When the Most High came down and confused the tongues, he divided the nations. But when he distributed the tongues of fire, he called all to unity; therefore with one voice we glorify the All-Holy Spirit. Kontakion of Pentecost (Saint Romanos the Melodist, 6th c.)
In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; and He will slay the reptile that is in the sea. (Isaiah 27:1)
We are in a constant battle with a “twisted serpent” whose sole aim…
And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” (Isaiah 25:9)
When I look at photos of the aged Metropolitan Leonty or of…
Isaiah 11:10-12:2
Genesis 7:11-8:3
Proverbs 10:1-22
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. (Proverbs 10:12)
Scripture is often the best commentary on Scripture. Take this verse from Proverbs. 1 Peter refers to this and puts it in the context of the Christian community living in light of the world to come, the…
“Wisdom has built her house…” (Proverbs 9:1)
All this week the readings from Genesis recount the story of Noah and the ark. For early Christians this was an obvious link to the Church as the ark of salvation, and in Roman catacombs this was a favorite…
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy,…
Now Cain talked with Abel his brother and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis…
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. (Proverbs 3:27)
This is a very practical rule to live by. Pretty simple. But we like to complicate things and find reasons why in any given situation we shouldn’t help out. This…
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. (Isaiah 2:11)
In the heyday of the Roman Empire brilliant generals were awarded the right to have a triumphal procession into Rome, something…
As the world watches Pope Francis begin his ministry as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the readings we have for our second day of Lent take us back to the most basic decisions. And it’s either/or, not both/and. “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the…
If we have neglected reading the Bible, then this first day of Great Lent is a good time to reestablish that discipline and follow the calendar readings. Over the next forty days they will take us through Isaiah, Genesis and Proverbs, and in that time we will find out again—if…
Wednesday and Friday in the week before Great Lent are what might be called practice days for the coming fast. The order of services is Lenten, the fast is strict and the daily readings are from the Old Testament. But it’s curious how joyful the very first reading is that…
The Gospel readings in this last week before Great Lent begins take us to the end of Lent, Holy Week and Gethsemane. This is a reminder that all our approaching Lenten fasting and services are meant to draw us deeper and deeper into the reality of Christ’s sacrificial love “on…
The epistle reading today is the entire letter of 2 John, and I don’t think you can find a better braiding of the Christian understanding of love and truth. As Archimandrite Kallistos (Ware) told a group of Saint Vladimir’s students in 1978 (interviewing him for one of the last issues of Concern…
Short entry today because I’m about to get into a car at 9:00 am with Metropolitan Tikhon and his assistant Roman Ostash to drive to Saint Tikhon’s Seminary for a meeting of the Board of Trustees.
But just as we are leaving I see that Ryan Platte, the OCA’s technical manager responsible for…
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
As we move towards Great Lent the gospel readings remind us that we are headed ultimately towards Holy Week and the events of Jesus’…
For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. (1John 3:20)
We have a rich set of readings as we prepare to enter Great Lent. The epistle talks about Christian self-sacrificial love, demonstrated in deeds, giving up our lives for the love of the brethren…
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 1:6)
Do you remember the WWJD phenomenon that swept the world of evangelical Christianity in the 1990’s? “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets were everywhere, abbreviated to WWJD. The phrase also came to be parodied and…
For in those days there will be tribulation. (Mark 13:19)
The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations. (2 Peter 2:9)
These words were written in the first century, but Christians in every century since then have speculated that their time was the worst of times,…
Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.
Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.
So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I…