Reflections in Christ

by Fr. Daniel C. Kovalak

The Chase

Cable TV offers us a wide variety of channels—filled with “nothing to watch!”  I often revert to the station that has the only news we can really use: The Weather Channel.  In addition to the local forecast, it features reports from folks they call “stormchasers.” The channel execs dispatch these fearless (?) employees into the heart of every storm,…

The Symphony of Lent

Having had the opportunity to sing an operetta with the local symphony orchestra, it’s remarkable to me how wonderfully our Orthodox liturgical progression from Pre-Lent to Lent to Holy Week to Pascha not only presents “the greatest story ever told,” but also resembles the performance of a musical masterpiece.

I recall how at one rehearsal the…

“Row, row, row your boat!”

Whenever we approach the Holy Sacraments of the Church, we are individually addressed and identified as “the servant of God.”  Perhaps seldom, however, do we seriously consider and reflect upon the nature and essence of our “service” to God that justifies such an esteemed appellation!

The primary definition of service, from the Latin servitium,…

“Help My Unbelief”

When Joseph first saw the mighty wonder, he thought he saw only a human child wrapped in swaddling clothes.  But from all that came to pass, he discovered the Child to be the True God Who grants the world great mercy!  [Vespers of the Prefeast of the Nativity]

Christmas tells the same wonderful story every year, the marvelous fulfillment of John…

Whose Gift List?

Preparations for the “holiday season” are already in full swing. And some of the colorful newspaper inserts suggest that, even though Thanksgiving is a few weeks away, the holiday gift-giving pressure’s on!

A study from ten years ago reported that the average person maintains some 200 relationships.  That’s a substantial number including various…

Itching Ears

In the course of our daily lives, we’re often faced with circumstances that require us to determine particular courses of action to solve problems.  When such decisions are not obvious, we usually seek the counsel of others who, we believe, have the knowledge and experience to help us make good and right decisions.

We seldom realize how often we…

(UN)Orthodox

If you look up the word “orthodox” in the dictionary, it says, “conforming to doctrines or practices that are held to be right or true by an authority, standard or tradition.”  (Orthodox with a capital “O” specifically refers to our Church.)  It’s good to occasionally remind ourselves of this meaning.

Now, one need not have a Ph.D. to realize that…

Cardinal Qualities

Lately I noticed an abundance of bird droppings on my Honda, not on the hood or roof but strangely on the side door panels. Finally one day, I caught the culprit in the act: a bright red cardinal that frequents a tree by my office.  I observed him perching on the side-door window ledge and, seeing his reflection in the rear-view mirror, proceeded to…

The Aftermath

It was the most memorable Passover ever! Invariably, each soul that had been touched in some way by the profound events of historic importance resumed “normal” life. The Gospels certainly relate the most important part of the story. Perhaps, we can speculate a bit on the rest as we consider the aftermath.

In and around the Jerusalem Temple, the…

Bringing good out of evil

“The inspired Prophet Habakkuk now stands with us in Holy Vigil.  He is like a shining angel, crying out with a piercing voice: ‘Today salvation has come to the world, for Christ is risen as All-Powerful!’” [Fourth Ode of the Paschal Kanon]

Just when our lenten efforts are beginning to bear some fruit, something always seems to happen that derails…

“Nice Try, Ralph!”

Among various news reports leading to the recent papal election, there was one in particular, widely reported, that caught my attention—because it was funny!

Apparently, as the cardinals were gathering on March 4 to prepare for their conclave, a man wearing a bishop’s cassock and black fedora, girded with a purple scarf and accompanied by an…

“An Ever-Present Absence” and “A Never-Absent Presence”

It was a Friday, about noontime, when I cranked up the computer to go on-line and check my e-mail.  I’ve become accustomed to getting a cup of coffee while the machine performs its various warm-up exercises until it finally gets to where I want it to be.  That’s what I did.  Returning with coffee in hand, I was intrigued by the bright red “breaking…

Mars Sounds Good

It’s awesome to consider that we mere human beings are capable of concocting, designing, funding, and engineering a complex machine that can be propelled 350 million miles into space, land on Mars, and send back photos!

Unfortunately, the photos aren’t that exciting. They basically show rocks, sand, dust, and now tire tracks – things that are…