'El Fin' may be a common phrase to some avid movie watches. In general this team means that the movie is over. Now I'm not a big movie goer but I have found that the few movies that I have seen that end a movie with 'El Fin' pronounce not just the simple end to a story but a true conclusion, a purpose completed, a destination reached. Contrasted to movies that don't conclude with El Fin, such as blockbuster action movies that follow simple formulas (e.g. introduce good guy, reveal bad guy, good guy beats bad guy, good guy gets the girl and lives happily ever after), they tend to just end rather than come to a true finish. Although satisfying that everything wraps up with a nice bow on top, such movies rarely leave a lasting mark on us as compared to those that end with 'El Fin'.

There is a Greek word used by ancient philosophers, the Church fathers and throughout the scriptures that takes this concept even further. Telos (τέλος) describes the ultimate conclusion, fulfillment and completion of what the original and primary goal is of something. It is maximum strengthen 'El Fin'. We see the power of this word being used when Christ calls out on the cross that it is finished.

'And this word Telos is taken up in the final cry uttered by Christ on the Cross: "It is finished", telelestai (John 19:30). This is to be understood, not as a cry of resignation or despair, but as a cry of victory: It is completed, it is accomplished, it is fulfilled.' (The Orthodox Way)

If we step back and reflect about where our life is going we may find that we may be living like a simple action film, following a wordily formula of how we should live our lives: have fun childhood, get good education, have successful career, enjoy the fun of life, enjoy the golden years and die happy with as little suffering as possible. Now nothing here is bad in itself, and these are blessings from God for sure, but a life following such a script doesn't lead us towards our vocation as humans, it doesn't lead us to the telos of our life which is the life beyond with Christ for all eternity. Likewise, the lack of any doesn't hinder or limit us from living a fully Christian life oriented towards Christ's eternal kingdom. Listen to St. John Cassian beautifully articulate that anything other the being oriented towards God's love will ultimately pass away.

"All gifts have been given for reasons of temporal use and need and they will surely pass away at the end of the present life. Love, however, will never be cut off. It works in us and for us, and not simply in this life. For when the burden of physical need has been laid aside in the time to come Love will endure, more effectively, more excellently, forever unfailing, clinging to God with more fire and zeal through all the length of incorruption." St. John Cassian

So what does life look like to not following the script of the world but embodies the life of Christ? What does it mean to live daily being oriented towards our telos found in Christ and His Kingdom rather than just entertainment, status and pain avoidance? Below are a few humble reflection points to consider in 'rewriting' our daily 'script' to rebalance and reorient towards our telos in Christ.

• Wordly Work or Divine Work - Most of us work a 40 hour a work week, so we are accustom to working hard, working on a schedule, working when we don't feel like it and dedicating much of our life to work. The Divine Liturgy roughly translates to 'Godly work of the people' and we should ask ourselves if we are regularly doing 'God's work' each Sunday morning. Maybe we need to put in a bit of 'overtime' by coming to a Wednesday or Saturday night Vespers once a week. Is our vision for work to have a telos to be rich and avoid any financial concerns or is it to provide for ourselves so that we can live out our Christian life, doing the good work of God through worship and service?
• Entertainment or Prayer - Every day people watch one billion hours of YouTube videos a day and 500 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute! Movies, hobbies, shopping, games, sports, social media, etc. gives us an unending amount of entertainment. We are literally drowning in opportunities for fun every second of our life and we can easily think that the telos of life is to scoop up as many handfuls of fun to consumer. Yet where does it leave us after consuming earthly delights day after day after day? Just as hungry, or hungrier, than we were the day before. What if we were to reorient our telos away from fun and towards prayer? Could we pray at the start and end of our day; maybe praying best we can throughout the day? Maybe we can turn down the dial on entertainment and turn up the daily on prayer so that we can drink of the water 'springing up to eternal life' (John 4:14)?
• Self-Focused or Other-Focused - Our purchasing history shows us where we spend our money and what we buy. Our calendars show us where we need to be and what we need to do. Our social media and browser history show us what we are interested in and were we spend our extra time. Our bookshelves show us what we read and think about. If we were stop and examine all of these periodically from the lens of how much we focus on ourselves vs. focus on others, I think the results would be very startling (at least it was for me when I did it!). Such an insight shows us the inner telos of our heart and where we direct our love. Do we love ourselves through what we buy, where we spend our time, where our focus our attention and how we act towards others OR do we have a focus on the other; on our loved ones, our church family, those in need, and our Lord Jesus? Can we change our telos and vision of life from a self-centered one, to an other-focused one that will shape the movements of our hearts, now and forever?

