November 16 is the feast day of Saint Matthew, the evangelist. On this day, I call to mind another great saint, Antony of Egypt. At the end of his life, Antony is reported to have said to his disciples: “Live as though you were dying every day. Pay attention to yourselves and remember what I taught …
There are no crumbs in God’s kingdom
Today's Gospel reading, Luke 16:19-31, is the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The parable is one of many that Jesus spoke about money and how God sees rich and poor people. Indeed, the context here is worth looking at. Chapter 16 of Luke's Gospel begins with another parable about money and Jesus concludes …
Guard Your Identity
There are many instances in the Gospels of Jesus driving out demons, and the most remarkable of these is the one in Luke 8:26-39 that we read in the Liturgy this morning (Oct. 26th). It is hard for many modern people - myself included - to relate to stories of demon possession and exorcism or …
“Where is your God?”
Today's (19 Oct 2014) Gospel reading at the Liturgy was Luke 7:11-16, Jesus raising the son of the widow of Nain. As I reflected on this miracle story, what came to mind was Psalm 42. I imagined this widow praying this psalm at her son's death and what she might have continued praying after her son's …
Escape from Pleasantville
In the movie Pleasantville, two teenagers, a brother and sister are pulled into their TV set and into the fictional world of a late 1950’s sitcom, Pleasantville. In the world of the sitcom, the wife stays home, always dressed & made up, even in kitchen. The husband comes home from work, hangs his hat, calls …
Jesus and the Law
Today in the Orthodox churches that follow the Byzantine rite is the Sunday of the Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council. This was the Council that met in Chalcedon in the year 451. The council met to elucidate the "orthodox" understanding of the two natures in Christ - in other words, how is it that Jesus …
