Sunday of the Last Judgment

The Gospel Reading for today’s Liturgy tells us about the event of the Last Judgment. This is not a parable, but a description of the events of the last day. Our Lord separates the righteous from the unrighteous. He calls those who have loved Him and believed in Him “sheep,” because sheep hear the voice of their shepherd and follow him. The unrighteous, He calls “goats,” because goats are not as docile and tend to do their own thing. We see an icon of this event on the ceiling of our beautiful church, towards the back of the nave. This icon serves as a helpful reminder of our own personal accountability before God for the decisions and choices we have made regarding Him and our neighbors during our lifetime.

To both the righteous and the unrighteous, Jesus uses the same criterion for judgment: Did we recognize in our neighbors the image of God and treat everyone during our life as if they were God Himself? The chief criterion for judgment will be our love for our fellow human beings. In short, did our hearts and minds become increasingly more like our Lord’s as we progressed in our lives? It’s interesting that both the righteous and the unrighteous were surprised by our Lord’s judgement. The righteous were surprised because throughout their lives, they were selfless and therefore did not keep track of their own good deeds but were sensitive and aware of the needs of others. In contrast, the unrighteous were completely unaware of the needs of those around them because their focus was selfishly on themselves. They were spiritually blind and did not truly know themselves. In this passage, Jesus clearly tells us how intimately He identifies with every human being. Their sufferings are His sufferings; their pain is His pain; and their needs are His needs. Is this also true for us? Our salvation is dependent upon identifying in self-sacrificial love with the human sufferings of those all around us. We cannot say that we love God AND be indifferent to our fellow human beings.

SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON

Today’s Gospel is the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This story beautifully describes the entireprocess of sin, repentance and forgiveness.

Sin & Its ResultsThe younger son, representing us all, considers his father (God) dead and asks for his inheritance. This is essentially the root cause of all sin—considering ourselves over God for whatever reason. He then leaves his father, his family (the Church), his homeland (Christian heritage), and departsto a foreign land. This “foreign land” represents a distorted human existence. In this foreign land, the son becomes “lost,” meaning he squanders his God-given gifts, his purity, his understanding, his spiritual health and his connection to his spiritual family. Apart from God and godly illumination, the younger son becomes spiritually blind and subjects himself to the false and distorted guidance of the devil and his demons. This is described in the parable as “attachment to a foreigner.” The result of these sinful decisions is that the youngerson becomes almost spiritually unrecognizable. He is poor, alone, naked, filthy, disfigured, starving, miserable, homeless, and wallowing in the mud, refuse and everything unclean.

Repentance Part One: Coming to Oneself & RemembranceIn this fallen condition, the younger son comes to himself, meaning his true self rather than his distorted self. The first step in this process is remembrance. He remembers his former Christian life: his father, his family, his homeland, and his former blessed state. The second step is to see his current sinfulness, his unworthy state, and his extreme loss. The third step is a desire to get “out of the mud,” separate himself from the “foreigner” and return to his father. The fourth step is to admit to himself his mistakes: “I have sinned; I am no longer worthy to be called Your son; treat me as one of Your hired servants.” The fifth step is to act, to actually move his feet and start walking toward his father and his homeland.

Repentance Part Two: Confession & ReconciliationThe moment the younger son sets out on the road home, we see that the father has been patiently and lovingly waiting this entire time. The father does not wait for the son to come to him with an “I told you so” attitude. Instead, he rushes to greet his son. Importantly, the loving father, always respecting his son’s free will, allows the lost son to exercise his freedom and to make his confession, articulating aloud words that correspond to his active return. Once the son has confessed, the father takes over. In acts of reconciliation, restoration andforgiveness, the father re-clothes his son in his own clean and restored baptismal garment (the robe), restores this repentant servant to sonship (the ring), grants His son grace-filled power to live again a righteous life with Him and all the Saints (shoes on his feet), and grants his son full communion in his household and throws a celebratory party with the Eucharist as the entree (the fatted calf).

