“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another” (1 Thess 4:9)
What an inspiring day it was, the liturgy, the words of Father Thomas Hopko, the peaceful council and election, the joy bringing forward…
“The Lord hears me when I call to him.” (Prokeimenon, Monday Vespers)
This is it. It’s a crucial day on the calendar for our little Orthodox Church in America. I don’t have time to write much at all. It’s 5:20 am and at 6:00 am Andrew Boyd is driving Father…
“How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings…” (Luke 13:34)
This wistful hope that Jesus had for his people comes in the middle of a devastating indictment of those same people, “who stone the…
“Gideon said to the Angel, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us…
For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:48)
Our Lord expects a lot from the leaders of his Church. This is why the canonical tradition in the Orthodox Church is severe when it comes to…
“Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?”(Luke 12:42)
While Americans go to the polls today to elect a president, in the Orthodox Church in America we are also looking forward to next…
“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:7)
God’s love is personal. He knows us better than we know ourselves and he promises us an undending life that grows and flourishes long after our short and—for…
I’m finally getting back to the Chancellor’s Diary after a few days of being caught in the air travel chaos caused by Hurricane Sandy. But I’m writing from Ottawa because LaGuardia airport is still closed and I couldn’t get back to New York from Chicago, where I was attending a special event organized by St Vladimir’s Seminary.
[NOTE: In the original version of this article, it inadvertently referred to Fr. Pianovich as deceased. This has been corrected in this revised text, with apologies.]
“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses (martyron), commit…
“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church…” (Col 1:24)
There is something lacking in Christ? And Saint Paul is making up for it? How can this be?…
I am perplexed by the amount of sniping, arguing and fighting that goes on in churches. I have been on the giving and receiving end of church strife more than once, and also in the middle as a neutral mediator, and seen it devastate parishes, diocese and whole churches for years at a time—even…
Each of the evangelists gives us his own underlining of the teaching of Jesus, reflecting how they heard him and received his words. In Matthew, for example, the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-13) is immediately followed by a teaching on forgiveness, to emphasize that…
“…Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14)
The longer I am a priest the more I admire those faithful clergy and lay people who have served the church…
Today we celebrate the memory of Saint Luke. As Father Alexander Schmemann noted in For the Life of the World, Luke’s gospel begins and ends with joy. At Christ’s birth the angel says, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you news of great joy…” (Luke 2:10). And after the…
“They all look to their own interests, not the interests of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 2:21)
Tonight is the second of the presidential debates, being held in Long Island at Hofstra University, not that far from the Chancery in Syosset. So it’s a good occasion to reflect on…
I’ve been listening to Mark Twain’s Puddn’head Wilson on car trips lately. Each chapter heading has a witty Wilson proverb. Some of my favorites are these:
We all have to make choices many times a day. Today’s epistle and gospel let us look in on how Saint Paul and Jesus made a choice in a particular situation.
The disciples of Jesus had been away on their first “practice” mission by themselves, “going through the villages, preaching the gospel and…
Both the epistle and gospel today highlight the peace of Christ. In prison for his faith, St Paul nevertheless remains peaceful and joyful. He refuses to vilify even those who preach Christ out of rivalry with him because he sees the bigger picture of…
The ancient canons of the Church require that the bishops meet at least twice a year, in Spring and Autumn. Today the Holy Synod began its October meeting…
I arrived in Ottawa way too late last night and there are stacks of emails and phone calls this morning, so the Chancellor’s Diary will have to be very short today.
Yesterday afternoon, after the conclusion of the Diocese of the West Assembly, Archbishop Benjamin and his assistant Andrew…