In the Western Rite, we just entered Advent this past Sunday, Nov 30, the Feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew. In the Western tradition, Advent is a 'looking backward and forward' season. What does that mean? We look back at our Lord's birth in the manger of Bethlehem AND we look forward to His Second Coming at the end of the age. Both of these themes run through Advent in the Western liturgical tradition. Besides being a season of anticipation, it also remains one of penitence and fasting. Though not as intense as Great Lent, Advent still retains that more solemn tone with the violet vestments and altar hangings, the removal of the joyful Gloria in the Liturgy and the Alleluias in the Gradual (right before the Gospel) and the more solemn dismissal of 'Let us bless the Lord' at the end of the Liturgy. All of these help to remind us that this season of anticipation is also one of serious spiritual preparation and reflection.
Let us use this short season, only about 3 1/2 weeks this year, to faithfully prepare ourselves to celebrate the joyful feast of the Holy Nativity so that Christ may be born again in us, filling us with His eternal life and light.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Do not fear
The theme of my State of the Parish address at this year's Annual Parish Meeting came from the 12th chapter of St Luke's Gospel. In it our Lord says, "Do not fear." If we are honest with ourselves, as we should be, there are probably many things that we fear in this life: economic ruin, violence, the death of a loved one, etc... The list goes on. But living in fear gets us nowhere. It does not improve the situation, or even change it. Being fearful keeps us from truly living and is not what God wills. The only fear we should have is the fear of God; that being a truly healthy reverence and awe for Him, not a cowering in the corner because we are afraid of Him. The Lord desires that we not be in bondage to anything, including fear. As Saint Paul says,"If God be for us, who (or what in this case) can be against us?" Nothing shall seperate us from the love of God, not even our fear, unless of course we allow it to.
May God fill us with the grace of the Holy Spirit so that we have a healthy fear of Him and live for Him not bound by anything in this world, nor anything within ourselves.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
May God fill us with the grace of the Holy Spirit so that we have a healthy fear of Him and live for Him not bound by anything in this world, nor anything within ourselves.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Thanks be to God!
As one email to me from a group of pastors who had worked diligently for the passage of Proposition 8 said:
PRAISE GOD!
Enough said :)
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
PRAISE GOD!
Enough said :)
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Dwelling together in unity
"Behold now, what is so good or so pleasant as for brothers (and sisters) to dwell together in unity?" (Ps. 132:1)
This morning's Hierarchichal Divine Liturgy at St Steven's Serbian Orthodox Cathedral was an example of the above Psalm. Greeks, Russians, Serbians, Antiochians, and ...? praying and worshipping together. It is a great reminder of the shared Faith that we hold in common as Orthodox. Where else in this fragmented and divided world can those of various cultural and linguistic backgrounds come together as one? The answer is...only in the Church, the body of Christ. Our Lord came to unite all to Himself and to one another, not through some imaginary bond of good will or peace, but through His precious Body and Blood. This is mankind's only hope.
Let us continue to be peacemakers among all people and do what we can where we are, but let us remember that it is only in and through Christ that true unity is to be found and experienced.
May our Orthodox Church in this great country of America continue to work towards this unity and thus be a witness to the dying world around us of the unity to be found in the Church, and thus in Christ.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
This morning's Hierarchichal Divine Liturgy at St Steven's Serbian Orthodox Cathedral was an example of the above Psalm. Greeks, Russians, Serbians, Antiochians, and ...? praying and worshipping together. It is a great reminder of the shared Faith that we hold in common as Orthodox. Where else in this fragmented and divided world can those of various cultural and linguistic backgrounds come together as one? The answer is...only in the Church, the body of Christ. Our Lord came to unite all to Himself and to one another, not through some imaginary bond of good will or peace, but through His precious Body and Blood. This is mankind's only hope.
Let us continue to be peacemakers among all people and do what we can where we are, but let us remember that it is only in and through Christ that true unity is to be found and experienced.
May our Orthodox Church in this great country of America continue to work towards this unity and thus be a witness to the dying world around us of the unity to be found in the Church, and thus in Christ.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Wearing our faith in the public square
Today I read about a pharmacist in Virginia that has chosen to not sell contraceptives because of her faith. The article did not say that she was Roman Catholic, though she is following Church teaching, but many Catholics in the area are quite pleased by the decision. On the other hand, those who are pro-abortion, are naturally quite displeased. In Virginia, pharmacies are allowed to make these decisions to not offer certain products, though this is not the case in every state.
