August 23, 2012
Communal Healing and Personal Prayer
“And He healed many…“And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:34,35)
Chancellor’s Diary
by Fr. John Jillions
August 22, 2012
“Widen Your Hearts”
“Then you shall see and be radiant, your hearts shall thrill and be enlarged.” (Isaiah 60:5)
Saint Paul is gently—at this point—chiding the Corinthians for being self-preoccupied, like children. To mature as Christians they will need…
August 21, 2012
Ambassadors and Fishermen
In the verse just before the beginning of today’s epistle St Paul says, “the love of Christ controls us.” Paul’s decisions, big and small, are colored by his deep love for Christ. He consciously retools the way he looks out on the…
August 17, 2012
“The Cross of Collaboration”
Father Thomas Hopko has spoken about the “cross of collaboration.” It’s often a lot easier to do things by oneself or with a few trusted fellow workers. But much of life, in any organization, and especially the…
August 16, 2012
False Prophets
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24).
Jesus repeatedly warns his disciples about the seductive power of false prophets. These are…
August 15, 2012
Unseen Intercession
“For all these things we give thanks to Thee…for all things of which we know and of which we know not, whether manifest or unseen” (Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom)
I love that line in the marriage service that says, “…the prayers of…
August 14, 2012
Binding Heavy Burdens on Others
For most of this week the gospel comes from Matthew 23, Jesus’ terrible indictment of religious hypocrisy that we hear as well in Holy Week. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites…” He repeats this six times in a devastating rebuke to self-importance. This is…
August 10, 2012
The Scriptures and the Power of God
“You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22: 29)
Jesus repeatedly rebukes those we could call “authorized” teachers for their narrow approach to scripture and their refusal to acknowledge the sovereign power of God to…
August 9, 2012
- St Herman of Alaska
- 2 Corinthians 1:1-7
- Matthew 21:43-46
Feelings of Weakness and Superiority
I find the opening chapter of St Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians to be one of the most moving in his epistles (especially 1:1-11). He admits his feelings of distress, fear, despair and desire for comfort and encouragement. “For we were so…
August 8, 2012
Courage
στήκετε ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἀνδρίζεσθε (1 Corinthians 16:13)
“Stand firm in the faith, be courageous.” In 1995-2003 I lived in Cambridge, England. For the first part of that time I was studying at Tyndale House, a biblical research library,…
August 7, 2012
Jesus the Troublemaker
Jesus was a troublemaker for the religious leaders of his day. If he weren’t, he never would have attracted any attention. But repeatedly, as in today’s gospel, we find him butting heads with the designated authorities, the “chief priests [archiereis] and the elders…
August 3, 2012
Prophesying
“So, my brethren, earnestly desire to prophesy…” (1 Corinthians 14:39)
We commonly think of prophets as those especially gifted people who have insight into future events. This was certainly a feature of the Old Testament prophets. More commonly in both the Old and New Testaments,…
August 2, 2012
Great Leadership
“Whoever would be first among you must be your slave…” (Matthew 20:27)
Honesty is one of the features of the Gospels that I appreciate most in this age of spin. In today’s gospel, for example, we are given an embarrassing picture of ambitious apostles (and their cheering mother)…
July 31, 2012
Overcoming Contentiousness
“Again I say to you, if two or three agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matt 18:19-20). Given just how much contentiousness…
July 24, 2012
I am on vacation this week and will resume “The Chancellor’s Diary” on Tuesday, July 31st.
July 20, 2012
Prophet Elijah
“The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effect. Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently…” (James 5:17)
If you go back and read the accounts about Elijah in 1 Kings 17-19 it is striking how intense, fervent, bold and fearless he is in his fight (well,…
July 19, 2012
Mercy and Obedience
“Judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy; yet mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13)
Today we remember Saint Seraphim of Sarov. This was always a special day for me growing up, because it was the feastday of the little wooden…
July 18, 2012
Assembly in the Diocese of the South
I’m pressed for time this morning so please forgive me if this sounds rushed. It is. His Eminence, Archbishop Nikon is celebrating a hierarchical liturgy at 9:00 am and then there is a day of meetings that will spill into the evening. But I do want to give you some…
July 17, 2012
The Holy Synod’s Letter—in the Diocese of the South
Just one reflection for today.
I was invited a few months ago by Archbishop Nikon to join the clergy and laity of the Diocese of the South for their Assembly in Miami starting today (I arrived yesterday). A lot has changed since then. Earlier this month…
July 13, 2012
Stewards of the Mysteries of God
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor 4:1)
The story goes that when Fr Alexander Schmemann was close to death, two of his close friends and colleagues from St Vladimir’s Seminary asked him to bless the…