November 27, 2022

What is a life “worthy of our calling” as followers of Jesus Christ? In today’s Epistle reading, Saint Paul pleads with the Christians in Ephesus, “I, Paul, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Read more »

December 27, 2020

Did Christmas truly change the world? Did Christ come into the world to usher in a utopia? The Jews waited for a Messiah, whom the ancient prophets foretold would usher in a new era, fundamentally changing history? Yet let’s be honest, can we say that the world we live in is such a different place pre-Christmas compared to post-Christmas? Read more »

December 25, 2020

The year 2020 will be remembered throughout history as the year of the global pandemic. Not only disease and death. Corruption. Greed. Violence. Hatred. Divisiveness. Fear. Anxiety. The future surely seems uncertain. Is there Good News during difficult times? Read more »

December 13, 2020

During this year of a pandemic, when we’ve all quarantined and separated ourselves from one another, it’s so hard to stay disconnected from people. Fellowship and communion with one another offer us life, and yet, the pandemic keeps us apart! Where do we find joy? Read more »

November 22, 2020

What is success? How many of us think that success depends on what we possess, on how much we have? Read more »

November 15, 2020

It’s interesting how Jesus changes the dynamic from focusing on understanding “Who is my neighbor” to “Which of these three people proved neighbor to the man in need?” Read more »

November 08, 2020

As we come to a contentious conclusion of our presidential election, even though the aftermath of this divisiveness in our national politics may unfortunately continue, I really want to challenge all of us to take a step back and look deeply and honestly at ourselves and our actions over these past weeks and months. Read more »

October 31, 2020

Fear threatens to overwhelm us and endangers to divide us more and more from one another. It jeopardizes our sense of community and love for one another, leading us to bunker down into our own self-made shelters with people who are like minded. We keep away from the other, whom we fear. We separate ourselves from those whom we feel are different, and thus dangerous. Yet, fear is not from God! Read more »

October 25, 2020

If we would meet Christ in all his power, would we welcome Him, or would we turn Him away? Would we obey Him, or would we fear Him and ask Him to leave us alone? Read more »

October 18, 2020

Twenty-six years ago today, on the feast of my patron saint, Luke the Evangelist, I was ordained to the priesthood in Tirana, Albania by His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios. Read more »

October 11, 2020

How is it that in the same family, with the same upbringing, and with the same pious mother, siblings could end up on very different ends of the faith spectrum? Read more »

October 04, 2020

“Do unto others what you want them to do unto you.” The Golden Rule. Jesus basically said this rule summarizes the law and the prophets. Here is the spirit of our Orthodox Christian faith. Treating others the way we want to be treated.  Read more »

September 27, 2020

The Letter of Love. This is St. John the Evangelist’s beautiful letter which describes the divine love of God. “God is love. Whoever abides in love abides in God and God in him… There is no fear in love for perfect love casts out all fear... We are to love one another as God has loved us.” Read more »

September 20, 2020

I recently read about the life of St Maximillian Kolbe, the Polish Catholic priest who died in the Auschwitz Nazi death camp during WW2. His story is one of truly “denying yourself, taking up one’s cross, and following Jesus Christ." Read more »

September 14, 2020

What is the greatest power in the world? Read more »

September 07, 2020

“The kingdom of God will be taken from you!” What a harsh statement for Jesus to make. How could such a thing happen? Why would our Lord, who “desires every person to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth,” warn people he loves so much in such a stern and severe manner “The kingdom of God will be taken from you.” Read more »

August 31, 2020

What is something we feel attached to? Something that we wouldn’t want to lose or aren’t willing to give up? Well, today’s Gospel story has a challenging lesson about attachments. Read more »

August 24, 2020

Whenever we are confronted in life with a choice to forgive or not forgive someone else, we are given a choice to experience the grace of life or the horror of death. By holding on to resentment, bitterness, anger, and even hatred, we open the door to misery and death in our own lives. Read more »

August 16, 2020

In his letter to the Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul describes the life of an apostle, the ultimate follower of Christ, as being, “last of all, sentenced to death, a spectacle to the world, fools for Christ's sake; we are weak, we are held in disrepute, we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad, buffeted, homeless, we labor working with our own hands, we are the refuse of the world, the off-scouring of all.” Read more »

August 10, 2020

“Jesus dismissed the crowds and then went up into the hills by himself to pray” It’s a phrase that can easily be lost in the midst of the major events of the Gospel. Read more »

August 03, 2020

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”  These words offer a summary of the life of the Virgin Mary. Read more »

July 25, 2020

The first person to enter paradise – who was he? The Virgin Mary? Saint Paul or Saint Peter? One of the other great saints of history? Who was the first person to enter into paradise? Read more »

July 19, 2020

What can we learn from a nonconformist, chain-smoking, twice divorced Russian nun who scandalized many people with her non-traditional behavior? Read more »

July 12, 2020

How many of us prefer to ignore the demons in our lives? Our temper. Our pride. Our anger. Our greed. Our lust. Our laziness. What about certain addictions or daily habits that control us? Read more »

June 28, 2020

Many people are feeling extremely anxious, stressed, worried, and profoundly uncertain about what tomorrow will bring. Well, our Lord Jesus proclaims such a beautiful, comforting and relevant message today! Read more »

June 21, 2020

Happy Father’s Day! On this day that we honor fathers, I want all the men of our Church to reflect upon what legacy we are creating and leaving behind in our lives. Read more »

