is telling them t... Read More

Only one week ago, we were sitting in the darkness when the Church invited us to “Come receive the Light! Δεῦτε λάβετε φῶς!” One by one, we lit our candles and the Cathedral was filled with the Light of Christ. As the night went on, again one by one, we went home carefully holding our lit candles to bring the Light into our home and bless our home. It seems like so long ago when we began our Grea... Read More

Today is Palm Sunday, the day the Church commemorates the Triumphant Entrance into Jerusalem of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. Today marks the beginning of His final journey for our salvation. Today He begins His final pilgrimage to Golgotha. The idea of pilgrimage is ancient as the first books of the Old Testament. Ever since God established His relationship with people, human beings have participated in spiritual pilgrimages. In the ancient world, people would travel days, even we... Read More

Saturday of Lazarus On this Saturday before Holy week, we remember the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus.  When Lazarus was very ill, his sisters Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus, hoping that He would come quickly to heal His close friend, Lazarus. But Jesus waited two days before beginning His journey and then said to His disciples, “Let us go into Judea that I might awake My friend who sleepeth.” His disciples did not know that Lazarus had already passed away, and t... Read More

The Tradition of Making Lazarakia We make Lazarakia, or little Lazarus breads, to honor the miracle of resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  It is a tradition that began in Cyprus because after his resurrection, Lazarus traveled to Cyprus and became the first bishop there.  These little Lenten breads, or cookies, are made in the shape of a man with his arms crossed and eyes decorated with cloves, to look like Lazarus wrapped in his funeral shroud.  Some Lazarakia... Read More

Today is the final Sunday of Great Lent, and the Church continues to teach us about Christian humility within the proper context. As Christ was preparing His Disciples to understand what was soon about to happen in Jerusalem, rather than acknowledging the great blessing they were receiving, they could only think about themselves. The Disciples had just been told, in clear concise language, that Jesus was the Son of Man, that He was going to be betrayed, judged, mocked, beaten, condemned, kil... Read More

On the fifth Sunday in Lent we remember Saint Mary of Egypt. She was a sinner, publicly known, a temptation and a scandal to men. One day she came to a church and she felt that she couldn’t enter it.  There was some miraculous force that was preventing her from entering.  She realized that it was all her sins that were keeping her out. This was her wake-up call. All her past was darkness, and she knew only one way to get out of it. She needed to shake off all the evil and to ... Read More

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, by God’s Grace, I am very happy and grateful to be welcomed back to St. Nicholas Cathedral. This pandemic has changed our lives.  It has kept us physically away from each other and away from the Church.  It has made it difficult for us to participate in the Divine Liturgy and receive Holy Communion. We missed a year of celebrations together, including Pascha, Christmas, and Holy Epiphany.  But spiritually and mentally, I believe... Read More

As we get closer and closer to Pascha, the Church recalls the story of the man who brought his son to Jesus to be healed because nobody else could help him. Even the disciples could not help him. He had nowhere else to go so he came to Jesus, “Teacher, I brought you my son who has a mute spirit.” (Mark 9.17) The father explained everything, how the demon would torture his son, how his son would so often come very close to death, and even how the disciples could not cast out the de... Read More

Saturday's Gospel from Mark starts with the words, "At that time, Jesus returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of Dekapolis" (Mark 7:31). It is absolutely fascinating that Mark includes such precise geographic detail from the Holy Land. When I was in the Holy Land for the Senior Holy Cross Seminarian trip, our Tour Guide pointed out that a trip or rather a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is like a Fifth Gospel. Such a pilgr... Read More

You can’t escape the topic of fasting during Great Lent. In fact, the topic can be quite stressful for many people in the Church. The conflict is understandable since everyone fasts in a different way during Great Lent, and some choose not to fast at all. From the outside looking in, it can seem as if the Church teachings are being either ignored all together, or at the very least altered to our individual desires. There must be some reason the Church emphasises fasting so much during G... Read More

Christ tells us that, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:13 and Mark 2:17). Throughout the Gospels, we see that Christ, as the True Physician of Souls & Bodies, does in fact call sinners to repentance, He calls those who are spiritually sick to work with Him so that He can make them spiritually well. In Luke 7:36-50, Christ accepts the repentance of the Sinful Wom... Read More

