The Orthodox Vine

The vineyard is your parish and your soul. How healthy is it? What's growing there? How are you caring for it? What fruit is it bearing? Because the Lord is coming back to his vineyard to get its fruit. Do we fear his coming or do we say Maranatha?

What is constantly demanding my attention? All of us have allowed something to take our hearts and minds away from God. But the Lord waits for us patiently. Respond to him while there is still time.

And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water." He said, "Come."

Problems, struggles, temptations are the very thing that can lead us closer to God, if we have the faith to step on them.

ou either live for fulfilling your desires or you live to fulfill the commandments of God. You either live for your body or for your soul. You either love only the world or the One who created it. One way leads to death and the other to life. So let us cultivate a self-sacrificial spirit that strives to love God and our neighbor by fulfilling his commandments. This is the only way our faith turns into action. Because faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Saint Herman of Alaska is a wonderful example of faith and love for God and his world.

Gospel Reading: Mark 2:1-12At that time, Jesus entered Capernaum and it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak thus? It is a blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-he said to the paralytic-"I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

We can only follow Christ completely if we have removed from ourselves all other attachments.

The story of the 10 lepers teaches us about physical and spiritual illness and healing and the power of calling upon the name of Jesus Christ.

Christ changes the nature of water when he was baptized, reclaiming it for our sanctification. In the same way, when we are baptized in Christ, our true identity is reclaimed and our purpose is revealed and we are called to fulfill it.