June 14, 2020

Extremism from the right and from the left are the work of evil, the work of the devil to divide us from one another. There’s only one form of extremism that is ever acceptable as a Christian, and that is the extremism of love! If you want to be an extremist, be an extremist in showing love to one another, especially to those who appear different then you. If you want to be an extremist, be an extremist in offering mercy, especially to those who you think don’t deserve mercy. If you want to be an extremist, be an extremist in forgiving one another and reconciling with one another, especially with those who come from the opposite political spectrum as yourself. Read more »

June 07, 2020

Our country is so bitterly divided. We all face the common danger of a pandemic. This past week we have been confronted with the greater and more insidious virus of racism and hatred, whose historic wounds have once again reopened. Our protests for justice and change have been met by chaos and confusion. And through it all, we choose to remain divided. Bitterly divided. Read more »

May 31, 2020

Throughout our country, we see mayhem. Protests filled with anger, cities burning, and utter chaos. After two months of quarantine from a pandemic, we now confront the even greater threat and evil in our society with the terrible virus of racism raising its ugly head once again. Read more »

May 24, 2020

Today we get a glimpse into understanding the mystery of suffering.  We look at the questions, “Why do people suffer?  Why does a good God allow pain and problems in the world?" Read more »

May 17, 2020

Here is the promise Jesus offered to the broken, marginalized, sinful Samaritan Woman, and it is the same promise He makes to each one of us. “Come to me and drink from my Living Water, come and drink daily and I will give you water the refreshes your soul, that cleanses your spirit, and that gives you an abundant life.” Read more »

May 10, 2020

If one phrase summarizes many mothers, it would be “sacrificial love.” She is the one who is always ready to give of her time and her very self, and often she gives in quiet, humble ways. She is the one who will get up early and be the last one to sleep making sure that everything is in order. Read more »

May 03, 2020

Christ is Risen! And with His Resurrection, Christ changed the world! That’s a bold statement, and yet when one studies world history and understands the impact of Christians throughout the centuries, there’s no denying the influence of Christianity on a global scale. Read more »

April 27, 2020

“My Lord and my God.” What does this statement imply when we say it with faith. Read more »

April 18, 2020

In this Mystery of Life, even if we don’t fully understand it, we can know one thing for sure – God is in control. Read more »

April 13, 2020

How will we welcome Christ in our lives? That is the question we want to reflect upon today! Read more »

April 04, 2020

What is greatness? And how do we define greatness, or more importantly achieve greatness? In NY City today, ground zero for the pandemic in America, it is so clear that true greatness can be measured by the heroic and sacrificial service of the nurses and doctors and frontline medical workers risking their lives to help others during this crisis! Read more »

March 30, 2020

I sent out an email to our Church Family and within 24 hours, we received $1650 and 12 baskets, with others willing to give more if there is a need! Imagine that! Read more »

March 23, 2020

“The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” As we get tested by the crucible we all face today in the coronavirus, let us take an honest look at ourselves and repent, turning away from all that we have embraced that is superficial and meaningless, and turning toward the Way of the Cross, the Path of Sacrificial Love which leads us to Holy Wisdom. Read more »

March 16, 2020

The Coronavirus. A pandemic. Whole cities being quarantined. Travel interrupted. Schools closing. Stadiums and large gatherings forbidden. Financial markets plummeting. Fear and the danger of mass panic and even hysteria. It almost sounds like a horror movie, and yet we all realize we’re facing this reality right now. Read more »

March 08, 2020

We live in a relativistic society where we no longer value truth. The internet and airwaves are filled with “fake news” and we don’t know where to turn to find what is really true. Read more »

March 01, 2020

“If you forgive, it means that God has forgiven you; but if you do not forgive your brother, it means that your sin remains with you.” (St Silouan) Read more »

February 16, 2020

Unless we look at a person and see the beauty there is in this person, we can contribute nothing to him. One does not help a person by discerning what is wrong, what is ugly, what is distorted. Christ looked at everyone he met and saw the beauty hidden there. Read more »

February 09, 2020

How many of us think we’re better than some others? Honestly, how many of us have judged someone else, thinking that we’re not like them because we’re better? We condemn others, while we praise ourselves before God! Read more »

February 02, 2020

We celebrate in the Church today one of the great Feasts of the Church calendar – the feast when the Virgin Mary and Joseph bring the 40-day old infant Jesus into the Temple of Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. The parents of Jesus obey the Jewish law by doing what all faithful Jewish parents would do, offering their firstborn child to God and dedicating Him in the Temple of Jerusalem. Read more »

January 26, 2020

The Worcester Telegram and Gazette wrote about our Church, “When it comes to the adage ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive,’ Saints Constantine and Helen Church practices what it preaches.” We put into practice the JOY OF GIVING! We have learned the understanding that WE ARE BLESSED SO THAT WE BLESS OTHERS, so that we share our blessings with others less fortunate! This is the spirit of our Church and we want to cultivate this in all our members. Read more »

January 19, 2020

Think of someone who is very special in your life. A spouse. A parent. A child. A friend. Now say a little prayer of thanksgiving to God, say it quietly in your heart. Read more »

January 12, 2020

The kingdom of God is at hand! In other words, the kingdom of God is present, here and now! It is not some far off reality we must wait for. Heaven is not some future dream. The kingdom of God, the reign of God, is something we can experience here and now! Read more »

January 05, 2020

In the midst of this world’s darkness, we Christians hear Jesus Christ proclaim loudly and boldly, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Read more »