Where is our life directed, what is the telos of our life? To the end of the 'movie' of our life or with a telos towards the Kingdom of God? Do we want the end of the 'credits' of our life to simply scroll quickly through all the people who played a part in our life and the screen to turn black or do we want to have 'El Fin' displayed showing that we have reached the Kingdom of Heaven, having lived a full Christian life, a life worthy of our calling as human beings?

In Christ,

Fr. Steve

Father are you really going to talk about confession as we conclude the Paschal season and head into summer? Aren't you being a bit of a wet blanket with bringing this up when we should be out having fun?

As a priest, I'm not here to win a popularity contest but to share the truth of our faith and support each of you along the path to salvation. Thankfully the truth of our faith and our path towards salvation doesn't prohibit us from enjoying time with family and friends, having a healthy amount of 'recharge time' and enjoying God's beautiful creation. Yet we have to not 'take our eyes off the prize' of our spiritual and Christian life which is communion and union with our Savior. So rather than avoiding this beautiful summer season, we seek to infuse it with the joy of our Lord and continue our walk with Him.

St. Theophan the Recluse tells us that 'In the Sacrament of Confession the Lord enters into man by His grace, vividly establishes communion with him and gives him to taste of all the sweetness of the Divine'. Simply put, blessed confession gives us an inner sweetness that permeates all our life. It is in this spirit that I bring up confession in this summer season, so that we can all enjoy the summer with 'all the sweetness of the Divine' and that the Sweetest Jesus would guide all our summer activities, rather than our sinful passions which can so easily be evoked during this time.

Some of us have not been to confession for a long time, or have never confessed, or may have had bad experiences with confession. Yet we feel the burdens of our sins; we are haunted and frustrated by them. This beautiful summer season may be a time where we are tortured by them even more than any other season of the year; we feel them sapping away the joy and sweetness that we desire to have with one another and Jesus.

My invitation to you is to find time over the summer to come to confession at least one time. As hard as it may be to find time for it, as hard as it may be to motivate ourselves to do it, I can assure you that your summer will be transfigured by receiving the 'sweetness of the Divine'.

With His Eminence blessing me to hear confessions, you now have even more opportunities to experience blessed confession as you can confess to Fr. Ed or myself. I put together a helpful resource for understanding and approaching confession that should have something for everyone; those who have never confessed and for the seasoned 'confessee' (CONFESSION RESOURCE HERE). Likewise, below is a summary of ways to partake of this blessed sacrament.

• Open Confession Time During Saturday Night Vespers - Starting in June we will be trying out having an open time for people to come to confession. You'll see on the monthly calendar a note indicating 'Confession Available' for some Saturday night Vespers. This means both Fr. Ed and I are planning to be at Vespers and one of us will serve the Vespers and the other will hear confessions. Note:
  • This will NOT be by appointment and will be first come, first serve
  • Anyone wanting confession should be at the service 10 minutes before so the fathers can determine who will serve and who will hear confessions
  • Depending on how this goes we may expand this to Wednesday night Vespers
• Scheduling Confession - You can schedule a confession the following ways:
  • For Fr. Steve, you can use the online schedule system or contact me directly if you can't find a time there
  • For Fr. Ed, contact him directly

As summer always brings an overwhelming number of opportunities for fun, celebration, fellowship and relaxation let us not lose ourselves in these activities and forget our loving God. May we all continue to keep the light of the Resurrection of Christ burning within us, through our life of repentance and confession, so that He will bring joy and radiance to all our summer activities.

In Christ,
Fr. Steve

As we have arrived at the season of Great Lent, we pause and take a deep breath before we plunge into this season of spiritual challenge, grace and beauty. The journey we now start is not one that we travel on alone but one that we share with each other, primarily through our liturgical worship together as a community.

In the wisdom of the Church we have many themes revealing the unique and blessed season of Great Lent for us. These themes are most powerfully seen each Sunday during Great Lent and encourage us on our struggle against our passions and grow ever closer to our Savior. They provide 'milestones' on our journey towards Pascha, Christ's Resurrection, and help us chart the path forward each and every week.

