St. Mary Orthodox Church

November 17, 2024 - by Dn. James Wilcox

As Orthodox Christians living in a time when faithfulness to the Gospel and faithfulness to America are commonly seen as synonymous, I want to state this plainly: it is imperative we hold to the Church’s teaching on caring for others in need, as Christ asks of us. Do not forget the second greatest commandment, which is to love our neighbor inasmuch as we love ourselves. If we pay attention to the Saints of our church they describe the necessity of a deep and abiding love for all people, which leads us naturally to the experience of the greatest commandment, which is loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. The way to God is through the love of your neighbor.

November 10, 2024 - by Subdeacon JD Swartz

And just as the Cross – that great sign of love through suffering, even unto death – stands firm, we are called to love consistently; we are here to love and to be transformed into the image and likeness of the one God Who is perfect-love in Trinity. We are to enter into the ditch with the ones we find suffering and broken, even if they themselves do not see their pain and suffering, and we are to become co-sufferers in love, giving love without preference and without need of justification.

November 03, 2024 - by Fr. Timothy Ferguson

Lazarus is also real because you see him every day. You see him this morning on the corner with his cardboard sign and his cup. If you didn't, you might see them when you go home. If you miss them, look for them tomorrow. They're everywhere. Lazarus is in front of us all the time, and we always have the opportunity to minister to him as rational responsible human beings, who know that God's preferred option is for that man on that corner with that sign and that cup.

October 20, 2024 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

So often I hear remarks that almost seem to equate God and evil as if there is a really Good God and a really bad one and that they are fighting one another for ascendency, and we, if we are honest, have some doubts as to who will win. But this is not true. That is a form of gnostic dualism rejected by the Church. There is not a Good God and a bad one. There is only one and he is Good. And if we believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ we also believe that evil has been defeated. Sin, death, and the devil have gone down to defeat once and for all.

September 29, 2024 - by Subdeacon JD Swartz

There is no reciprocity to be sought in our relationships with others. Why do we love? Because people need to be loved. And our reward for this? Transformation – our ontological fulfillment – the Most High God will be able to recognize us as sons and daughters. May we leave here and be merciful, even as our Father is merciful.

September 15, 2024 - by Dn. James Wilcox

If the goal of the Christian life is union with God, we must first understand that God is truly found within. God is always ever-present. We simply need to discover this illuminating presence that is already there. Know that God suffers from no passions, and has no attachments. And therefore to find God in our inmost depths, we must learn to, likewise, to rid ourselves of our own attachments.

September 01, 2024 - by Dn. Jeff Smith

There is no problem in today’s gospel. It is simply Christ with his people and his beautiful reception. It is a new day as every day is a new day. Today is our new day to begin again, and again.

August 18, 2024 - by Dn. James Wilcox

The opening verse of today’s Gospel lesson tells us that Christ had compassion on the crowd. And some versions our Scriptures have this translated as 'He was moved inwardly with compassion for them.' And I love this translation because it asks us to consider… What does it mean to genuinely feel 'inward compassion' for our fellow human beings?

August 04, 2024 - by Subdeacon JD Swartz

It is easy to see humanity and Christ in those whom we love and yet so easy to miss in those we disagree with or even, God forbid, hate. In today’s Epistle, St Paul says to hate what is evil, but never who is evil – quite the opposite, actually - 'Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.'

July 28, 2024 - by Dimitri Newman

So then if we have at least the same belief as demons to recognize Christ, in our case to recognize Christ in other people, even people we are conditioned to be afraid of and hate, should we not do more than merely recognize? Is it enough to simply not fear or hate my neighbor because I recognize Christ in him? Then are we much better than demons?

July 21, 2024 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

At some point, as God wills and we are willing, the Holy Spirit will open our eyes and we will be able to see things as they really are in bright and living color. And we will begin to see as God sees and hear as God hears.

July 14, 2024 - by Dn. James Wilcox

Jesus tells us that we ARE God’s light, and that the light of God which exists within us forms the true 'city on a hill.' A city on a hill cannot be contained because the very light of the divine burns so brightly within. People of this nature are marked as blessed peacemakers, merciful, pure in heart, and in fact, children of the living God.

June 16, 2024 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

What is more, we learn here and in other places that the Lord's incomparable intimacy with his Father mirrors the intimacy the Holy Trinity desires to share with us - a real union, a radical communion far beyond anything we could ever hope for or imagine. The theophany of God as divine relationship includes us.

June 09, 2024 - by Dimitri Newman

If we, as St. Paul exhorts us, deal with others with mutual love, and labor fairly, we avoid being like the masters in today’s epistle. And if we should ever be confronted with our misuse of our fellow human, let us not react as they did, in anger, bringing accusations against those who call us out, but instead use it as a chance for repentance and bring our work life back in line towards the glory of God and not the lining of our own pockets. 

June 02, 2024 - by Dn. James Wilcox

And so, here is where the example of Jesus Christ in today’s Gospel passage can help us readjust our attitudes and open our hearts beyond the focus and satisfaction of our egos. Jesus drew no cultural boundaries. He boxed no one out. He had no ego to satisfy, and therefore had no use for religious rules which exclude others from the truth of who they are as children of God.

May 26, 2024 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

The Paralytic's healing did not come from the troubled water. It came from the One who stilled the troubled waters of the Galilee and walked on them as on dry land. It came from the One who turned ordinary water into sacred wine and then into his precious blood. The troubled waters of this world are changed by Christ into still and peaceful waters. These are the waters of baptism, rebirth, renewal and refreshment.

May 12, 2024 - by Dn. Jeff Smith

Have you ever noticed how before the explosion of Pentecost, everything is still quiet and hidden? Let me explain. We exist in a liminal time, an 'in-between' time. In between the poles of creation and the kingdom of heaven, and right now between the time of Pascha and Pentecost. 

April 29, 2024 - by Dn. James Wilcox

From the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus consistently told those to whom he ministered that God’s Kingdom is NOT of this world. Perhaps most striking is the moment Jesus was lead into the desert to be tempted by Satan following a 40-day period of fasting. After being lead to the top of a mountain, the adversary shows Him all the kingdoms of the world shining in their glory. And very slyly, Satan leans in and whispers to Jesus, I will give you all this….'if only you bow down and worship me.'

April 21, 2024 - by Dn. Jeff Smith

Last week, Father Anthony called us to exchange our broken brains for hearts that are transformed. This is exactly what St. Mary did. She recognized her own sickness and her need to be healed. She followed the path of humility, obedience, and grace. She went from being a monster, and an apparition, to Zosima’s inspiration.

April 18, 2024 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Interestingly, the last rung of the Divine Ladder is Love. That is why Jesus talked about Love so often and why I preach about it nearly every Sunday. God is Love, the inescapable power which accompanies us through all the steps of life and Love is also the endpoint of the eternal journey. All resistance to Love is sinful because it obscures the Truth. If Lent is about anything, it is about connecting more deeply with the Lord, with our neighbors and ourselves, not for ourselves alone, but for the life of the world.

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