St. Mary Orthodox Church

February 21, 2011 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

The story of the Prodigal Son reflects the same theme as that that of the Pharisee and Publican. The difference is that the character of the long-suffering and compassionate father and the intransigent elder son bring some deeper elements.

February 07, 2011 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Often when I read stories from Scripture like this one a bout the Canaanite Woman I wish we knew more about the characters. Who was this woman? We know that she was not Jewish. She was Syrian-Phoenician, a Canaanite. This, in fact, was the only time Jesus went outside of Jewish lands north of the Sea of Galilee into the Gentile district of Tyre and Sidon.

January 17, 2011 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

On the Feast of Theophany we celebrated the revelation of God as Trinity when Jesus the Son of God was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended visibly, and the Father spoke the immortal words, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

January 03, 2011 -

The Gospel according to St. Mark begins not with an infancy narrative like Matthew's and Mark's, but about thirty years after the Lord's birth with the story of the final Old Testament prophet. Isaiah prophesied that God's messenger would appear first and prepare the way for the Messiah. That messenger was John the Baptist.

December 25, 2010 -

There is a great contrast between King Herod and the Wise Men. Herod represents the power of this world, the grandeur and might of Rome, the heights to which we are taught by society to aspire to be successful on earth. The Wise Men are presented as gentle, kind and well ... wise. They were men of great learning and devotion. Wealthy, but generous. Powerful, but kind. Self-sufficient, yet humble.

December 20, 2010 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Genealogies don’t mean the same to us as they did for ancient peoples, so the first part of this morning’s reading may be tedious to modern ears. Most people will remember the list of strange names and forget the ending probably because a majority check out somewhere around “Amminadab” if not before. By the time we get to the story of Christmas at the end people are a little glassy-eyed. I actually look forward to it. I like this reading!

December 06, 2010 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

God reaches out to everyone personally. He knows what we need and how to meet our needs. We have no need to be afraid. God is always near. All He had to do was speak a few words in today’s Gospel and the woman was healed. God loves each of us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Every wound, manifest and secret, is known to Him.

November 21, 2010 -

We all know the story of Jesus’ first visit to the house of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus is invited to the house, Martha is busy doing what a good Middle Eastern hostess would do, she is serving mazza and, more than likely preparing a nice meal for their special guest. Her sister Mary is sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus listening to his words attentively.

November 15, 2010 -

When St. Paul preached on Mars hill introducing Athens to the God they called “unknown” he said, “He is not far from each one of us. In him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:27-28) Thus we swim in a veritable ocean of grace. God is in us and around us everywhere and in everything. How do we miss Him?

November 08, 2010 -

Last Friday, through the invitation of Ann Bezerides (thank you Ann), I had the opportunity to attend an extraordinary conference on Prison Ministry

October 10, 2010 -

Sermon Preached by Fr Antony Hughes on Sunday, October 10, 2010 The Reading is from Luke 7:11-16 At that time, Jesus went to a city called Nain

September 13, 2010 -

The Lord said, “No one has ascended into heaven, but he who has descended from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

September 06, 2010 -

There are two great commandments. Love God and love your neighbor. But we shouldn’t see them as two separate commands. To fulfill one is to fulfill the other. Not to fulfill one is not to fulfill the other. They are one and the same for us who follow Jesus Christ.

August 29, 2010 -

St. John knew who he was. Self-knowledge, say some of the Holy Fathers, is the greatest of all the spiritual gifts. He was the Forerunner, the last prophet of the coming Messiah, that is, of the Old Testament. Most of all he knew who he was not. He was not the Messiah.

July 26, 2010 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Jesus came to his disciples walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee at the fourth watch of the night. They had left him alone in the wilderness at his request and started across the sea in a boat.

June 27, 2010 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

But are we so different? I think not, for we all have to some degree forgotten or lost a conscious connection with the deepest truth about ourselves: the inherent dignity of being made in God’s image.

April 26, 2010 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Many people over the long span of history have been afraid of God. It was not at all clear that God loved his creation and cared for humanity for the large majority of people throughout history.

April 01, 2010 - by David Vermette

In our Gospel reading for the bridegroom matins last night, I noticed that the Evangelist St. John the Theologian says that although Jesus had done so many signs before the people of that generation, they did not believe in him. In this connection the Evangelist quotes the Prophet Isaiah, “He has blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts, and turn, and so that I should heal them.” St. John Chrysostom comments that this passage should not be taken to mean that God does not will all to be healed, or that he has reserved some for salvation and others for destruction arbitrarily, as some quite mistakenly have taught.

March 21, 2010 - Melissa Nassiff

Today is the fifth Sunday in Lent, the day we commemorate St. Mary Of Egypt. Since we focus on her every year toward the end of Lent, I’m sure most of you are familiar with her story, but to summarize it briefly, Mary’s early life was decidedly un-saintly.

March 08, 2010 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

This is the Sunday of the Adoration of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross, the mid-point of the spiritual journey we call Great Lent and a turning point in our Lenten effort. From this point on we begin to look intently to the Crucifixion of our Lord and embrace its power in our own lives as we continue to make our way to the Empty Tomb. Before this we were getting accustomed to the disciplines of Lent, settling in to a new rhythm of life.

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