The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

Today, marks the beginning of a very special liturgical season called the Triodion. The Triodion is a book of worship Services we use beginning today, extending through Great Lent, and ending with Holy Week. Some of the most beautiful and meaningful themes, hymns and readings are in these sublime Services of the Triodion. For example, today and the next three Sundays present to us a segment of our liturgical calendar known as the Pre-Lenten Sundays. The Holy Fathers of our Orthodox Church chose four specific Gospel readings to convey very special themes they thought essential to prepare us for our Lenten Journey.

Today, in the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee, we see the pride and judgment of the Pharisee starkly contrasted with the humility and repentance of the Publican (tax collector). The Church wants us to imitate the tax collector in his humility and his deep desire to turn away from sin and return to God. The religious leader (the Pharisee) enters the Temple, but leaves unchanged, still clinging to his sins and sinful mindset. On the other hand, the sinner (the tax collector) enters full of sins, but leaves a changed man, forgiven of his sins and reconciled to God.

Why? Because of two main reasons: First, he honestly examined himself and saw his sins; secondly, he humbled himself and confessed them to God, seeking Divine mercy and forgiveness through sincere repentance. The Publican shows us the Christian way. We also have the opportunity to self-examine, see our sins, and take advantage of the holy sacrament of Confession. This upcoming season of Great Lent is the perfect time to come to Confession and imitate the Publican (tax collector). We, like he, will leave the Christian Temple mercifully forgiven and reconciled to our Lord Jesus Christ, filled with a peace that surpasses all comprehension.

Sunday January 25, 2026

Today, we read about Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, who abandoned everything in his former life to follow Jesus. As a chief tax collector, he was extremely rich, for Jewish tax collectors under Roman authority not only collected the required Roman taxes, but they charged their fellow countrymen even more than Rome demanded. As a boss of other tax collectors, Zacchaeus took an additional percentage of profits from those under him. Throughout Zacchaeus's career, he was guilty of stealing from and oppressing his fellow Jews. Maybe from a guilty conscience, but certainly through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, something deep inside Zacchaeus's heart awoke when he heard that Jesus was passing through his town of Jericho.

Despite the large crowd that surrounded Jesus and despite Zacchaeus's small stature, he had to see Jesus, to look upon this Man's face. This desire was so strong that left his tables and his other collectors and ran ahead of the crowd. It must have been something to see this expensively dressed man of authority and power running through the streets of Jericho without a care of how he looked. To double down on this, robes and all, Zacchaeus threw all caution and vainglory aside and climbed up a sycamore tree to peer over the crowds of onlookers and see the face of Christ. Of course, Jesus, the All-knowing God, foresaw this very event and intentionally came to Jericho specifically to encounter Zacchaeus, saying, “Make haste and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” Without any further information or catechism, Zacchaeus knew by the grace of God that he had met the One promised by the Old Testament prophets. He had been given the opportunity to host the Messiah in his home.

Instant conversion! When Zacchaeus looked upon the Face of God, he did not see judgment or condemnation; he saw unconditional love. He knew that he had reached a decisive crossroad of repentance that prompted him to say: “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.” Zacchaeus literally gave away all he had and became a disciple of Christ. All the riches of the world, all the power and authority of Rome became pale and insignificant when compared to the love, peace and forgiveness he now found in his heart. From this day forward, Zacchaeus used all his talents and time to serve the Lord. After the Lord's resurrection and Pentecost, Zacchaeus became the first bishop of Caesarea. The love and forgiveness he received from Jesus translated into the most beautiful expression of Christian Stewardship—the offering of his time, talents, and treasures in thanksgiving to God.

Sunday January 18, 2026

The Transformative Power of Thanksgiving to GodEvery time people think of God and offer Him thanks, they are praying. They are recognizing in part that God is the Giver of all good things (Js. 1:17). Furthermore, they are acknowledging that God has personally benefitted them. This very act of thanking God brings people into a closer personal relationship with Him. Gratitude also changes the person offering it. For the moment, it pushes aside all negativity and grumbling. Thanksgiving fills the human heart with joy and peace. It brings people back to their true selves, to a healthy state, and helps them see more clearly. Thanksgiving is both transformative and life-giving, for it moves people away from distorted self-consciousness, gets them “out of themselves,” and places their focus on their Creator and on their correct relationship with God's creation.

