Be Transfigured Ministries

A Bible Study on the Book of Romans based upon the homilies of St John Chrysostom in Tarpon Springs, Florida. This session originally LIVE STREAMED on Tuesday, April 21, 2020.

https://www.LiveANewLifeInChrist.org/romans

For the Feast of Palm Sunday, we welcome The King of Kings, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, not into the city, but into our hearts. This year because of the pandemic, we celebrate the Victorious Entrance of Christ by staying at home, rather than gathering a large crowd in the Church. This year our humble king is honored by being invited to enter our hearts and become our King.

On the Saturday of Lazarus, the day before Palm Sunday, the Church recalls the faith of Mary and Martha and the power of God. Their faith wasn’t perfect. In fact they had a moment of doubt when they said, “If only you had been here, our brother would not be dead.” When they witnessed the power of God, they believed more than ever. This year, our faith might have its moments of doubt, but by God’s power, and the love we show other by staying home, our faith will be resurrected. When we are allowed back to Church, our faith will be stronger than ever before. May our Holy Week Journey this year cause a resurrection of faith.

A Bible Study on the Book of Romans based upon the homilies of St John Chrysostom in Tarpon Springs, Florida. This session originally LIVE STREAMED on Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

https://www.LiveANewLifeInChrist.org/romans

On the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the Church calls us to service of our brothers and sisters. Instead of being preoccupied with our own position, we are called by Christ to the slave of all. This is only possible when we think beyond ourselves. As our society continues with social distancing and stay at home orders, and we continue to be forced to worship from home rather than in the Church, it is our turn to serve others by staying home. It is our turn to be the slave of all, for the good of society.

A Bible Study on the Book of Romans based upon the homilies of St John Chrysostom in Tarpon Springs, Florida. This session originally LIVE STREAMED on Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

https://www.LiveANewLifeInChrist.org/romans

On the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent, we hear the story of a man whose son was sick, and the Apostles were not able to heal him. Christ challenges him. “All things are possible to those who believe.” The father confesses his weakness, “I believe, help my unbelief.” His son was healed. When asked, Christ explained, “This kind can only go out through prayer and fasting.” In this current health crisis, we must increase our prayer and fasting, not to bargain with God, but to strengthen our faith, so that we can better understand His will for us.

During this unique season of Great Lent this year, because of the threat of the Coronavirus (COVID19), the Church has asked us to stay home. The Church has asked us to not come to Church during some of the most holy days of the year. This goes against our normal thinking, but for the good of our neighbors and society in general, we must stay away from the Church. Christ invites us, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” When we are obedient to our Church Fathers and leaders, we learn to sacrifice our will. Only after we learn to sacrifice our will, will be able to take up our cross. When we learn to be obedient to the Church, we learn to be obedient to God. Even Christ welcomed the cross because He loved us. When we sacrifice our will for God, we show our love for Him.

In times of crisis, our faith is not only challenged from within, it is challenged from others. While we normally encourage faithful to attend Church at difficult times, and to brings friends and relatives who need God’s healing, today we are encouraging faithful to remain home for the health and safety of others. For those who stay home, this does not mean they have lost their faith in God, nor does attending Church deny the truth of science. As Orthodox Christians, we welcome the partnership of faith and science. We believe God is all-powerful, AND that He has given us science as a gift to glorify Him. When we hold strong to this truth, others will witness our faith and be drawn to God because of our faith. This was the case with the healing of the paralytic found in Mark 2.1-12, and it can be the case with today’s health crisis.

A Bible Study on the Book of Romans based upon the homilies of St John Chrysostom in Tarpon Springs, Florida. This session originally LIVE STREAMED on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

https://www.LiveANewLifeInChrist.org/romans