St. Mary Orthodox Church

February 10, 2019 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

How can we know we are on the right track? Humility and love. It is simple, 'They will know we are Christians by our love.' But it must be humility and love in its most radical form extending even to our enemies, to those who abuse us and wish us harm, which is no small task.

January 27, 2019 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

In order to grow, we have to take the risk of changing the way we think and the way we live. And change, as we all know is often painful and unwelcome, but growth demands it. Change is the heart of what the word repentance means.

January 13, 2019 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Looking inwardly, the Gospel has rich meaning. For the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali are within all of us. There are parts of us that have been scattered, humbled, wounded, and abandoned, who have been cast out and forgotten. The Lord would bring all of them, too, into the light of His loving embrace. This is the point of repentance, of course.

December 30, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

King Herod is not only an historic figure he is also a metaphor for a mind out of control, in other words, an impure mind. From impure minds come impure thoughts and from impure thoughts come suffering. We call it in Christian lingo sin. It boils down to this. Sin is anything that causes suffering in others or in ourselves. In the case of Herod his impure, out-of-control mind led to the massacre of innocent children.

December 25, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Tonight in the midst of holiday busy-ness, when the gifts are wrapped and the television is off, and the house is quiet , take some time to contemplate the mystery of the birth of the Son of God. Take a few deep breaths, let your mind take a rest from all its labors, and look deep into your heart. There you will find him knocking on the door. Tonight, why not open the door?

December 23, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

As the Lord Jesus, the Incarnate Christ, opened his heart to us, let us also open our hearts and in the same way love without limits or boundaries. For there are no walls that we do not ourselves create, no closed doors or windows that we do not ourselves fabricate.

November 25, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Do we understand? Live each moment with faith and thanksgiving. Every staircase, every blessing, every obstacle, every person, every task that appears before us is God’s will. If we accept it as such, then our will slides away and eternity appears in the disguise of daily life. God leads one tiny step at a time and life enfolds as a moment-by-moment pilgrimage led by God and filled with heart.

November 18, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

No matter how hard we try, we suffer. Sometimes it even seems like the more we try the more we suffer. Resistance is futile and resist we still do! Suffering is a part of life and to deny that is to miss a good portion of it.

November 11, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

The lawyer came to Jesus to put him to the test and then he found himself put to the test by Jesus. The Lord often did that. By answering a question with a question and following with a parable, Jesus sought to challenge and lead those he encountered to see God more clearly and discern more accurately their purpose in this world.

October 28, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Jesus encourages us not to hide our scars. He didn’t. Thomas recognizes Jesus by his scars and is invited to reach out and touch them. Jesus was not ashamed of his scars. Nor do we need to be. The saints we call confessors, those who suffered for Christ and who did not die, their wounds were badges of honor.

September 30, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

What makes the Golden Rule particularly Christian is when we hear the Lord’s unique emphasis. We are not only to be kind. We are to be kind as God is kind. We are not only to love. We are to love as Christ loves. That is, we are to love even if it means giving up our lives. This is what it means to be a disciple of Christ.

September 16, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

I like to speak about the transformation of the internal world for two reasons. First, so few do. And second because the only way to bring the light of Christ to the world is to become the light of Christ.

September 09, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

True Christianity is edgy and radical. The Cross, writes Paul, is scandalous. The world could not bear the presence of Christ for long. He was a threat to the status quo and he still is. That is why the Church is never more alive than when She is despised and rejected as he was – never more faithful and true to the Gospel than when She speaks truth to power.

August 19, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Without love, we are nothing, no matter how many laws we obey and how many good works we accomplish. Love is the spirit of the law and detachment that leads to emptiness is the wide open door to eternal life. Unless we are willing to empty ourselves, we will never understand these things.

August 12, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

We must know first of all that there is no unforgiveness in God. Unforgiveness is entirely a human thing. We decide to forgive or not to forgive. God always forgives for He is forgiveness itself. The Holy Trinity is an unfathomable ocean of compassion.

July 29, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Christ appeared in his divinity and Peter and the others saw Him and were enlightened. But Enlightenment is not a once and for all thing. It comes moment by moment. Keeping our eyes on Christ every moment, we live enlightened lives. It is a walk, a way of life, and a practice; for the mind likes to return to familiar things and retreat from the insecurity of moving into the unknown.

July 22, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

One thing we must not do is impose our own meaning on scripture. We must always be open to God's voice, ever receptive to being surprised, and to changing our minds. There are many layers of meaning, and, depending on the level of our emptiness, that is, our openness and willingness, we receive what we at any given time are capable of receiving. But there is more. Always more.

July 15, 2018 - by Teva Regule

As Christians, we are called to shine forth the Light of Christ in our own lives, illuminating the whole world with the love and compassion of our Lord. The Church gives us models to help guide us in this endeavor—the saints. They are human beings, recognized by the Church as witnesses to the Light of Christ in the world. This week, on July 20, we remember a modern saint—St. Maria of Paris (and those canonized with her)—to whom I would now like to draw our attention.

July 08, 2018 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

The problem is that most of us are not even aware that there is an interior life, that it can be observed, and that it can be transformed. Thus, we are disconnected from the spring of living water God has placed within us.

June 24, 2018 - by Fr. Seraphim Solof

If we are to carry on the work of the prophet John the Baptist who was above all the servant of God, we have to speak the Word of God and we have to point people to God, and the only way that we can do that is if we let Jesus increase and us decrease.

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