We can see this transformation play out in today's Gospel reading of the Ten Lepers. All ten are sick with leprosy—ostracized, disfigured, suffering, and doomed to a painful end. All ten cry out in desperation to Jesus, hoping to be physically and miraculously healed. Every leper receives his wish and is healed of their leprosy, but only one of the ten returns to Jesus in gratitude. Note St. Luke's description: He praised God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at Jesus's feet, giving Him thanks. The most important result of this more intimate interaction between Jesus and the grateful leper comes next. Jesus says to him, “Rise and go your way, your faith has made you well.”

What happens next can be easy to miss. Jesus commands the healed leper to rise to his feet and then forgives him of his sins! This is what is meant by “your faith has made you well.” All ten of the men had been physically healed, but only this one man, through his relationship with Jesus, was spiritually healed. How many of us in our own lives cry out to God in desperation for physical and temporal comforts! “God, make this sickness go away!” “God, give me this or that, or help me with this or that immediate want or desire!” Too often, our lives are oriented toward this side of life and this fallen world. We can sadly make God our temporal “errand boy” and forget about eternity. We can become so focused on our bodies, our comforts and pleasures that we forget about our souls and the ultimate spiritual disease of sin. If we were given even a momentary glimpse of the agony of hell, it would immediately wake us up to the ultimate truth that God and His power to forgive sins is the PEARL OF GREAT PRICE! Nothing else can compare to it.

Sunday January 11, 2026

In the past few days in our Church's liturgical calendar, Orthodox Christians worldwide have celebrated the life and role of St. John the Forerunner and Baptist and the baptism and beginning of Christ's ministry. At the beginning of each of these central figures' ministries, they both began with the exact same message: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Interestingly, the Greek verb metanoeite for “repent” that both John and Jesus used was in the continuous present tense. If we literally translated this verb into English, we would say “keep repenting and never stop.” The Christian life is characterized by continual repentance. This word, repent, means to change one's mind in the sense of turning away from sins and passions and turning back to God. Both St. John and our Lord Jesus centered their teaching on this act of continual conversion.

As Christians, we are commanded to never stop learning, never stop growing, never stop repenting, and to never stop striving toward Godlikeness and a deeper relationship with our loving Lord. Many in our Greek Orthodox churches come from families who have been Orthodox for centuries if not millennia. These often refer to themselves as “cradle Orthodox.” This is not an incorrect term, especially relative to those who have only recently become Orthodox without having been raised in this specific Faith Tradition. These, we often refer to as “converts.” Demographically, these different terms can be helpful, but too often, these terms can lead some Orthodox Christians to wrongly believe that the Christian Faith can be inherited rather than intentionally chosen. This false belief runs contrary to the preaching of both St. John and Jesus.

All human beings must decide for themselves whether they will become disciples of Christ. Each person has been given the freedom to believe, to exercise their faith in Jesus Christ, to repent, to convert, and to continually renew their commitment. For so-called “converts,” they are intentionally making the decision to join the Orthodox Church. For so-called “cradle Orthodox,” they still have the choice whether they will adopt the Faith of their parents and grandparents. Orthodox Christians from both camps are free at any time to stop repenting and to stop growing. Undoubtedly, our churches contain people who have sadly stopped growing, learning, and repenting. The decision rests with each one of us: Will we deny ourselves, take up our Cross and follow Jesus, or will we put ourselves in neutral and try and find a comfortable place somewhere on the Cross?

Sunday January 4, 2026

Theophany means the appearance or manifestation of God. Our Church uses another word, Epiphany, for this same feast. Epiphany simply means appearance or manifestation. This Feast commemorates Jesus's baptism in the Jordan by St. John the Baptist. During this event, the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity reveal themselves to the world. As Jesus is emerging from underneath the waters of baptism, the Holy Spirit descends from the heavens and alights on Jesus in the likeness of a dove. The voice of the Father is heard, saying, “This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased.” Of course, Jesus is revealed as the Son of God by the voice of the Father and the indication of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not need baptism, for He neither sinned and therefore did not require any cleansing nor did He need rebirth or illumination. Our Lord explains that He came to St. John to be baptized in order to “fulfill all righteousness” and provide for us the example of our own need for baptism.  