If you are unfamiliar with the unique Sundays of Great Lent, or simply need a refresher, I found a wonderful 10 minute video that summarizes these key themes to focus us during the season of Great Lent and set a course for us as we travel together through it. I pray it is a blessing for you!
Blessed Lent! Kali Sarakosti!

In Christ,

Fr. Steve

YouTube Video Link

As we continue to bask in this season of lights and purity through our Lord's unimaginable incarnation and wondrous theophany we see many profound wonders about how Christ transforms the world we live in. Pondering this powerful contact between the divine and the created, I have been reflecting upon the holy water blessed at Theophany and the blessings brought down upon the baptismal waters. With at least 15 people planning to be received into the Church, it is something top of mind for me.

Anytime the Church, through its divine services and mysteries, blesses water, it always brings about true purification, healing and cleansing. Many of us shower (or bathe) regularly because we feel grimy, stinky or dirty and we feel quite clean and, in a sense, "purified" after having cleaned ourselves with water. This act of cleaning our body should always be a reminder of how we need to continue to purify our souls through a life in Christ. This is done through a life of repentance, virtuously living, regular participation in the services/sacraments and through the blessed use of holy water.

It is through Christ's Church that something so simple and basic, such as water, can go beyond cleaning just the outside of our body, to touching the deepest recesses of our soul. The blessings bestowed on the water in the services are transferred to us when we touch or drink the water; grace comes to us, to bless, heal, and purify our souls. 

Listen to two prayers, one from the baptismal services and one from the great blessing of the water service:

Show this water to be the water of redemption, the water of sanctification, the cleaning of flesh and spirit, the loosing of bonds, the remission of sins, the illumination of the soul, the bath of rebirth, the renewal of the spirit, the gift of adoption, the garment of incorruption, the fountain of life. For you have said, Lord, "wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes"

That all who draw from it or partake of it may find in it purification of souls and bodies, healing of infirmities, sanctification of houses, and every fit benefit. For You are our God, who through water and the Spirit renewed our nature corrupted by sin...Grant to all whether they touch it or are anointed by it or partake of it, sanctification, blessing, cleansing and health.

Listen to the words of Fr. Thomas Hopko commenting on the power of Christ's sanctifying water for the world:

Since the Son of God has taken human flesh and has appeared in the world, manifesting Himself in His baptism in the Jordan, all flesh and all matter is sanctified. Everything is made pure and holy in Him. Everything which is corrupted and polluted by the sinful works of men is cleansed and purified by the gracious works of God. All death-dealing powers of the devil which poison the good world of God's creation are destroyed. All things are again made new. Through the 'prime element' of water on the feast of Theophany the entire creation is shown to be sanctified by God's Word through the same Spirit of God who "in the beginning...was moving over the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2).

When we have our houses blessed and receive our holy water this year, may we be reminded that this water has grace in it if we are willing to use it (yes, sometimes we just let our holy water sit on the shelf for a year...) and open ourselves to what God has bestowed upon it. We do not think it is 'magical' but we truly believe that it is an aid and a medicine for our souls and bodies as Christ wills to always grant us His mercy and healing if we will receive it.

In Christ,

Fr. Steve

Saint Phocas was a gardener and Saint Euphrosinos was a cook. They are not known as “Phocas the Great” or “Euphrosinos the Theologian.” Known instead by the work they did, they became saints of the Church. We know that service to God and His Church is sacred, and because of this we strive to serve and support the Church. But is it possible for our work to be sacred? Can we be Christian stewards of our work? According to Saint Porphyrios, “At your work, whatever it may be, you can become a saint through meekness, patience, and love.”
 
In the second chapter of the Old Testament Book of Genesis we read, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it”(Genesis 2:15). God put man in the garden to work. It is part of God’s plan for us that we work. In Exodus we read, “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest….” The world has changed, very few of us are called to work the land, and our work week may not be six days, yet we are created and called by God to work, and we can serve him through our work.
 
Some are blessed to follow a career path to a life’s work bringing satisfaction. Others may work in a position that may not appear to be spiritually or emotionally fulfilling. In whatever type of work we find ourselves, our work can become sacred when we dedicate it to God. In the words of Mother Theresa, “Wherever God has put you, that is your vocation. It is not what we do, but how much love we put into it.”
 
Life on earth is a gift. The work we do is also a gift if we see it as an opportunity to serve God and others. Saint Paul instructs us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men….” (Colossians 3:23). When we see our work in this way, we are able to become Christian stewards of our work.
 
