Category: Pastoral Journal

The best two days of the week are Thursday and Sunday. I believe I am most alive, and doing my most important work on this earth on those two days – when I celebrate the liturgy.

I am finding that I have much more anticipation of the liturgy then I had earlier in my ministry. I am not sure why that it, but I think several things have contributed….

Orthodox and Heterodoxy during the Season of Advent
The Holy Spirit outside the church
Why baptism? Why the Church? Why “Right Worship”?
The Orthodox are the priests and monastics of the people of God

I have been thinking a lot about the relationship between the Orthodox and their non-Orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ…

The Good Turkish Judge. From the Life of the Elder Ieronymos of Aegina (+1966).

Shortly before World War I, a Turk visited Fr. Iieronymos’ humble hermitage. The Turk told the elder that his master, a judge, had sent him to invite the elder to his house.

The elder became a little worried. He was not accustomed to receiving invitations to “social receptions” and his mind began to suspect that he might experience some evil or temptation. However, he prayed to God and followed the Turkish servant.

On their arrival at the judge’s large home, the judge himself welcomed him – with much warmth, as a matter of fact. They sat on a great divan and the judge began the conversation:

“Efendi papa, I am a Turk, a Moslem. From the salary I receive, I keep whatever is necessary for my family’s support, and the rest I spend on alms. I help widows, orphans, the poor; I provide dowries for impoverished young women so that they can get married, I help the sick. I keep the fasts with exactness, I pray and, in general, I try to live a life consistent with my faith. Also, when I sit in judgment, I strive to be just, and never take a person’s position into account, no matter how great he is. What do you say? Are all these things that I do sufficient for me to gain that Paradise that you Christians talk about? …

Today we remember the Holy Apostle Titus. He was one the Seventy, and an eyewitness of the preaching of Jesus Christ, a close friend and disciple of the Apostle Paul (accompanying him of his missionary journeys) and eventual Bishop of Crete.

His life is extraordinary, because it shows clearly a two virtues we must have in order to be saved. The Holy Titus possessed a longing for purity and humility in abundance. …

Thoughts about:
To feel good, you must do good.
Thursday molebens
Prison Ministry
It is always about morality
Designer churches.
with great pictures!

Kingdom parables
Children’s liturgy, Children’s sermon
Prayers in the mother tongue
Prayer and doing things prayerfully.

10 Things

Dear Brothers and sisters of our parish family: Leavetaking of Pascha We leave behind using the greeting "Christ is risen!" today (unless of course, we are holy, and live totally in the resurrection, as did my patron, St Seraphim). The leave-taking of Pascha was today, and we served a joyous, short liturgy, just like on… Continue reading Leavetaking of Pascha, Ascension, Aceticism,Disappointment, A/C progress, moving plans, Schedule change.

I think if I could pick a plant to be it would be a cactus. This is the perfect plant fror a priest to be. … Our little church is like a cactus. …

It has snowed about 12 inches in Dallas Texas! I went to a nearby heavily wooded park with my dog and walked through gigantic fields, expanses of blinding whiteness.

Snow makes me think of purity. It makes me hopeful. It just feels good to walk in the midst of it.

As is usually the case when I am somewhere in an introspective mood, I begin to think in metaphors and feel this welling up in my soul, a desire for change.

Just as snow can cover everything and make it look clean and beautiful, so can my repentance make me clean and beautiful. …