Eastern Christian Insights

Fr. Philip LeMasters explains why Orthodox Christians adore the cross of Jesus Christ.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on the opportunity that we are given to become fully human through the transforming grace of God.

Fr. Philip LeMasters explains how the Sunday of Orthodoxy calls us to become living icons of the risen Savior.

Fr. Philip LeMasters calls us to live in a life of genuine forgiveness that is empowered by the divine energy of God.

Fr. Philip LeMasters calls us to enter the fast of Great Lent in order to find the fulfillment of our deep desires in God!

Fr. Philip LeMasters invites us to embrace the courageous humility of the Prodigal Son as we prepare to enter Great Lent.

Fr. Philip LeMasters calls us to open our lives to the Holy God in humility, following the example of the Publican.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus during his baptism and upon His followers as beautiful epiphanies in the world.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on the baptism of Christ by the Holy Prophet and Forerunner, John the Baptist.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on the genealogy of Jesus, and healing work of redemption that comes through Christ.

Responding to the call to come to the heavenly banquet requires us to leave behind those things to which we are enslaved.

The point of the Christian life is a participation in the healing of the human person, struggling against the forces of evil in our own souls.

As we prepare for the coming nativity of Jesus, we need to follow the example of Blind Bartimaeus who opened his life to the Light of Christ in humility.

Approaching God's requirements as a simple checklist for eternal life will leave us, like the Rich Young Ruler, outside of the great joy of Christmas.

When we become distracted by the indulgence of our passions, we will be like the rich fool who was blind to the ultimate purpose of his life before God.

"Loving our neighbors as ourselves foreshadows the blessedness of the Kingdom where there are no hated foreigners."

Are we so spiritually blind that we are unable to see the resurrected Christ and to offer ourselves to others in sacrificial love?

The woman suffering from a physical ailment that made her ceremonially unclean is an example for us in how to approach Jesus in humility and faith.

Our favorite sins drive us into the isolation of the wilderness, away from the healing power of Jesus. Once healed, the best witness to the transforming power of Christ is the personal story of those set free.

What is the point of our lives according to Jesus?

Who do you think you are? Is it leading you more and more into the likeness of Jesus?

Jesus calls all to take up our cross and follow him for our entire life.

Each one of us are invited into new life in Christ. However, we must be willing to die to those things which hold us back if we are to become a 'new creation' in Christ like the Theotokos.

Self-centeredness is an act of idolatry, addressed by giving of ourselves and our desires to meet the needs of others.

Are you willing to look at what your life truly is like? It is the grace of God that moves us more and more into the life of Christ, crucifying our shame and despair.