Year: 2011

And the Lord is become a refuge for the poor man, a helper in times of well-being and in afflictions. (Psalm 9:8) Laziness, forgetfulness and ignorance

try to read or listen to the Psalter daily. It is the church?s hymnal, and the depth of feeling, and combination of sadness and gladness always moves me. If we lived our life and prayed with the feeling that is in the Psalms, we would not be beset by the mediocrity we mostly settle for.

Today, one of the Kathismas I listened to was the second. Psalm 9 particularly caught my attention. I share some of my feelings about it, in the great hope that you would take up the Psalter and learn from it how to pray, and to live. Other than the Gospels, I think it is the most important book in Scripture ? it teaches us about Christ, and life and death, and how to pray and think and live in any situation in life.

9:8 And the Lord is become a refuge for the poor man, a helper in times of well-being and in afflictions…

And the Lord … said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still." – The mystical and very practical meaning of these words. 3rd Sunday of Luke

Only the Lord has the authority to tell us to “weep not”. There is an epidemic of dysfunctional sadness in the world today; it is being treated by many partial solutions that often increase the despair and emptiness: medications, entertainments, passions. After His command to the Widow of Nain, the Lord mystically gives us the path we must travel in order to fulfill His command to “weep not” – “And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still.” There is no other path that leads to true happiness. We explore the mystical meaning of these words, also incorporating an epistle read today: “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” and “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”, and offer many practical suggestions on what we must do to live according to these words. the only key to happiness is here. The World does not have it; only Christ does, and through the healing of the Widow of Nain and the exhortation of St Paul to the Galatians, the path to it is clearly explained.

That the whole evening may be perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, let us ask of the Lord.” Why do we pray this prayer, when past experience tells us that it will not be fulfilled today?

In the last litany of Vespers and Matins we pray "That the whole evening may be perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, let us ask of the Lord." Why do we pray this prayer, when past experience tells us that it will not be fulfilled today? Do we mean what we say, or are these just words? We look into the meaning and intent of this prayer and why it is so important. We should understand what we pray, why we pray and what we must do to indicate to the Lord that we mean what we pray.

Electronic Newsletter October 10/23 19th Sunday after Pentecost

    St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas Electronic Newsletter October 10/23  19th Sunday after Pentecost Optina Elders / Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council Announcements Prayer Requests Schedule of Divine Services in the Coming week Fasting in the Coming week Links related to the coming week Announcements 1. Dn. Nicholas is looking for volunteers… Continue reading Electronic Newsletter October 10/23 19th Sunday after Pentecost

A Spiritual reflection regarding Prayer of an Orthodox Christian priest in front of a late term abortion clinic during the Dallas 40 days for life campaign.

The personal experience of an Orthodox Christian and priest praying in front of a late term abortion clinic during the 40 days for life campaign, Wednesday, Oct 19, 2011. This is difficult and heavy prayer because outside, on the street, things look normal, but inside some lives are terminated, and many other lives are perhaps irrevocably damaged in terrible ways. A spiritual reflection, including whether we should pray for “them” or “us”, and that a Christian must feel responsible for all sin and act upon his inner impulses from the heart, and about praying “one hour”, and personalizing the “Akathist for a Woman Who Has Aborted a Child”

The reason for the golden rule: “Ye shall be the children of the highest for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil”. Second Sunday of St Luke; Luke 6:31-36

Everybody knows the Golden Rule, but few understand is essence. Many feel it is a command based upon common sense, and others even believe it is a way of changing the behavior of others. The reason for it is given plainly by the words of our Lord: “Your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” We explore the great privilege we have as Christians to become Children of the Highest, and why the fulfillment if the Golden Rule is indispensable for this to happen

Electronic Newsletter October 3/16 18th Sunday after Pentecost

  St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas Electronic Newsletter October 3/16  18th Sunday after Pentecost Announcements Prayer Requests Schedule of Divine Services in the Coming week Fasting in the Coming week Links related to the coming week Announcements There is a ton of stuff this week 1. Fr Seraphim And Deacon Nicholas have returned from… Continue reading Electronic Newsletter October 3/16 18th Sunday after Pentecost

Orthodox Icons related to Abortion

Orthodox are pro-life, and the church knows what real life is! Any popular movement needs a good symbol or symbols. I asked recently about “abortion related” icons and was DELUGED with answers! I only asked on our parish mailing list and on the Friends of St Sava list (our closest sister parish). Here are some of the suggestions, starting with the one that is my choice, the Lament of Rachel.

I am presenting these to show the diversity in expression about abortion in Orthodox icons, but if truth be told, I have rather strict criteria for an icon that I would want to use when I write abut abortion. I think it should not be extremely innovative, or gruesome, but at the same time, should speak to the emotional horror of abortion. I think the lament of Rachel fulfills all these criteria. …

Sanctity Of Life Sunday. Christians Must Not Accept Abortion and Sexual Immorality Being Redefined 2011

Excerpt:: …I want to tell you that as a Christian, you must not allow the times to influence you. Right now we are in the midst of the rewriting of language; even "God" means something different now than it did only a few years ago, and "Christian" means something different. Now, there are those that say that: You can be a Christian and be pro choice; You can be a Christian and abort your child; You can be a Christian and be a practicing unrepentant homosexual. These things are not possible, brothers and sisters. You can be a Christian and be guilty of any sin and repent from it. You can be a Christian and be weak in some area of your life, maybe even for a long period of time, and struggle against this weakness. But you cannot be a Christian and give in wholly to the way of the times and believe: That one can be pro-choice and that it is correct for a woman to take that which is in her womb, a human being created in the image and likeness of God, and kill it. …

The First Great Catch of Fish Compared with the Second – Luke 5:1-11 & John 21:1-14

The first great catch of fish, in Luke 5:1-11, occurred at the very beginning of the ministry of Jesus with His apostles. It must be read in conjunction with the second great fish of 153 fishes, which occurred after the resurrection, and was His last earthly meal with His apostles (John 21:1-14). There are many beautiful morsels here! After sampling this beautiful smorgasbord, we must not miss the most important aspect of this story: 1. the command to “let down the nets” applies to everyone, and 2. after the disciples saw the power of the Lord, they left all and followed Him. If we do not learn these two things from these stories, we have learned nothing.