Sunday Of The Prodigal Son. Our life in microcosm. Two things keep us from salvation. Audio Homily 2010.

LISTEN NOW Luke 15:11-32 11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and… Continue reading Sunday Of The Prodigal Son. Our life in microcosm. Two things keep us from salvation. Audio Homily 2010.

Haiti Earthquake relief – Report and list of needs from Deacon Matthew Williams

Received on a ROCOR  clergy list today: from Deacon Matthew Williams Jan 26, 2009 I have just returned from a week in Haiti following the disastrous earthquake on Jan 12. The condition of the mission in Haiti, along with the population at large, is dire beyond all imagination. While there, I visited three parishes of the… Continue reading Haiti Earthquake relief – Report and list of needs from Deacon Matthew Williams

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Haiti Earthquake relief – news from Deacon Matthew Williams

 The latest reports from and about Deacon Matthew Williams: (St. John Chrysostom Orthodox Church, House Springs, MO) From Fr Matthew’s Diaconissa Elizabeth’s Facebook Page:  Friday, January 22, 2010 Please remember Rdr. Vladimir from the parish of the Nativity in Port au Prince. He taught at a private school in the city that was destroyed in… Continue reading Haiti Earthquake relief – news from Deacon Matthew Williams

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Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee
The rest of the story, How was the publican justified?

Today is the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. It is a formal beginning to our preparation for the Holy Fast, and is the first day we read anything from the Triodion this year. We are now in a period of time to prepare ourselves – 4 more weeks. … There is not much more time, and this time is given for us to reflect upon what it is that we need to do to improve ourselves.

The church gives us some help here. The Sunday before this day is always the Sunday of Zacchaeus, who was a publican. Today, we read about another publican, just a nameless person in a parable. This event never actually occurred; it is a parable our Lord used to teach us. However, it has extra meaning when we think of it in light of the story of Zacchaeus, and in our mind’s eye, equate the publican in this parable with Zacchaeus.

In this parable we see two kinds of humility – or rather, humility and its evil opposite, pride – and two kinds of knowledge. We see the pride of the Pharisee, and the church in its hymnology points out the differences between his pride and the humility of the publican. In order to fully understand the lesson we must see that the Pharisee was not completely wrong and the publican was not completely virtuous, and yet, one of them was justified and the other was not. …

Report from Haiti

The following is a report from Dcn Matthew Williams after a week in Haiti. http://eviljuan.blogspot.com/2010/01/report-from-earhtquake-ravaged-haiti.html

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ROCOR Sts. Peter & Paul parish in Leogane was totally destroyed in the earthquake.

Fr. Matthew Williams informed us that the church building of our ROCOR Sts. Peter & Paul parish in Leogane was totally destroyed in the earthquake. He also visited the parish in Jacmel. The situation there is not too bad.

If any of our clergy would consider going to Haiti to help with pastoral care for a three-week stay, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) has a training program and would welcome our help. …

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Haiti Earthquake relief – Medical relief, FFA news

an 8/21 2010

Fr. Matthew Williams is en route to King’s Hospital in Port au Prince, where IOCC has delivered $1m in medical supplies. It is one of the few functioning hospitals in Port au Prince and while there are many doctors, there exists a great need for experienced medical personnel to support the doctors in operating rooms and with follow up care. …

Regarding Haiti: Letter from the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America

Diocese of Chicago & Mid-America Russian Orthodox Church Abroad Tel: (847) 298-5383 Fax: (847) 298-5380 P.O Box 1367 Des Plaines, IL 60017 4/17 January, 2010 Synaxis of the 70 Apostles Rectors of the Diocese: Christ is amongst us!  As all are no doubt aware, on January 12, 2010 a devastating earthquake struck Haiti – the… Continue reading Regarding Haiti: Letter from the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America

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