Here we are on the Second Sunday of Great Lent, and after spending weeks reminding us during the Triodion about our personal spiritual journey, and after reminding us of the truth of the Church last week on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, today the Church makes a bold statement. Salvation is a group effort. Today the Church brings us a beautiful understanding that when our personal spiritual commitment is aligned with each other as members of the Church, healing can take place. In today’s Gos... Read More

There are different types of prayer. There is communal prayer and private prayer. In Church we collectively pray together, this is communal prayer or prayer as a community in Christ. Then there is private prayer, which one does on his or her own. In Saturday's Gospel (Mark 1: 35-44) we learn about private prayer. It says at the beginning of Saturday's Gospel, "[a]t that time, Jesus rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed" (Mark 1:35). Through this incident o... Read More

Saturday’s Gospel Reading from Mark (2:23-28; 3:1-5) is the second time we see it over the past few months, the last time we read it on a Saturday was on January 23rd. The Gospel Readings are full of layers and layers of teaching, as we learn one teaching we uncover more. Last time we talked about that the eating by the Holy Apostles of the grains was actually a lawful act and not condemnable as it was permitted by the law of Moses. God allowed it so that the weary travelers would not d... Read More

In the Old Testament, God made an agreement – a Covenant – with His people. This First Covenant was given to Moses alone to the Hebrew People. With the Old Covenant, God would also agree to give the Hebrews the promised land if they would follow His Commandments and offer the Sacrifices. With the New Covenant, God Himself through His Incarnation as Jesus Christ, God promises us His Heavenly Kingdom if we follow His Commandments and participate in His Sacraments.  The Old Cov... Read More

As we continue our Triodion journey of preparing our mindset for Great Lent, the Church offers to us, Judgment Sunday. Today’s Gospel lesson, one of the more popular social justice lessons from the Holy Scriptures, reminds us that judgment is coming to everyone. That much we can all agree on, but what happens after the judgment might be another story. In the Gospel for today found in Matthew 25.31-46, we hear about the moment God will judge us. Sometimes we like to focus on the works l... Read More

On the grounds of the Great Church of Christ, Agia Sophia in Constantinople, there historically was a water fountain that had an inscription on it, Νίψον ἀνομήματα, μὴ μόναν ὄψιν. This fountain is no longer there, but the meaning remains. It is a very interesting statement because if you write it backwards in Greek, the words are the same and the meaning also remains the same: Wash your sins, not only your face. ... Read More

It is quite common for people today to use the expression “I have to be myself,” or “Be who you are!” These expressions are related to an ancient Greek saying “Γνώθι Σ’αυτον” which is translated as “Know Yourself!” If we are to get anywhere in life, we must first know who we are “on the inside” with all honesty. Then, and only then, can we progress toward our goals in life.... Read More

  I would like to draw our attention to the Poor Widow in Saturday’s Gospel Reading. Our Lord Jesus Christ pointed her out as the correct example to follow: a person with true love for God and for her neighbor. The poor widow who gave all that she had to the treasury for the poor! In giving all she had to the poor, it was as if she had given it to the Lord Himself (Matthew 25:40).  The treasury at the Temple was a public fund for charity and the poor widow had such love in h... Read More

Today we begin our annual great journey to Pascha. To send us off on the correct path for our salvation, the Church recalls the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee. If we are able to hear this parable with humility and an open mind, only then will the journey before us be of any value. The story should be familiar to us. One sinner and one supposedly religious man both go to Church. Both pray, but only one returns home justified. As the story reveals to us, it is only when we accept our... Read More

Saturday’s Gospel reading reveals to us one of these many aspects of prayer; which is that even after we have asked God repeatedly for something and for a long time and do not receive it, we must not lose our trust in God. We must undeterred continue to pray. We must trust that God will never abandon us, He tells us in John 14:18 that He will never leave us as orphans. If, in Saturday’s Gospel, the Widow received justice by essentially being annoying to the Unjust Judge, how much ... Read More

Among the seven Gospel readings of the Holy Unction service, which is celebrated here at St Nicholas on the first day of Great Lent (March 15 this year) and on Holy Wednesday each year as well as other days, we hear about the Canaanite Woman who begged for help from Christ. At first Christ ignored her, then His Disciples tried to get her to be sent away, and finally Christ Himself rebuffed her by saying, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.... Read More

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Faith is an indispensable part of our lives which we may overlook sometimes. When an infant takes his or her steps it is on faith that it can walk. Seeing those around walking believes that it is possible. When an army engages in war it is because they believe they can overcome or achieve their intended goal by engaging an enemy. Without faith, in what they want to achieve, they do not engage the enemy, they surrender. When Apostle Peter was commanded to walk on th... Read More

