~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
~Sermon Preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, December 24, 2006 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ! St. Gregory of Nyssa writes that “even the pagans and the philosophers heard the thunder from Mt. Sinai.” From that dramatic and earth-shaking theophany came the Law, the Ten Commandments which were meant to curtail the barbarity of the people, to teach
~Father Stephen Freeman, August 15, 2023 There’s a part of us that is wired to be careful. It senses danger and hunkers down. It looks for danger. It can easily become the dominant mode of our life. Anxiety and depression, are among the most common noises of this internal warning system. When it comes to dominate, we see the world through fear-colored glasses. In the classical language of the Church, we describe such an experience by the voices
Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord, Sunday, August 6, 2023 In my reading this week I came across a wonderful quote perfect for a sermon today on the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. It is by Marcus Borg a Protestant biblical scholar with an academic perspective most Orthodox would avoid. No, I do not agree with everything he says, but in his teaching lie
~Father Stephen Freeman, June 20, 2018 God’s being and actions are one. This is essentially the teaching of the Church on the topic of the Divine Energies. When I read discussions about this – it seems to get lost in the twists and turns of medieval metaphysics or passes into the territory of seeing the “Uncreated Light.” Both approaches are unhelpful for me, and both obscure something that should be far more transparent. Some of
ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on May 29, 2022 Confronted by the inconvenient healing of the Blind Man the Pharisees employed a classic defense. Deflection. Notice how hard they tried to deflect attention from the healing. Look over here! Nothing to see over there! They attempted to undermine the veracity of the healing by trying to get the man to say he had not been born blind. Failing at
By Father Stephen Freeman, March 12, 2020 The Prodigal Son is said to have “come to himself” when he was feeding the pigs in a foreign land. Hungry, lonely, having wasted his inheritance, it is said that he envied the pigs for their food. But, what does it mean that he “came to himself?” This is one of the primary stories of repentance in the Scriptures, as well as a primary story of forgiveness and
Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, February 19, 2023 In view of the very familiar Judgment Sunday Gospel reading from Mt. 25 (and how very often we try to excuse ourselves from its plain message), I would like to offer what may be a slightly different perspective. I want to start with a thought-provoking quote from Fr. Richard Rohr about an unpleasant subject: hell. It is provocative, for sure, and yet, in view
Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, February 25, 2024 In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. One God. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever! I haven’t really preached since this past Christmas because of my illness so I’m going to give it a go today. We’ll see what happens! It’s interesting Metropolitan Saba is endearing himself to me quite a bit. He wrote a wonderful piece
Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, October 20, 2024 Today I would like to point out the parts of the Gospel reading that strike me as most important. I might surprise you. I do not believe that the wild and crazy happenings with the demons are the main point of the story at all. The main focus is Jesus who he is and what he does. Not even personified evil is a match
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