Reflection on the commemoration of Saint Seraphim of Sarov
Today is the beginning of a period which the Typicon calls the “forefeast of lights,” and appropriately we begin this brief season with the celebration of Saint Seraphim…
Reflections in Christ
Reflection on the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord
In the services for today’s feast, Christ’s Circumcision is seen, first and foremost, as a sign of his divine humility, prefiguring the humiliation of his Passion. Though he is…
Reflection on the Leavetaking of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord
During these last hours of the year, many people settle on their resolutions for the new year. Though we may benefit from Dry January, losing weight, a new morning or evening routine…
Reflection on the commemoration of the Synaxis of the Theotokos; Righteous Joseph, James, and David
Today, the second day of the feast of the Nativity of Christ, we keep festival in honor of the Theotokos, the gate through whom the Divine and Eternal entered the world. The…
Reflection on the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord
Christ is born! Glorify him! May he who descended from heaven in order to ascend the Cross, who was laid in a manger to be our Food, who was borne in the arms of his Mother to…
Reflection on the Eve of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord
In some Orthodox traditions, a special fasting dinner, composed of 12 dishes, is served tonight, eaten by candlelight when the first star appears in the sky. That meal is…
Reflection on the commemoration of Daniel and the Three Holy Children
Two of the most beautiful hymns of praise in the Church’s service books are the brief song at the end of the seventh canticle of Matins (“Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers . . .”) and the eighth…
Remarks at the Gravesite - 40th Anniversary of Repose of Protopresbyter Alexander
Today we gather to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the exodus of one of the luminaries of the Orthodox Church in America, the departed servant of God the Very…
Homily for the Feast of Saint Herman of Alaska
On a day-to-day basis, we go through our earthly lives with a sense of control and purpose. We feel in charge of our fate, that our decisions matter, that we can determine our own present, our own…
Reflection on the commemoration of Saint Herman of Alaska
On this winter feast day, let us pray to our most venerable father Herman: O venerable father Herman of Alaska, wonderworker of America, heavenly patron and intercessor: we are sinful and unworthy of thy legacy…