Rain in the Desert

Fr. Apostolos shares about the Incarnation. "As the Ark of the Old Covenant was held to be the physical manifestation of the presence of God to the people of Israel, the Ark of the New Covenant, the Ever-virgin Mary, is held to be the divine vessel of Immanuel, which means God With Us."

Fr. Apostolos exhorts us to be as welcoming to others at the Eucharistic feast as we are to welcoming new family members around our holiday tables.

Fr. Apostolos talks about the theme of light as it relates to the Feast of the Nativity.

Fr. Apostolos shares three reasons to be grateful and three suggestions to consecrate the Thanksgiving holiday.

Fr. Apostolos shares about the life of Saint Nektarios of Pentapolis and encourages us to follow his example of humility, gentleness, perseverance, and devotion.

Referencing the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Fr. Apostolos shares about suffering. "Suffering can make no sense to us unless we view it from an eternal perspective. Our suffering is made worse because we have lost the vision of the goal of suffering."

Fr. Apostolos speaks about accepting and rejecting Christ.

Fr. Apostolos shares about real strength from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians.

Fr. Apostolos shares from 2 Corinthians 6 about the importance of finding the right context for our life in Christ. "Come out and be separate...."

Fr. Apostolos talks about synergy with Christ.

Fr. Apostolos speaks about the importance of attending and participating in the divine services. "No matter how many theological books we read or classes we attend, the treasure of Holy Orthodoxy can only be revealed in and through the medium of divine worship."

Fr. Apostolos shares about suffering on the Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Holy Cross. He quotes an abbot, "The one who has suffered nothing in this life has been abandoned by God."

Fr. Apostolos speaks from the Gospel of St. John, chapter 3, "For God so loved the world...," exhorting us that "love alone is the surety of our doctrinal purity."

On Labor Day weekend, Fr. Apostolos shares about the tyranny of being BUSY (Being Under Satan's Yoke) and entering into God's rest.

Fr. Apostolos talks about financial pressures, contentment, and priorities. "As we grow in contentment, and learn to resist the allure of the never-ending parade of consumer goods that we didn't know existed a moment ago, but somehow cannot now possibly live without, a new world of possibilities will emerge for us in the freedom that only Jesus Christ can give."

Fr. Apostolos shares from 1 Corinthians 3, reminding us that our bodies belong to the Lord, "The temple of God is holy, and that is what you are."

With reflections on the life and ministry of St. Panteleimon, Fr. Apostolos encourages us to commit ourselves to give at least as much attention to our spiritual health as we do to our physical well-being.

Fr. Apostolos addresses sin as the animating principle behind the blood-letting we are witnessing around the world. References are drawn primarily from the Prophet Isaiah whose insights are as relevant today as they were 2,700 years ago.

Fr. Apostolos talks about the dangers of confusing externalism with spiritual fruit.

Fr. Apostolos shares on All Saints Sunday, "The memory of all the saints, those who we know and those whose names only God knows, may be we inspired by their witness and their confession from all of those from ancient times to more recent times for whom there was no turning back."

Fr. Apostolos speaks about the First Ecumenical Council and the importance of obedience to our spiritual fathers.

Fr. Apostolos shares on the Sunday of the Blind Man. "Jesus Christ ardently desires to remove from us our own deeply seated spiritual blindness, replacing the shattered eyes of our unrepentant hearts with the eyes of faith capable of receiving the vision of His glory."

Fr. Apostolos shares about myrrh in the Old Testament, New Testament, and today. "We must become emblems of hope as we bear that sacred myrrh, that oil of healing to a broken world."

Fr. Apostolos talks about the difference that Christ's resurrection makes in our lives.

Fr. Apostolos shares about St. Mary of Egypt and other "rascal" saints.