Rain in the Desert

Fr. Apostolos shares the story of the Nativity of Christ, interspersed with Christmas carols.

In view of the national media's drumbeat of fear-mongering, Fr. Apostolos reminds us of angelic salutation "Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy!"

Fr. Apostolos talks about feeding ourselves spiritually, not only physically."Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."

Fr. Apostolos talks about the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple, and the difference between being AT church, IN church, and THE church.

From Ephesians and other passages from the New Testament, Fr. Apostolos shares about our union in Christ, "Regardless of all the nonsense and the crazy silly divisions that exist in the world, we are united to Christ and united to one another. May we be the ambassadors and reach out to those around us and pull them into our embrace, so that they also can be united to Christ and His Body."

Fr. Apostolos shares about agape from St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.

Fr. Apostolos shares what he says to visiting annual Festival tour groups about the Cathedral space.

Fr. Apostolos shares about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "As we celebrate the Sunday before the Exaltation of the Cross, may we commit ourselves every single day and every single hour of every day to living the message of the Gospel and thanking God that He loved us so much that He came."

Fr. Apostolos shares about sexual purity. "We cannot, we dare not, manufacture a false gospel that dismisses chastity and sexual purity because maintaining them is difficult."

Fr. Apostolos encourages us that it is possible to change. May we approach the Feast of the Transfiguration "with a sense of humility and anticipation that we too might be radically changed into that same image from glory to glory."

Fr. Apostolos reminds us that our whole self belongs to Christ.

Fr. Apostolos shares on the Sunday of the Paralytic. "Once healed and loosed from his paralysis, the paralytic took up his mat and started walking. So too must we shake off whatever form of spiritual paralysis has us in its grip and start walking actively, energetically, and intentionally in the Holy Orthodox faith God has given us."

Fr. Apostolos shares about the importance of oil in the Old Testament, the New Testament (the myrrh-bearing women), and today. "If our desire is for the Spirit of the Lord to come mightily upon us, we must walk in the anointing power of the Holy Spirit, for we are an anointed people. We are consecrated to God and we are destined for eternity. So, let us follow the bold example of the myrrh-bearing...

Now that Pascha is over (or is it?), will we return to life as before, or will we allow the life of Christ to change our lives?

Fr. Apostolos shares about the flash mob that gathered on Palm Sunday and at the trial of Jesus.

Fr. Apostolos encourages us to embrace Christ's sacrificial offering for us as graceful recipients of the salvation that He alone can bring.

Fr. Apostolos shares about the Ladder of Divine Ascent.

Fr. Apostolos speaks about the power of the Cross. "If only avoiding the reality of the Cross were as easy as skipping services during Great Lent and Holy Week. If only avoiding the reality of being crucified with Christ were as easy as roasting a lamb.... As Orthodox Christians in the West avoid the spectre of the Cross, others rush to embrace it."

"We are called to be saints. We are called to fellowship with God. We are called to sanctification and true freedom in Christ. We are called to lay hold of eternal life. May we ever strive to walk in that manner, worthy of the high calling as we press on in our Lenten journey."

Fr. Apostolos talks about the privilege and responsibility we have of knowing Christ personally.

Fr. Apostolos reminds us of the effort needed and the benefits of participating fully in the spiritual fitness regimen of Great Lent.

Fr. Apostolos helps to prepare us for Great Lent with reflections on the humility of the Publican.

As we approach Great Lent, Fr. Apostolos reflects on the stories of Jason Gibson and Zaccheus. "As we apply the energy of our will and labor to tame our desires so that they serve us and as we avoid the trap of being enslaved by our desires, we can overcome our wounds and learn how to soar in the spiritual life."

Fr. Apostolos asks, "Of what value is our life in Christ?"

Fr. Apostolos shares from the book of Exodus and the life of St. Columba to prepare us for the Feast of Theophany.