~By Stephen Freeman, June 22, 2023 St. Peter describes us as a “royal priesthood.” “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…” (1 Peter 2:9) We live in a world metaphor and simile. That is to say, we might call someone a “king” or “priest,” but really only mean that
~Sermon Preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, February 11, 2007 There was a remarkable and fiery lay preacher who lived in France in the late nineteenth century by the name of Leon Bloy. He railed against the wholesale rejection of God in French society of his day and the complacency of the Christian believers who remained. His style was often offensive but it mirrored his intense spiritual life which was, to many, equally offensive.
Introduction: Praying to the reposed is a crucial element of the Christian faith. The life of a human being does not end with the dissolution of their earthly body and the separation of their soul from the body, but the person continues alive in spirit awaiting general resurrection: “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done
~By Father Stephen Freeman, June 26, 2023 Recent days and thoughts have brought me to the conclusion that what we require is not so much to see God, as to be seen by God. The most frightful words in all of Scripture are, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” To not be known, it seems to me, is tantamount to having never existed. The Christian quest to see God would be bizarre if it
~Fr. Andreas Agathokleous Every person’s history comprises various phases, some pleasant, others not so. When we reflect on them, it may be that we’d rather some of them hadn’t happened and that, if we were able, we’d alter them. And yet they all contribute to our spiritual development and maturity. They’ve all given us something without which we wouldn’t be who we are and wouldn’t have our own story. It’s been said that our life
~Sermon Preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, November 18, 2007 Luke 12:16-21 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ! There is a misconception that the Christian life is supposed to be miserable. Why, if that is not true, would the Church ask us to fast, to sacrifice and to deny ourselves the pleasures and goods of this life? But
On February 10, the Greek Orthodox Church commemorates the Feast Day of Agios Haralambos. Saint Haralambos guarded his people much as a shepherd would guard his flock, therefore, he is considered to be the protector of shepherds and their flocks. This great saint, Haralambos, was a bishop in Magnesia who suffered for Christ in his 113th year. When a terrible persecution began during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus, the elderly Haralambos did not hide from
~By Father Stephen Freeman, June 30, 2023 Beloved, we are children of God, and it doesn’t yet appear what we shall be. But we know, that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1John 3:2) You are dead, and your life is hid in Christ in God. (Col. 3:3) Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will save it. (Lk. 17:33)
Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, February 20, 2022 The question behind much of the great Karl Rahner’s work is this: “which do we love better: the little island of our own certainty or the ocean of incomprehensible mystery?” I find in the Parable of the Prodigal Son two essential ingredients in the recipe for grace. I have mentioned them before. They are Radical Acceptance and Unconditional Positive Regard. Who in Holy Scripture
~By Father Jeremy, February 6, 2019 Today, February 6th, we commemorate a man who has been hated in the West and revered as a great saint in the East. Some historians say he was second to St. John Chrysostom in influence on the Constantinopolitan throne. On the other hand, some scholars call him the “Father of the Great Schism.” As of January 2019, I am working on a thorough research project regarding the life of
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