Stewardship of work teaches us that we don’t own our work, our position, our title. We are only stewards of a position for a period of time. We are responsible to fulfill our duties and also to prepare it for the person that will follow us in that position. We may also have the opportunity to mentor the person that will assume our position when we move on, empowering them to apply their particular gifts and talents to take the position to the next level.
 
Christian stewardship of work also teaches us that we are responsible to those with whom we work and those that may be served by our work. We are called to reflect the light of Christ in their lives, encourage them, support them and even love them. We are also stewards of our co-workers inasmuch as we cooperate and support them in their efforts for the good of all.
 
Saint Phocas the Gardener lived in the late 3rd Century, in the ancient region of Paphlagonia (now northern Turkey). Phocas lived humbly on the sale of fruits and vegetables he would grow in his garden. Through his work, Phocas fed the hungry and gave shelter to those in need. Because of his dedication to his work and his generosity to those in need, he became a Christian example to others. Even the non-believers treated him with respect, and by his Christ-like manner, many were drawn to the Christian Faith. 
 
Saint Euphrosynos worked as cook in a monastery in Palestine, serving the brother monks humbly and faithfully. The others were not aware of the depth of his spiritual growth until it was revealed in a dream to a priest-monk of the monastery and then related to the brother monks. Euphrosynos is known to us by his humble work – Saint Euphrosynos the Cook.  
 
In times of trouble or worry, especially over our career, we call upon God to strengthen us, to provide opportunity and to bring us success. When we achieve some measure of worldly success, it is easy to say to ourselves as we read in the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy (8:17), “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But the next verse quickly reminds us, “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
 
As Christian Stewards we are called to give back to God from the “first fruits” of our labor. We support our parish and her ministries in an intentional way and not with only what is left after everything else has been taken care of.
 
In whatever work we do, we are called to give glory to God for the abilities and opportunities He provides. We do this by caring for the work we do, applying our God-given abilities to our work, and by respecting the responsibilities with which we have been entrusted. We do our best and give the glory to God.

In Christ,
Fr. Steve

Brothers and Sisters in Christ! I greet you in the Lord!

It seems like it has been a long time since we have had our newsletter and I'm filled with joy to bring it back! As I've been reflecting upon the fall (where did the summer go!) and the renewal that comes with the new Church year, I was reading some articles about the Church year and wanted to share one from Fr. Chris Foustoukos with you all. I pray it is as edifying for you as it was for me and I look forward to praying, working, and being with you in this new ecclesiastical year.

The summer months seem to comprise a period of refreshment and reflection for most Orthodox Christians. It is this spirit that I would like to share with you some thoughts taken from the book, Christ in Our Midst, Spiritual Renewal in the Orthodox Church, by Father Theodore Stylianopoulos. I find his words especially timely and vital. Furthermore, I hope that we will carefully meditate on them as we approach the New Ecclesiastical Year on September 1st.

The spiritual nature of the parish defines the style of the parish as a religious institution when the following factors are working together: vital worship, effective Christian education and meaningful ministries. When the life of our parish revolves around these basic expressions of God’s work in the world, our parish becomes by God’s grace a highly effective community of renewal for those who desire a life with God. How can we work practically for Christian renewal and spiritual life in our parish?

We should first start with ourselves. Spiritual renewal in the parish is not essentially a matter of a program which will be successful given a correct methodology, ample promotion and sufficient resources. Rather, it is a matter of spiritual renewal, a matter of being ourselves, spiritual, each of us. The crucial thing, therefore, is that each of us begins his or her renewal in Christ through prayer, confession, the Divine Liturgy, Christian education, stewardship and all the other means of renewal which we have had available to us since the days of the apostles. As each Christian is united with Christ through all these means and is growing spiritually, then to that extent is our parish an effective setting of renewal. A Church school teacher who is growing spiritually will be spiritually effective in his or her teaching. A parishioner for whom Christianity is really a way of life will greet a new parishioner or a visitor to the parish with a special kind of Christian welcome.

How are we to focus on Christ? By doing every-thing that we do in our parish for His honor and glory, the Divine Liturgy, preaching, singing, teaching, caring for the sick, baking and serving, raising funds, building new structures, and even the way we care for and speak to and listen to each other and one another’s children. The crucial question to ask is: How does this or that proposal, goal, program or action whether liturgical, educational, administrative, financial, social or athletic, honor and glorify Christ and his work? When we prayerfully ask this question and follow through in good faith, whether in the case of a parish assembly, a church school committee or a youth meeting, wonderful transformations begin to take place. Christ makes His presence known in our midst and people are uplifted and edified. Ordinary things that we do in our parish become transformed into tools for God’s redeeming work in a concrete way and become vehicles of His grace, when we do those things for Christ, for His love and for His glory. Then our parish consciously becomes what it essentially is: the mystical Body of Christ, full of Grace and Truth.