In the article, Pope Benedict is quoted as saying to Catholics, "we must all wear our faith in the public square." This is true for us Orthodox as well. On this particular issue the Orthodox Church is not as clear cut or dogmatic, don't get me wrong though, Orthodoxy does teach that bearing children is one of the purposes of marriage and abortion is a sin, we as Christians must bear witness to our faith in the 'public square'. Of course, this will bring criticism and scorn from some corners of our secularized society (big surprise), but this shouldn't keep us from taking a stand for what we believe.
God bless this pharmacist and the six other pharmacies around the country that have been certified as doing this by Pharmacists for Life International. May we all have the courage to take a stand for our convictions when the opportunity presents itself.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
In the article, Pope Benedict is quoted as saying to Catholics, "we must all wear our faith in the public square." This is true for us Orthodox as well. On this particular issue the Orthodox Church is not as clear cut or dogmatic, don't get me wrong though, Orthodoxy does teach that bearing children is one of the purposes of marriage and abortion is a sin, we as Christians must bear witness to our faith in the 'public square'. Of course, this will bring criticism and scorn from some corners of our secularized society (big surprise), but this shouldn't keep us from taking a stand for what we believe.
God bless this pharmacist and the six other pharmacies around the country that have been certified as doing this by Pharmacists for Life International. May we all have the courage to take a stand for our convictions when the opportunity presents itself.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Monday, October 13, 2008
Let us "reveal the secret"
The title of this posting may have caught your attention and generated your interest. Good! Let me explain.
Today I had a conversation with several homeschooling parents who are involved with the Cub Scout pack that Aidan has just become a part of (By the way, I was a Cub Scout as a kid and it is a wonderful thing for young boys to be involved in). During the course of our conversation, one Mom asked me what I did for a living. Once I told her that I was a pastor, she asked me at what church. When I said that we were Eastern Orthodox (sometimes this produces a puzzled response) she immediately knew about the Church because friends of hers were also Orthodox. She and another Mom were very positive about it and very interested in knowing more about Orthodoxy. That is not the purpose of this, though it is very encouraging to share with others about the Faith and the Church. A third Mom had never heard of the Orthodox Church and so I went through the usual litany of trying to describe to her what Orthodoxy is (Have you ever heard of the Greek or Russian Orthodox Church? etc...) She was still puzzled. Though she was positive in her reaction, it saddened me that for many American Christians (particularly of the Evangelical Protestant tradition as these ladies were) they have no idea about the Orthodox Church, and some, as in this case, have never heard of it.
What does this say about our witness on this continent? I don't think it says a whole lot, but reveals how 'hidden' we still are in this society. It used to be said that "Orthodoxy is the best kept secret in America". I haven't heard anybody say this lately, thank God, as I think more and more of us Orthodox Christians don't want that to be the case anymore. Let us all, on the other hand, 'reveal the secret' as God gives us opportunity to do so. The Orthodox Church must takes its rightful place among the other Christian traditions of this land so that it too may have a voice witnessing to the "Faith once delivered to the saints" that our country so badly needs to hear, and be transformed by. May we all continue to pray for the Church's emergence from obscurity in this great land of ours by doing our small part in witnessing to our ancient Faith and educating our fellow Americans about Orthodoxy's presence in this country.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Today I had a conversation with several homeschooling parents who are involved with the Cub Scout pack that Aidan has just become a part of (By the way, I was a Cub Scout as a kid and it is a wonderful thing for young boys to be involved in). During the course of our conversation, one Mom asked me what I did for a living. Once I told her that I was a pastor, she asked me at what church. When I said that we were Eastern Orthodox (sometimes this produces a puzzled response) she immediately knew about the Church because friends of hers were also Orthodox. She and another Mom were very positive about it and very interested in knowing more about Orthodoxy. That is not the purpose of this, though it is very encouraging to share with others about the Faith and the Church. A third Mom had never heard of the Orthodox Church and so I went through the usual litany of trying to describe to her what Orthodoxy is (Have you ever heard of the Greek or Russian Orthodox Church? etc...) She was still puzzled. Though she was positive in her reaction, it saddened me that for many American Christians (particularly of the Evangelical Protestant tradition as these ladies were) they have no idea about the Orthodox Church, and some, as in this case, have never heard of it.
