Reflections in Christ

Psalm 99

Extol the Lord our God; worship at His footstool, for it is holy! The Lord reigns…

One wonders sometimes about why the Gospel story of the healing of the paralytic was chosen for the Paschal season.  One understands why the stories of Thomas and…

Psalm 98

O sing to the Lord a new song,
 for he has done marvelous things!

(Psalm 98:1)

We as Orthodox are committed to upholding, defending and passing on the Tradition. Indeed, the words “new” and “innovation” are often used as warning labels. So it’s striking to me how often the scriptures speak of God doing something new.

St Jerome in commenting on this psalm says that what is most new in God’s work is His entry into history as the Savior, crucified and risen…

“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour” [Mark 15:33]. ...

Psalm 97: “When the Land was Restored”

Light dawns for the righteous,
 and joy for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous…

Saint Alexis Toth: Confessor and Defender of Orthodoxy in North America

I was at the canonization of Saint Alexis during Memorial Day weekend in 1994 at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery. Along with scores of priests taking…

Psalm 96

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice
(Psalm 96:11) ...

Saint Thomas, it seems, can never catch a break, at least in popular culture.  Our culture knows him as “doubting Thomas,” and one single and uncharacteristic lapse has forever labelled him as a doubter and made…

Christ is risen!

Recently, I posed a question to the faithful of our parish:  Is there life after Pascha?  Another question has formed in my mind this morning:  Is there Lent after…

In recent months I have come to the conclusion that the best place to appreciate the significance of Pascha is in a cancer ward, or a hospice for the dying, or by a deathbed.  When one stands in any of these…