I am perplexed by the amount of sniping, arguing and fighting that goes on in churches. I have been on the giving and receiving end of church strife more than once, and also in the middle as a neutral mediator, and seen it devastate parishes, diocese and whole churches for years at a time—even…
Each of the evangelists gives us his own underlining of the teaching of Jesus, reflecting how they heard him and received his words. In Matthew, for example, the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-13) is immediately followed by a teaching on forgiveness, to emphasize that…
“…Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14)
The longer I am a priest the more I admire those faithful clergy and lay people who have served the church…
Today we celebrate the memory of Saint Luke. As Father Alexander Schmemann noted in For the Life of the World, Luke’s gospel begins and ends with joy. At Christ’s birth the angel says, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you news of great joy…” (Luke 2:10). And after the…
“They all look to their own interests, not the interests of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 2:21)
Tonight is the second of the presidential debates, being held in Long Island at Hofstra University, not that far from the Chancery in Syosset. So it’s a good occasion to reflect on…
I’ve been listening to Mark Twain’s Puddn’head Wilson on car trips lately. Each chapter heading has a witty Wilson proverb. Some of my favorites are these:
We all have to make choices many times a day. Today’s epistle and gospel let us look in on how Saint Paul and Jesus made a choice in a particular situation.
The disciples of Jesus had been away on their first “practice” mission by themselves, “going through the villages, preaching the gospel and…
Both the epistle and gospel today highlight the peace of Christ. In prison for his faith, St Paul nevertheless remains peaceful and joyful. He refuses to vilify even those who preach Christ out of rivalry with him because he sees the bigger picture of…
The ancient canons of the Church require that the bishops meet at least twice a year, in Spring and Autumn. Today the Holy Synod began its October meeting…
I arrived in Ottawa way too late last night and there are stacks of emails and phone calls this morning, so the Chancellor’s Diary will have to be very short today.
Yesterday afternoon, after the conclusion of the Diocese of the West Assembly, Archbishop Benjamin and his assistant Andrew…
“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard…” (Luke 7:22)
Blind faith is not Christian faith. John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was really the Messiah they had been waiting for. Instead of giving a Tinker Bell answer of “just believe,” Jesus takes the…
Today’s epistle is familiar as the reading at marriages,“ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her…” St Paul goes on to say that Christ’s desire for the church is that she would be purified of defects. Now, anyone who…
“The best laid schemes of Mice and Men oft go awry,” wrote Robert Burns. I had planned to get back to the Chancellor’s Diary properly today but events yesterday and a too-early flight to Denver today got in the way. I arrived a little while ago…
This has been a grueling week of meetings with the Metropolitan Council (which ended yesterday), and this morning I’m at St Vladimir’s Seminary to do a presentation with Dr Albert Rossi to seminarians on healthy boundaries, spiritual abuse and sexual misconduct. So again this will be a short entry for the Chancellor’s Diary.
The MC meeting…
Hello everyone,
This week I am heavily involved in the meetings of the Metropolitan Council, that go from morning till night today through Thursday. So I apologize in advance that postings to the “Chancellor’s Diary” will be spotty.
Today began with Divine Liturgy for the feast of Saint Sergius, patron of the Chancery chapel, served by Bishop…
When Jesus first spoke in his hometown synagogue at Nazareth the congregation was amazed at his wisdom, “and all spoke well of him.” But as they started to ruminate it didn’t take long for their admiration to turn to suspicion. “Just where did…
We usually think of mystery as something secret and hidden, but in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, which we begin reading today, mystery is a great and glorious wonder that is now uncovered and revealed. It is a “mystery” because it defies explanation…
“And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9)
At the very start of his public ministry, after being baptized by John, Jesus is led by the Spirit not to crowds and teaching and healing, but into the desert by himself, to…
Freedom in Christ, freedom in the Spirit, freedom from the “curse of the law”—Saint Paul is constantly emphasizing the freedom of the new Christian life. But this shouldn’t be confused with license to do whatever we want or freedom from constraints as many in Corinth…
Late yesterday afternoon, in Saint Sergius chapel on the eve of the Elevation of the Cross, Father Eric G Tosi was serving and at the end said a few words. He recalled walking through an airport wearing his cassock and cross, a woman rushed up to him, pointed at the cross…