The importance of leadership for the nurture of the new life in Christ in our parish is obvious. Leadership is provided by the local Metropolitan, clergy, Christian educators, musicians and youth leaders, as well as the other men, women and young people who are called by God to serve in various ministries in our parish. In each parish, there is a rich reservoir of leadership and service which simply needs spiritual focus and spiritual direction. Once again, however, the first priority for leaders as for other helpers is for each one of us to give himself or herself to Christ so that we may abide in Him both while planning and implementing particular programs; the goals of which, in the first place, are to help all those who are open to come to know Christ and live in Him! In this way those who are in leadership positions and those who serve in other capacities do not act by relying on their own enthusiasm or new ideas, but by relying on the grace of Christ. Talking about our plans misses the point. We need to see them as His plans, His strategies, His programs, His resources and His parish. The moment we focus attention on ourselves and what we want, rather than on Christ and His will, the moment we forget that in the words of the Liturgy He is the Offerer and the One who is offered in all the work of our parish, we fall down spiritually and can rise again only through personal and corporate repentance to Him.

Jesus said to Peter: Do you love me?...(then) take care of my sheep.(John 21:16) The work of salvation can be done, to repeat the teaching of St. Silouan, only through love and humility. Working in this way, even a small number of Orthodox Christians can make a difference in parish renewal and spiritual life. We need to place ourselves at Christ’s feet and pray in this spirit: Here we are O Lord. Help us in our efforts. Make something of our plans and strategies. Be in them and see them through. We offer all these things to You and for Your glory. Insofar as those of us who serve in other ways make ourselves available to Christ, insofar as we turn to Him daily with prayer and a contrite spirit, insofar as we proclaim Christ, love Him and do everything for His glory, to that extent Christ Himself guides our parish step by step. We should be perfectly happy in this, because our Lord knows far better than we do, exactly what we need. We should also feel secure because He never lets us down when we abide in Him. A parish which is fully surrendered to Christ, just as a fully surrendered family, or a fully surrendered soul, will always find victory and joy in Him.

In Christ,

Fr. Steve

​Christ is Risen!

A few weeks ago we were blessed to have my good friend Fr. Seraphim and his family join us at Holy Resurrection. Fr. Seraphim and I met in seminary where we worshiped in the chapel together, learned about our faith through our classes, played on the seminarian basketball team (yes, the seminary has a basketball team in the Orthodox church league in Boston) and enjoyed building a beautiful relationship.

As we were just about to head out for church Sunday morning Fr. Seraphim casually asked if he could bring his relics for the community to venerate. I was taken aback a bit since typically relics, of saints or holy sites, are kept in larger churches or monasteries. Rarely have I heard of a person having one relic, let alone a collection. Of course my response to Fr. Seraphim was an emphatic "YES, please bring them!"

For many of our faithful this was probably the first time they had seen and venerated a relic. So what is a relic of our church? For anyone who has stepped foot into an Orthodox Church it won't be long until you see people venerating icons, the cross of Christ, the Gospel book, the right hand of the priest, etc. Is this some sort of odd superstition, or is there more to it?

The incarnation of our Lord, the literal fact that Christ physically had a body, has been a central reality to Christianity from the beginning to the present day. The seven councils of the Church have always affirmed the reality that, because of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, both the physical and spiritual world can participate in the grace and transformation of God. Christ's physical body sits at the right hand of God the Father and will forever. If this is something we truly believe, shouldn't this be reflected in how we worship and live as Christians?

St. Justin Popovich says the following: "Holiness completely envelopes the human person—the entire soul and body and all that enters into the mystical composition of the human body. The holiness of the Saints does not hold forth only in their souls, but it necessarily extends to their bodies; so it is that both the body and the soul of a saint are sanctified. Thus we, in piously venerating the Saints, also venerate the entire person, in this manner not separating the holy soul from the holy body. Our pious veneration of the Saints' relics is a natural part of our pious respect for and prayerful entreaty to the Saints."