On the Feast of Theophany, in addition to the Divine Liturgy, we also celebrate the Great Blessing of the Waters. The essence of this Service is to make a present reality what Christ accomplished some 2000 years ago. When Jesus, the Creator and God of the universe, entered the waters of the Jordan, He sanctified and blessed the river by His divine presence. The Jordan River was and is the source of life for that entire region. Sanctifying and blessing these waters with His divine and life-giving presence symbolizes the re-creation and renewal for the region and the entire cosmos that Christ's incarnation and presence in the world accomplished. This is why we make that blessing and sanctification a present reality in our lives today by asking the same Holy Spirit to bless and sanctify the water we offer in church. With the blessed Holy Water, we then are blessed. With this same Holy Water, we ask Fr. Theodore to come and bless our homes, our cars, and our businesses. We understand that Christ continues by His presence in our lives and in our world to renew us, renew all creation, and give to us the illumined ability to see our everyday life and the created world with a paradisiacal vision and perspective. 

Sunday December 28, 2025

Today we remember three members of Christ's family: St. Joseph, the Betrothed of the Theotokos, King David the Prophet, and St. James the Brother of God. St. Joseph is remembered today for his role in the life of both the Virgin Mary and of Jesus Christ. He was from the tribe of Judah and a descendant of King David. He lived in Nazareth and was a carpenter by trade. Joseph was a widower and had children from his first marriage: James, Justus, Jude, Simon, Esther, Martha, and Salome, who was the mother of the holy Apostles James and John. He was a righteous elder, who was chosen by God's will to be betrothed to the holy Virgin Mary as a care-taker, provider and protector. He fell asleep in the Lord before the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. St. Joseph provides the Church with a wonderful example of the saintly layman, not being a clergy or monastic.

We also remember the Prophet David the King. He also was from the tribe of Judah and was born in Bethlehem around 1085 B.C. As a shepherd, he prefigures Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd. He was anointed to become the second king of Israel after Saul. He became a “man after God's own heart” after his repentance from murder and adultery. King David proves that repentance far outweighs sin in the life of a human being. A great man of prayer, David was filled with the Holy Spirit and wrote the Book of Psalms, which has become the foundational prayer book of the Church. The Psalter not only expresses every state and emotion of the soul before God; it is also filled with prophecies of the coming of Christ.

Finally, we remember St. James, the Brother of God. He was one of the sons of St. Joseph the Betrothed, before Joseph was betrothed to the Virgin Mary. James had a special relationship with Jesus, travelling with Him into Egypt and later offering Jesus half of his own inheritance. For these reasons and others, he was given the title “Brother of God.” James later became the first bishop of Jerusalem, presided over the very first Apostolic Council in Jerusalem (Acts 15), wrote the Catholic Epistle bearing his name, and died a martyr at the hands of some impious Jews.

December 25, 2025

Sunday December 21, 2025

On this day, we read the Genealogy of Christ from the Gospel of Matthew. The Church wants to bring to our mind all the righteous who lived before Christ and connect them with our Lord's birth. While we may have heard Christ's genealogy read many times before, it is important to remember that each name is important and has its own story, history, and significance. Usually, Jewish genealogies only include men's names, but St. Matthew chose to intentionally include several women's names: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. Each one of these women is either a Gentile (non-Jew) or a person with a unique background. They are included in Christ's own family tree in order to show that He is not ashamed to identify with great sinners—even those who have committed serious sins like incest, adultery, and murder—and people from every nation and race.

Jesus's family tree reminds us that He did not come to judge the world, but to save it. As we listen to all the names in Jesus's family background and remember their stories and histories, let's remember that we have our own personal family genealogies. There are both positive and negative influences, whether through genetics or our family environment, that can have a profound effect on us if we are ignorant of these influences or allow them to master us. We should neither be ashamed of our family history nor let it unhealthily affect us or those who come after us. In every generation, God is with us, and we are free to make our own choices. Jesus entered into both the human race and a specific family with a unique history and changed it for the better by His life and His choices. We have a similar opportunity, with His help, to take the good from our own ancestors and to determine the future trajectory of our personal families by making godly choices that bring us closer to Him and positively influence the successive generations that come after us. With this understanding, let us celebrate our Lord's incarnation, as a real human being with a family and a history. Jesus is not ashamed of any of us. His birth proves that He embraces us, loves us, forgives us, and considers us His own children and vital members of His life and family.