There are basic events and morals to every story. In this Gospel story about the bowed woman, of course we learned about Christ's mercy, and his power to heal. But sometimes there are secondary meanings in addition to the obvious details.
In today’s reflection from the bulletin and the Youth Sermon, we talked about light and darkness, seeing or being blind, belief versus unbelief. The beggar from the Gospel reading, Bartimaeus, had heard about Jesus and His miracles before meeting Him that day. He was also familiar with the Old Testament, the Law and the Prophets. His sense of hearing was heightened since he wasn’t able to use his eyes, and he was both prepared and eager to encounter the Messiah.
I finally just saw Avengers End Game. I, like many of you, was also surprised at the fate of Iron Man, who is this amazingly strong super hero that we believed was indestructible. Just like in the Gospel story today from Luke 16:19-31, we see another amazing contrast. Read more
Have you ever heard what happens in a book before you’ve even read it? Or even in a much anticipated movie that is soon to be released and there are already spoiler clips online? Today’s Gospel reading from Luke 8:41-56 reminds me of a similar situation.
Do you remember last week’s Gospel? Today’s Epistle reading reminds us about the sower and his seeds. In Luke 8:5, the seed was the Word of God. Now, we have a chance to reflect on what that means for our life. What is our response to the many blessings God continues to give us? If we are sowers and spread the seeds so they may grow and provide fruit, how does that touch others’ lives? God has blessed [...]
Reflections on today’s commemoration by Fr. Angelo—October 13, 2019 Can you imagine our church without icons? Today we remember the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, who met in Nicea in 787 A.D. At this council, they defended our faith against the “iconoclasts” or “icon-smashers” who wanted to destroy all holy icons. The Holy Fathers maintained the teaching that icons are forms of spirituality and used for Christian education. They taught that icons are not to be worshiped, but [...]
God cares for us especially while we struggle, and struggles affect parents and children alike. In today's Gospel, we hear about the widowed mother from Nain, who encounters Jesus during the funeral procession for her only son, who had just passed away. What happened when Jesus saw her and stopped the funeral procession shows us first of all, how much compassion the Lord had for her! St. Luke specifically tells us that Jesus had compassion on her – not only for losing her son, but that she would be an outcast in society and dependent upon financial support from others.
My hope for this site is to provide our Sts. Constantine and Helen families with all the resources you need to stay involved in our parish -- events, links, etc. -- in one place. I also hope to provide timely insights into the Gospel readings for each week, as well as other important topics for Orthodox Christian parents, who have been entrusted by the Lord to raise children to "draw near" to Him with faith and love. If you [...]