What does this say about our witness on this continent? I don't think it says a whole lot, but reveals how 'hidden' we still are in this society. It used to be said that "Orthodoxy is the best kept secret in America". I haven't heard anybody say this lately, thank God, as I think more and more of us Orthodox Christians don't want that to be the case anymore. Let us all, on the other hand, 'reveal the secret' as God gives us opportunity to do so. The Orthodox Church must takes its rightful place among the other Christian traditions of this land so that it too may have a voice witnessing to the "Faith once delivered to the saints" that our country so badly needs to hear, and be transformed by. May we all continue to pray for the Church's emergence from obscurity in this great land of ours by doing our small part in witnessing to our ancient Faith and educating our fellow Americans about Orthodoxy's presence in this country.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The waning days of the Trinity Season
Here we are at the beginning of October. It is hard to believe, but time does appear to move quickly. There are 7 weeks left to the Trinity Season, the longest of the church's seasons. It began with the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity back in June and extends all the way until the first Sunday of Advent (Nov. 30th this year). Between now and the beginning of Advent, there may not appear to be a lot happening in the Church's cycle. But a closer look reveals that there are still some significant Feasts on the horizon in these final weeks of Trinitytide.
On the last Sunday of this month, we will celebrate the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. And soon thereafter, we will celebrate the ancient feast of All Saints (Nov. 1) and All Soul's (Nov. 2). And before this long season of the Church's year concludes, we will celebrate the Great Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos in the Temple (Nov. 21). So, these last 7 weeks do have highlights and important celebrations to be attentive to, not to mention attend when they come along. In some of the non-Orthodox churches, this time of the year is often called Ordinary Time, but my brothers and sisters in Christ, there is never a time in the Church's year that is ordinary, because our God is not ordinary.
May we spend these remaining weeks of the Church's year (the new Church year begins on the first Sunday of Advent), prayerfully entering in to the great mysteries of our Faith, worshipping and being united to our great God and Savior Jesus Christ who is anything but ordinary.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
On the last Sunday of this month, we will celebrate the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. And soon thereafter, we will celebrate the ancient feast of All Saints (Nov. 1) and All Soul's (Nov. 2). And before this long season of the Church's year concludes, we will celebrate the Great Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos in the Temple (Nov. 21). So, these last 7 weeks do have highlights and important celebrations to be attentive to, not to mention attend when they come along. In some of the non-Orthodox churches, this time of the year is often called Ordinary Time, but my brothers and sisters in Christ, there is never a time in the Church's year that is ordinary, because our God is not ordinary.
May we spend these remaining weeks of the Church's year (the new Church year begins on the first Sunday of Advent), prayerfully entering in to the great mysteries of our Faith, worshipping and being united to our great God and Savior Jesus Christ who is anything but ordinary.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Nativity of the Theotokos
I'm back! Finding time to blog is a challenge these days, but I hope to keep it going.
Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos. Besides our Lord, the only other saints whose Nativity we celebrate is that of the Theotokos and St John the Baptist (June 24). Celebrating our Lord's birth is obvious, but why the other two? To begin with, the Theotokos is the greatest of the saints and the model of humility and purity for all Christians. Because of her 'yes' to God at the Annunciation, she plays a pivotal role in salvation history. Without her co-operation with the will of God, the Incarnation could not have taken place. Ponder that for a moment. As Orthodox, we believe and teach that our Lord took His humanity from the Virgin Mary and thus she is crucial to the salvation of all humanity. Don't get me wrong, we worship the Holy Trinity alone because God is the author and finisher of our faith, but we venerate and honor His holy Mother who faithfully co-operated with the Divine Will in the redemption of the world. This is a mystery beyond our full comprehension. We celebrate the Nativity of St John the Forerunner because he is the greatest of the prophets, and the one divinely appointed to prepare the way for our Lord Jesus Christ. He too plays a pivotal part, though different from that of the Blessed Virgin, in salvation history. He is the herald that proclaimed, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" He also had the blessed honor of baptizing our Lord in the Jordan at the outset of His earthly ministry. Both the Theotokos and St John are critical to God's plan of salvation for the world and both hold a place of great honor in the Church. In the Eastern rite, for instance, the Holy Theotokos and St John are always on the iconostasis, while the other icons may be different, depending on the church you are in.
