On the Sunday between Ascension and Pentecost, the Church commemorates the Sunday of the Holy Father of the 1st Ecumenical Council which was dedicated to the unity of the Church. Shortly before His crucifixion, Christ prayed for us to be one as the Trinity is one. If we are going to be like God, then we must be committed to unity, not just in the name we call ourselves, but in the way we think about God. We must be committed to the oneness of mind with the Church.

On the Sixth Sunday of Pascha, the Church recalls the healing of the man born blind. Known as the Sunday of the Blind Man, it is truly about faith. The Blind Man saw Christ as God with his heart. The Pharisees refused to see Christ as God, not because they eyes didn’t work, but because they thought it was easier to remain in their sins. Too often, we do no live as if we believe, like the Pharisees. The time has come for us to change our lives, and finally live the faith we claim.

Every few years the commemoration of the Myrrh Bearing Women and Mothers’ Day coincide, as they do this year. It offers us a great opportunity to honor the faith and courage of women in general, and mothers specifically. Without our mothers and grandmothers and their grandmothers, going back to Eve in the Garden, we would be lost in the darkness without God. Our faithful and courageous mothers help us find God, which is worthy of all honor. Thank you mothers!

Six days before Passover, Christ was greeted with such extraordinary love of a woman, that we today could not comprehend such actions. We struggle to love God enough to come to Church on Sunday. Holy and Great Week is our chance to show God our love by giving Him our time. We may not be able to give thousands of dollars for perfume to anoint His feet, but we can give our hearts. If we want to love like Mary, then we must love God with all we’ve got.

There are two types of people in the world. Those who are aware of their addiction, and those who are not aware of their addiction. We all suffer from addiction, but we don’t always realize it. For some, our addiction is food, or money and wealth, or it may be power and prestige. There is something in life that consumes us. We are all addicted to sin, and the only way to defeat our addiction is to go through detox. Great Lent is our detox, and the chance for us to make a drastic change to our sin.

Christ invites anyone who desires to enter heaven to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Him. Halfway through the Great Fast the Church reminds us of our goal and the victory of the Cross. The first step is wanting to be with Him in heaven. He offers it freely, but He also tells us up front that it won’t be easy. It requires the way of the Cross, a life of struggle and self-denial, but it is worth the grace and joy of heaven. Do you want to follow Christ into heaven? Then learn how to deny yourself through fasting, take up the cross of your struggle and follow Him all way to heaven.

On the Sunday of Orthodoxy the Church celebrates not just the restoration of portable icons of wood, but the truth of the Church. We celebrate the truth belief that Christ became a human to save us, and we celebrate that we worship Him in real physical communion. We do not just think about God, we live with Him. We do not just show our icons; we show ourselves as His icons for the world. The best part is, we invite others to come and see God, because we have seen Him.

As we enter our annual journey of the Great Fast, the Church calls us to the high calling of forgiveness, fasting, and almsgiving. How we forgive, how we fast, and how we use our wealth, are all part of our spiritual journey to heaven. If we desire heaven, then we will make these three elements a priority in our lives, especially during the Great Fast. Consider making a safe online donation.

A Bible Study on St Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, inspired by the Homilies of St John Chrysostom. This session was originally live stream Tuesday, February 22, 2022, in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

A Bible Study on St Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, inspired by the Homilies of St John Chrysostom. This session was originally live stream Tuesday, February 15, 2022, in Tarpon Springs, Florida.