The Bible is filled with parables from the Lord, which He used to teach truth to His followers. Many times these parables began with the words, “For the kingdom of heaven is like…” and continues with simple stories of life that help us to understand what we can expect when we are judged by God. Today’s Gospel story is one such parable, so from the beginning we must prepare ourselves to hear about judgment. We don’t always like hearing about judgment, but when Ch... Read More

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Saturday's Gospel Reading of the Good Shepherd, from the Gospel of St. John, may have sounded familiar. It is the same Gospel Reading for the Feast of the Three Hierarches Great Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom and also for their independent feast days. Today is the Feast of St. Photios the Great, who is also a Great Saint and Hierarch, which is to say a Bishop, also like the Three Hierarc... Read More

Each year, the Church calendar repeats itself. Each year, the Church reads (if you’re in Church every day) the entire New Testament, excluding the Book of Revelation, from cover-to-cover. Each year, the Church urges us on to a deeper relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Each year, we are expected to make a decision to welcome Him into our hearts. But what about welcoming Him into our homes? What would you do if Jesus came to your house this year? Each year, near the end ... Read More

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In Saturday's Gospel we hear our Lord, in the Holy Gospel-reading, telling his disciples that "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.”  The Holy Apostles became such prominent lights, glorious cities on a hill, giving their light to all who look upon their glory. After the passing of the Holy Apostles from this world, our Lord gave us more such glorious lights, such cities on a hill; brilliant lights which ... Read More

When Our Lord was met by the road by a blind man begging. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18.38) Over and over the man called out to Jesus for mercy. “Son of David, have mercy on me!” FINALLY, Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Luke 18.41) The man only wanted to be able to see. “Receive your sight, your faith has made you well.” (Luke 18.42) The miracle isn’t the only important thing to hear in this Gospel st... Read More

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In the Law of Moses, it was permissible for travelers to take fruit or wheat from vineyards or fields but only what they could eat and they could not take more with them (Deut. 23:24,25). This was because most travel those days was done on foot and this would be a gift that the people would offer to any traveler or passersby. God, through Moses, ensured that the weary travelers, would not die from starvation. So, in the case of the holy Apostles in Saturd... Read More

When our Lord was passing through a village one day, He was met by ten lepers who were standing at a distance. When He heard them begging for mercy, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” (Luke 17.14) As they were on their way to the priests, they discovered they had been healed by Christ. One of the men, a foreigner, immediately turned back to Christ and worshipped and glorified Him. The others continued on their way, causing Christ to ask, “Where are the nine?&rdqu... Read More

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It is interesting to note that Saturday’s Gospel Reading (John 21:14-25) is mistranslated. What the Greek actually says is the following: At that time, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead, and he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him "Yes, Lord; you know that I'm your friend." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he ... Read More

Last week, after months of preparations and weeks of negotiations with city and county officials, our parish once again celebrated the Feast of Lights, the Theophany of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Even in the midst of a pandemic when such celebrations were cancelled throughout the country, we came together, albeit much fewer of us, and prayed for God’s Light to shine upon the world. The eyes of the world were watching to see, not only if we followed the pandemic rules, but to watc... Read More

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In today's Gospel Reading the Devil attacks Christ directly as he know that Jesus of Nazareth was and is the Messiah. Plus, had the Devil gone with the intent to tempt Christ secretly, Christ being God incarnate, who had created all things including the devil before his fall from Heaven, would have looked right at the devil and the devil would have had no to place to hide. But with us, the devil and or his demons, comes in secret and uses deceit to tr... Read More

This week is the week that everyone focuses on improving something about life in the New Year. As clocks hit midnight all across the globe last week, good intentioned men and women rushed to confirm New Year resolutions. Of course many if not most if not all New Year resolutions end up in the garbage pail by the end of the first week of the New Year, but that didn’t stop millions across the globe for faithfully committing to improving their life this year. By no means am I against New... Read More

St. John the Baptist and Forerunner came out of the Wilderness of the Holy Land preaching that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. We should look at this prophetic statement carefully. He does not say that the Messiah or Christ is coming. He does not say that the King of Israel was born and has now reached the age of maturity (which at that time was considered roughly about 33 years of age). He says the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. In the Gospels the phrases Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heave... Read More