The great and holy days of the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection are almost upon us. These few days between Palm Sunday and Holy Thursday are a time of anticipation, of keeping watch with the Lord, as He asked his disciples to do with Him in the garden. They failed at that task, but let [...]
We have come today to one of the high points in the liturgical year. The mystery of our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem brings with it the anticipation of all that is about to happen, and it also brings with it a kind of summary of all that has already happened. St Paul gives us [...]
Today we are celebrating one of the greatest mysteries of our faith, one without which we could not be saved: it is the mystery of the Word made flesh, the eternal Son of God becoming man for our salvation. This is at the very heart of Christianity, and one cannot be a Christian without believing [...]
Recently I received a penance in confession that sent me to a place in Scripture that is notoriously difficult to understand or properly interpret: the (in)famous Romans 7. I guess when I made my confession I must have sounded like him who said: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do [...]
I’ve explained in the past why it’s our “house custom” here at Mt Tabor to celebrate the feast of St Joseph on this day, so I don’t need to go into it all again. He is certainly worthy of it, and we sort of have to make reparation for the rest of the Byzantine churches [...]
Our awareness of sin is somewhat heightened during Lent, simply because we are called to pay more attention to repentance, and sin is that of which we repent. It’s not a popular topic, and it is one that some people even find irksome and annoying, and they wish it would just go away. I wish [...]
We’ve gone beyond the mid-point of Lent and so our attention is more and more focused on the great mysteries of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. Therefore we hear at the end of today’s Gospel (Mk. 9:17-31) Jesus’ own prediction of his approaching suffering and death. But there’s still a long way to go, [...]
Our Lent-Pascha issue of Gladsome Light, our monastery newsletter, is now available online. Click here or on the link in the sidebar. There are several articles that I hope will be of some use to you in your lenten efforts and your spiritual life in general. Let us know if you’d like to receive an [...]
That’s a rather dreary title, but this is a rather dreary time of year, at least spiritually seen. Outside, though, the wildflowers are making their appearance, the air is fresh with new things breaking the bud, and the earth is coming back to life (at least here in California). Everything is rich and bright and [...]
“Shine, Cross of the Lord, shine with the light of your grace upon the hearts of those who honor you. With love inspired by God we embrace you, O desire of all the world. Through you our tears of sorrow have been wiped away; we have been delivered from the snares of death… through you [...]