On this day let us therefore give thanks to Almighty God for the Blessed Virgin Mary who said 'yes' to Him and thus enabled the Word of God to enter into time and to take upon Himself our humanity in order to redeem and deify it, and to bring life to all the world.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos. Besides our Lord, the only other saints whose Nativity we celebrate is that of the Theotokos and St John the Baptist (June 24). Celebrating our Lord's birth is obvious, but why the other two? To begin with, the Theotokos is the greatest of the saints and the model of humility and purity for all Christians. Because of her 'yes' to God at the Annunciation, she plays a pivotal role in salvation history. Without her co-operation with the will of God, the Incarnation could not have taken place. Ponder that for a moment. As Orthodox, we believe and teach that our Lord took His humanity from the Virgin Mary and thus she is crucial to the salvation of all humanity. Don't get me wrong, we worship the Holy Trinity alone because God is the author and finisher of our faith, but we venerate and honor His holy Mother who faithfully co-operated with the Divine Will in the redemption of the world. This is a mystery beyond our full comprehension. We celebrate the Nativity of St John the Forerunner because he is the greatest of the prophets, and the one divinely appointed to prepare the way for our Lord Jesus Christ. He too plays a pivotal part, though different from that of the Blessed Virgin, in salvation history. He is the herald that proclaimed, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" He also had the blessed honor of baptizing our Lord in the Jordan at the outset of His earthly ministry. Both the Theotokos and St John are critical to God's plan of salvation for the world and both hold a place of great honor in the Church. In the Eastern rite, for instance, the Holy Theotokos and St John are always on the iconostasis, while the other icons may be different, depending on the church you are in.
On this day let us therefore give thanks to Almighty God for the Blessed Virgin Mary who said 'yes' to Him and thus enabled the Word of God to enter into time and to take upon Himself our humanity in order to redeem and deify it, and to bring life to all the world.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Good to be back!
Hello everyone. I was gone for the last week to Camp St Nicholas, the Diocese camping program for children ages 7-18. What a great ministry they are doing there! Several of the children from our parish went and had a great time. I also enjoyed the change of scenery, and was able to assist with the services, teach and preach at the Divine Liturgy, as well as serve both Daily Vespers and Orthros (Matins). This, of course, was in the Eastern rite, and I had to work a little bit harder than my brother priests there, but all went well. Thank God!
If you have children between the ages of 7 and 18, please look into sending them to camp next year. They will not be dissappointed, and neither will you. And let us never forget what our Lord said concerning them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." God bless them all!
Glory to God,
Fr Stephen
If you have children between the ages of 7 and 18, please look into sending them to camp next year. They will not be dissappointed, and neither will you. And let us never forget what our Lord said concerning them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." God bless them all!
Glory to God,
Fr Stephen
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The Sacrament of Holy Unction
In our Holy Orthodox Church, there are seven 'main' sacraments: baptism, chrismation, the eucharist, confession, matrimony, holy orders, and last but not least, holy unction. It is this last one, unction, which I would like to speak about. Holy unction is the sacrament of healing and is administered to any Orthodox person who is suffering from a physical ailment. Instruction for this comes from the epistle of St James where he says, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (5:14-15). Call to mind the miracles of healing by our Lord in the Gospels, and the subsequent healings that took place through the Apostles in the early church. God has always worked miracles of healing throughout history (there are many instancs of saints working various kinds of healings), and continues to do so today.
The ministry of healing continues in the Church today through the sacrament of holy unction which can be administered by a bishop or priest. If one is ill, please contact the parish priest to schedule a visit so he can administer this important sacrament. God loves the whole person, body and soul, and seeks to bring His wholeness and salvation to each one of us. Along with holy communion and confession, holy unction can be received whenever needed. Please afford yourself of this sacrament when it is needed.
"I anoint thee with oil, and I lay my hands upon thee, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; beseeching the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all thy pain and sickness of body, mind, or spirit being put to flight, the blessing of health may be restored unto thee. Amen." (Prayer during administration of Holy Unction; Western Rite Service Book).
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
The ministry of healing continues in the Church today through the sacrament of holy unction which can be administered by a bishop or priest. If one is ill, please contact the parish priest to schedule a visit so he can administer this important sacrament. God loves the whole person, body and soul, and seeks to bring His wholeness and salvation to each one of us. Along with holy communion and confession, holy unction can be received whenever needed. Please afford yourself of this sacrament when it is needed.
