Sermon preached on Sunday, August 14, 2022 by Fr. Antony Hughes for the Feast of the Dormition A long time ago when my family left our Baptist church we ended up at the Presbyterian church just a few blocks away. It was there that I heard the first sermon about the Virgin Mary. It startled me. The pastor just as plain as day preached that there was nothing special about her. Any girl or woman
~By Stephen Freeman, August 9, 2022 Sir Walter Scott (1808) famously wrote: “O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” A modern pundit has rephrased it: “Always tell the truth…it’s easier to remember.” Lies inevitably create a web of false narratives. In many ways, it’s a metaphor for sin itself. Sin begets sin that begets sin and the web ensnares us into a world of un-truth. A single thread of
~Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, January 24, 2021 Around our Lord was an aura of welcome. “Come to Me,” he said. “Let the children come and do not hinder them,” he told his disciples. The Samaritan Woman came, Zacchaeus came, Jairus came on behalf of his daughter, the Syro-Phoenician Woman for her son, the lepers came for themselves. Even the Pharisees came albeit to challenge him, but in their challenge, I think, there was
Grigoris Sahinoglou The concept of priesthood exists in the Old Testament, though it has a significance and character that is different from that which it assumes in the New. In the Old Testament, before the time of Moses, every head of a family could offer sacrifices to God and there is no lack of instances where this happened, such as when Noah performed a sacrifice after the flood in gratitude to God for his survival
~By Father Stephen Freeman, August 18, 2021 Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of my father’s passing. I have felt the day approaching for a few weeks now. I have also been reflecting on why I feel it so poignantly. The truth is that we know a parent in a unique way, indeed, in a manner that differs even from that of our siblings. What we know is never really the person as they stand, fully themselves.
Metropolitan Panteleimon of Antinoes St. Panteleimon, the Great Doctor and Martyr, was born at the end of the 3rd century AD. His father, Eustrogios, was not only very rich but was well known for his zeal in idol worship; whereas his mother St. Euboule was a faithful Orthodox Christian full of Holy Spirit, love and kindness. Her only interest was to guide her only begotten son in the true faith and virtuous life. St. Panteleimon’s
Holy Virgin Martyr Paraskevi (Paraskevḗ) of Rome was the only daughter of Christian parents, Agathon and Politia, and from her early years she dedicated herself to God. She spent much of her time in prayer and the study of the Holy Scriptures. After the death of her parents Saint Paraskevi distributed all of her inheritance to the poor, and consecrated her virginity to Christ. Emulating the holy Apostles, she began to preach to the pagans
Saint Anna (also Ann or Anne, from Hebrew Hannahחַנָּה, meaning “favor” or “grace”) of David’s house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian Tradition. St Anna is the Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah. Mary’s mother is not named in the canonical gospels. Christian view: According to the Gospel of James, a document of the New Testament apocrypha, St Anna and her husband St
Metropolitan Athanasios of Lemessos Often when we go to sad events, we all say, with the best will in the world- and we’re partially right- that it’s God’s will. And, of course, if we can understand properly, those are, indeed, words of comfort, words that give us strength. Since it’s what God wants, since God decided this was to happen, we trust in his providence. But to be precise, these words aren’t strictly true. God
~Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, January 31, 2021 What we see today is a miracle of the highest order. Khalil Gibran defines this miracle in a line of poetry. “The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.” The soul of Zacchaeus was closed. Trapped in a prison built with iron bars. Born into a family of Jewish tax collectors he had no choice but to become one himself. That was
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