The new reality, the new life, that Jesus Christ brought with His incarnation was the opening for our entire personhood, body and soul, to be healed and united to our Savior through His salvific works. This work is continued down to the present day through the work of the Holy Spirit within the Church. The entire goal is for us to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13). The grace of God being present in people, bodily and in their clothing, is demonstrated again and again throughout the Old and New Testament (See 2 Kings 13:21, 2 Kings 2:8, Acts 5:15, Acts 19:11, Luke 8:44).

And all of this takes place and will continue to take place through the Divine and human Body of the Church, which is truly the God-Man Christ in the total fullness of His Divine and Human Person, the fullness "that fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:23). Through its Divine and human existence in the Church, the human body, as matter, as substance, is sanctified by the Holy Spirit and in this way participates in the life of the Trinity. Matter thus attains its transcendent, divine meaning and goal, its eternal blessedness and its immortal joy in the God-Man. (St. Justin Popovich)

In the saints of the Church, we see an example for our lives, we see the potential we all have in Christ through His Church and the activity of the Holy Spirit. Holy relics are an ongoing witness to this reality that we can truly experience and have our Lord living in us. The love He pours out freely on us is His invitation for us to respond with unrelenting love back towards Him. Not only do relics encourage us on our journey towards Christ but they allow the saints and God's grace to be present in time and space. Sometimes our faith can feel very abstract and theoretical. Or we can become exhausted by our ascetical efforts and ongoing struggle to live holy lives. It is in these moments that we need encouragement to press on, and relics give us strength to carry on with our vocation to come into communion and union with Christ for all eternity - be it a small fragment of a saint's bone or garment, a holy object or the incorrupt ear of St. John Chrysostom.

By unceasing enactment of the ascetic efforts set forth in the Gospels, Saints gradually fill themselves with the Holy Spirit, so that their sacred bodies, according to the word of the holy Apostle, become temples of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19; 3:17), Christ dwelling by faith in their hearts (Ephesians 3:17) and by fruitful love also fulfilling the commandments of God the Father. Establishing themselves in the Holy Spirit through grace-bestowing ascetic labors, the Saints participate in the life of the Trinity, becoming sons of the Holy Trinity, temples of the Living God (II Corinthians 6:16); their whole lives thus flow from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. By piously venerating the holy relics of the Saints, the Church reveres them as temples of the Holy Spirit, temples of the Living God, in which God dwells by Grace even after the earthly death of the Saints. And by His most wise and good Will, God creates miracles in and through these relics. Moreover, the miracles which derive from the holy relics witness also to the fact that their pious veneration by the people is pleasing to God. (St. Justin Popovich)

It was pure joy for me to see the awe, gratitude and love as our community approached the holy relics that Fr. Seraphim shared. Despite it being foreign to many, everyone appeared at peace and with hearts open to the blessing being freely offered. It was beautiful to see people venerating the relics as if they were kissing pictures of a loved one that had passed from this life into the next. Veneration of relics is common practice in Greece and other Orthodox countries. In reality, the Saints (the Church Triumphant) are always with us, interceding for us, guiding and inspiriting us (the Church Militant). I encourage you to read the lives of the saints, to venerate their icons and relics, to learn from them and to emulate them. They will lead us closer to Christ.

Glory to God for all things!

Fr. Steve

PS: If you want to hear Fr. Seraphim's sermon on the Myrrh Bearing Women, you can find it HERE.

What should we think when we first realize that Great Lent is approaching? A famous Greek, Aeschylus, said, “Anticipation is the better part of pleasure.” So what should we anticipate?

First, perhaps we should consider what the Lenten period is for. Does it have a purpose? Historically, Lent was time for the catechumens to prepare for their entry into the Church. Over time this evolved to the six-week fasting period during which we practice some self-examination, go to more church services and fast from our most-favored foods.
 
Self-examination, according to Einstein, resurrects life from the wasteland. Jesus poses some difficult questions for us to consider on a personal level, such as what we do with our time and resources. The saints fleshed out these issues for us even more and thus we have Orthodox ascesis. One way to view self-examination is to equate it with being an athlete. How does one prepare for an undertaking? The athlete works out, develops muscle, eats correctly, and develops fine-tuned skills that allow him to perform physical feats. Our life in Christ takes physical expression but is primarily spiritual. We too should exercise, work out, eat correctly and develop some fine-tuned skills in order to prepare our heart to receive God. How?
 
