And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’The Woman Who Washed The Feet of Jesus[Luke 7:36-50] Are you saved? Many of us have been confronted with this stark question in hand-outs from street-corner evangelists. As Orthodox Christians, what is our answer? We can...
Which of the two did the will of his father?The Two Sons[Matthew 21: 28-32] A Christian evangelist of some years back made a point of preaching the Gospel outside of churches to those who were indifferent or hostile to the faith. By the end of his career, he had...
Well done, good and faithful servantThe Parable of the Talents[Matthew 25:14-30] So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another (Romans 12:4). So did St. Paul describe the Church, in an image full of significance, and well worth...
Bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lameThe Parable of the Great Dinner[Luke 14: 15-24] Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God! Joyous and fortunate, indeed. The Kingdom of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit is invoked at the Divine...
How much more will the heavenly Father give… The Parable of the Father’s Good Gifts[Luke 11:11-13] Every good gift is from above, coming from you, the Father of lights. This thankful acknowledgement from the letter of St. James is offered at the conclusion...
Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?The Friend at Midnight & The Widow before the Unjust Judge[Luke 11: 5-8 and Luke 18: 1-8 ] The Greeks have a word for it. In fact, when it comes to ‘time,’ ancient Greek had two words for...
Two men went up to the temple to pray…The Publican and the Pharisee[Luke 18:9-14] You are driving to church one bright Sunday morning. You pass long lines outside a donut shop, folks lining up at the golf tees, people shopping and strolling. The thought briefly...
Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?The House on the Rock; The Unfinished Tower[Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 14:28-30] Saint Basil, one of the three ‘ecumenical hierarchs’ of the Orthodox Church, is called ‘the Great.’ Considering his teachings...
‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’The King at War and the Unfinished Tower[Luke 14:28-32] Throughout the ages, nations have gone to war with high spirits — patriotic crowds, a confident military, soldiers filled with martial spirit, politicians...
‘Make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth’The Unjust Manager[Luke 16:1-9] There is a saying about a certain type of Christian that goes: ‘He is so spiritual that he is no earthly good.’ In response, Jesus offers us a parable that is strange, even...
