Category: Uncategorized

In western Christianity, today is the feast of “All Saints.” However, in the east, we celebrate the unmercenaries, Cosmas and Damian. And, today’s reading is a nod to them. They were doctors who healed free of charge, hence their title,

To understand Jesus’s criticism in today’s reading, it helps to put it in context. In the previous verses, Jesus criticized the religious leaders of his day for being self-absorbed. Only outward appearances concerned them, and they used religion as a

Jesus’s harsh criticism of the religious leaders of his day is a wakeup call for us! They thought that religion was there to serve them. They used their power to get what they wanted and to puff themselves up. In

One of the secrets to understanding scripture is to realize that it’s not a weapon. It’s not meant for us to use against others: “Oh, look at how evil *those* people are!” Instead, it’s a tool for us to use

Recently, a friend e-mailed me and asked if Orthodox Christians believe that Mary was “perpetually a virgin.” The short answer is, yes! The long answer is a bit more complex. I’ve pasted my response below, which I hope you can

Sunday Before the Feast of the Holy Cross In today’s gospel reading, Jesus references an event that occurred after the Exodus (Numbers 21:5-8). The Hebrews, having been freed from Egypt, now wander in the desert on their way to the

Great and Holy Pascha The scriptural readings on Pascha (Easter) present us with the mystery of Christ’s resurrection. During Matins, the resurrection is announced by means of an empty tomb, and when the women are told to go and announce

Has something ever happened to you that you thought was totally unfair? Have you ever gotten a traffic ticket or punished as a child and thought, “I didn’t deserve this”? Was someone else rewarded and praised for work that you

I came across a fascinating article on Psychology Today with the title of “How Therapy Works: What it Means to ‘Process an Issue’.”