It is helpful to make use of the weekly fasting schedule the Church gives us as a way to prepare for Lent. Our way of "working out" is to keep a prayer rule, keep the prescribed fast as best we can, do some spiritual reading and give alms. These practices (ascetical exercises) aid our body and soul in conquering our passions, as well as establish habits that follow us, not only through the Lenten fast but throughout the year. As we do, we find that the longer fasting periods are not such a shock to our system. We also find greater spiritual benefit as well.
 
So what should we anticipate? The obvious answer is Great and Glorious Pascha. It seems the more we “exercise,” the greater the joy when Pascha arrives. That is the short term gain. Lent is just a season, but its greater benefit is to call us back to Eden. That is the hidden and deeper benefit of the fast. It is greater than doing without food; the demons fast. Our effort should be to inculcate into our habits and our schedule greater emphasis on the condition of our soul. During Lent, not only should we prepare ourselves for Pascha but to meet Christ face-to-face on Judgment Day.
 
Our life in Christ should be just that—IN CHRIST. This coming Lenten season is the time to ask ourselves what do we truly want. In that process, we are challenged to examine motives and longings. What is our first thought after sleep? What do we do with our excess resources? Do we treat the stranger as did Christ? In the spirit of 1 John 1:9, are we continuing to confess our sins with a heart bent toward conquering our worst inclinations? Here is a big question for us: What are we going to replace our self-orientations with? The Christ-life is replete with otherness. Whom should we love more? How do we lay our life down for another? What can I give without expecting anything in return?
 
To the self-examining Christian, the answers to these kinds of questions reveal how he is living like Christ and the degree to which he deserves to be counted among the elect. Lent is a wonderful gift the Church gives us to reflect, get recharged, become more focused, and capture the vision for the ascetical life that makes people saints.

In Christ,

Fr. Ed

As we all continue to sail through the journey of life we can find ourselves amidst calm waters at times, and at others, holding on for dear life to not drown in the tsunamis crashing against us. As we continue to ride the ups and downs of the pandemic, financial markets, job stability, family life, and our own personal life, we can feel worn out and overwhelmed. We use all our energy to be responsible, fight against our passions, do the right thing, help others, clean the shower (again...), make dinner, go to various appointments, keep up on the news, pray, attend services, get everything done at work, and on and on. It's no joke that our current modern lives have constant waves pressing against us as we battle to not go under. Sometimes we feel like our strength is failing us or we just feel like giving up; we are tempted to just fall over and let the tide pull us out to sea.

The Orthodox Church has been called 'the Ark of Salvation'; a holy place set aside from the torrents of the world, a peaceful place that we can escape the relenting waves of life, and a place of support and community rather than trying to battle the chaotic sea on our own. Fr. Stephen Freeman has a recent blog post similar to what I'm talking about and below are two excepts that are very insightful:

It is in this wash of culture and its flood that it’s worth thinking about the Church (Orthodox) as an ark of salvation and safety. It is an ancient image of the Church, a place where God gathers those who are being rescued. The ark is not an instrument of flood management, however. It is a raft. Modernity imagines itself as the manager of the world and its historical processes. It [modern life] is an idea that is itself part of the destructive flood of our time.

From onboard the ark, we view things a bit differently. First, we trust that God is the Lord of the tsunami just as surely as He is Lord of the sparrow and the lillies in the field. The mystery of how He works all things for our salvation is summarized in His crucifixion. Most of that mystery is simply opaque. It is a confession of faith that the Cross represents the interpretation of all things.

As we continue to push on staying afloat day in day out, let us realize that the Ark of Salvation is always before us. Maybe we have jumped off the Ark because the ocean was calm and didn't think we needed the Ark, only to realize that the storms of life are back and we are starting to sink. Maybe we accidently fell overboard due to being distracted with life, falling into a sinful habit, or doing something harmful to another and now we don't want to call to people on board to throw us a life line.

Whatever the case is, the Ark of Salvation is still weathering the storm that each age presents and is always a place for you to find shelter. Be it coming to a service to find respite from the crushing cares of life, reconnecting with a priest or a church friend to get help or recommitting yourself to get in the boat to reach The Island (aka the Heavenly Kingdom), all are welcome aboard this ship. No one is ever too long gone, too burned out, too jaded, or too exhausted to not be brought on board.

May we all stay together, with Christ, within the Ark of Salvation while the storms rage and seas foam all around us.

In Christ,
Fr. Steve