"I anoint thee with oil, and I lay my hands upon thee, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; beseeching the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all thy pain and sickness of body, mind, or spirit being put to flight, the blessing of health may be restored unto thee. Amen." (Prayer during administration of Holy Unction; Western Rite Service Book).
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The meaning behind the title for this blog
Some may be wondering why I chose the title I did for this blog. It came to mind when I originally considered doing this. Being a Western Rite parish in the Orthodox Church, we are part of the Eastern Church, celebrating a Western liturgy and following the Western Orthodox liturgical tradition. That being said, we look both towards the Eastern Church for our Orthodox doctrine and faith, and West for our liturgical tradition. Thus the name for this blog. Our Western Orthodox faith and practice is that of Ss. Patrick, Ambrose, Leo the Great, Jerome, Gregory the Great and many other Western saints who held to the "faith once delivered to the saints". Let us honor their memory by being faithful to this treasure that we have received and passing it on to future generations.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Independence Day
Happy Independence Day to all! As we celebrate our nation's birth this day, let us give thanks to God for the freedoms that we so greatly enjoy. We are so blessed to live in the United States. Let us never take our freedom for granted.
One of my interests or hobbies is early American history. I love to read about the founding of our country and the many individuals who are responsible for our republic. I have a particular interest in the Revolutionary War (the War for Independence) which continued on for another 7 years following the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It cost many their lives and homes to win the independence and freedom that we enjoy today. Let us honor those brave individuals and all who have followed in their footsteps since then by seeking to be courageous and standing up for what we hold dear and believe in.
Whatever you do on this day, spending it friends and family or going and doing some fun activity (watching fireworks?), take a moment to remember the great struggle that our newly established nation had to endure to take its place on the world stage, and those who were involved in that struggle. And thank Almighty God for all of it!
If you have a desire to learn more about our nation's founding, I recommend two marvelous books by David McCullough, an American historian, entitled John Adams (a Pulitzer prize winner) and 1776. These will take you right into the center of these great and historic events that we celebrate this day. And let me also recommend the newly released HBO miniseries John Adams (based on the book) which is wonderful! This will also give you a real-life experience of what it was like at that time in our history. I love it!
May God bless you this day, and may God continue to bless America, and let us pray that, even more importantly, that America may bless God.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
One of my interests or hobbies is early American history. I love to read about the founding of our country and the many individuals who are responsible for our republic. I have a particular interest in the Revolutionary War (the War for Independence) which continued on for another 7 years following the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It cost many their lives and homes to win the independence and freedom that we enjoy today. Let us honor those brave individuals and all who have followed in their footsteps since then by seeking to be courageous and standing up for what we hold dear and believe in.
Whatever you do on this day, spending it friends and family or going and doing some fun activity (watching fireworks?), take a moment to remember the great struggle that our newly established nation had to endure to take its place on the world stage, and those who were involved in that struggle. And thank Almighty God for all of it!
If you have a desire to learn more about our nation's founding, I recommend two marvelous books by David McCullough, an American historian, entitled John Adams (a Pulitzer prize winner) and 1776. These will take you right into the center of these great and historic events that we celebrate this day. And let me also recommend the newly released HBO miniseries John Adams (based on the book) which is wonderful! This will also give you a real-life experience of what it was like at that time in our history. I love it!
May God bless you this day, and may God continue to bless America, and let us pray that, even more importantly, that America may bless God.
To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen
Monday, June 30, 2008
A new venture
Hello everyone!
I have finally entered the world of blogging. A year ago, I probably couldn't have told you what a blog was. But how much can change in a year! I hope it will be of interest to anyone who views whatever I post, we'll see. My desire is to use this space to speak about things concerning our Orthodox Faith and Tradition. I pray that you may be blessed by what you see and read here.
To God be the glory in all things!
Fr Stephen
I have finally entered the world of blogging. A year ago, I probably couldn't have told you what a blog was. But how much can change in a year! I hope it will be of interest to anyone who views whatever I post, we'll see. My desire is to use this space to speak about things concerning our Orthodox Faith and Tradition. I pray that you may be blessed by what you see and read here.
To God be the glory in all things!
Fr Stephen
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