As we welcome Christ into our lives and world at His Nativity, we must remain focused. There is no shortage of distractions this time of year that appeal to our passions and threaten to convince us that there are matters more important than accepting His gracious invitation to enter fully into the joy of the banquet of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Savior calls us to embrace our true vocation not only during divine services or in the eschatological future, but in every moment of our lives.

Today is the Sunday before the Feast of Theophany (or Epiphany), when we celebrate Christ’s baptism in the river Jordan and the revelation that He is truly the Son of God. His divinity is made manifest and openly displayed at His baptism when the voice of the Father declares, “You are my beloved Son” and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him in the form of a dove. Theophany shows us that Jesus Christ, who was born in the flesh for our salvation at Christmas, is not merely a great religious teacher or moral example. He is truly God—a member of the Holy Trinity– and His salvation permeates His entire creation, including the water of the river Jordan. Through Christ’s and our baptism, we become participants in the holy mystery of our salvation, for He restores to us the robe of light which our first parents lost when they chose pride and self-centeredness over obedience and communion. He enters the Jordan to restore Adam and Eve, and all their children, to the dignity of those who bear the image and likeness of God.

On the last several Sundays, our gospel readings have challenged us to return home from our self-imposed exile. Zacchaeus gave more than justice required to the poor and those whom he had exploited from his ill-gotten gains, and was restored as a son of Abraham. By her persistence and humility, the Canaanite woman received the deliverance of her daughter as a sign that Christ calls all people to return home to Him in faith. The publican returned to his spiritual home by humbly calling for the Lord’s mercy, even as the Pharisee exiled himself by his pride. The prodigal son took the long journey home after coming to his senses about the misery of being in exile from the father whom he had abandoned.

The themes of exile and return are prominent throughout the entire narrative of the Bible. Adam and Eve were cast out of Paradise. The Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt until Moses led them back to the Promised Land. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah went into exile in Assyria and Babylon, respectively, with only Judah returning home. The Jews endured a kind of exile when the Romans occupied their land and longed for restoration through a new King David. Our Lord provided the true restoration of a kingdom not of this world, leading all with faith in Him back to Paradise through His Cross and glorious resurrection. The canon of the New Testament concludes with the Revelation or Apocalypse, which portrays the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, the joyful fulfillment of all things in Him.

On this first Sunday of Great Lent, we commemorate the restoration of icons centuries ago in the Byzantine Empire. They were banned due to a misguided fear of idolatry, but restored as a proclamation of how Christ calls us to participate in His salvation in every dimension of our existence.

We will misunderstand these blessed weeks of Lent if we assume that they are about helping us to have clearer ideas or deeper feelings about our Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection. We will be even more confused if we think that our intensified prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and repentance somehow earn God’s forgiveness or make us better than other people. Quite the contrary, Lenten disciples are simply opportunities to open our souls to the gracious healing of our Lord so that we may share more fully in His life. That is another way of saying that the point of Lent is to grow in our knowledge of God through true spiritual experience and encounter.

If we have embraced the spiritual practices of Lent with any level of integrity for the last few weeks, the weakness of our faith has surely become apparent to us.

The Desert Father Saint Antony the Great once tested a group of monks by asking them, beginning with the youngest, the meaning of a certain passage of Scripture. In response to their answers, he said, “You have not understood it.” Finally, he asked Abba Joseph, who said, “I do not know.” Then Abba Antony said, “Indeed Abba Joseph has found the way, for he has said: ‘I do not know.’”

Today we continue to celebrate the most fundamental and joyful proclamation of our faith: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!

As we continue to celebrate our Lord’s glorious resurrection on the third day and victory over Hades and the tomb, we have to admit that all too often we live as though death still reigned. We do so especially when we obsess about how weak, broken, and vulnerable we are, especially in light of the grave.

Forty days after His resurrection, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ ascended in glory into heaven and sat at the right hand of God the Father. He did so as One Who is fully divine and fully human, One Person with two natures. He ascended with His glorified, resurrected body, which still bore the wounds of His crucifixion. Our Lord’s Ascension reveals that we may participate by grace in the eternal life of the Holy Trinity and share in His fulfillment of the human person in God’s image and likeness. We may experience such blessedness even now by uniting ourselves to Christ even as we live and breathe in this world with our feet on the ground.

We live in a time when many people water down and distort the Christian faith however it pleases them. Some do so in support of their favorite political or cultural agendas, while others simply want a little spirituality to help them find greater peace of mind or success in their daily lives, which do not differ at all from those of people who do not identify themselves as Christians

Our Lord’s ministry violated many of the religious and cultural sensibilities of first-century Palestine in shocking ways. Contrary to all expectations for the Jewish Messiah, He asked for a drink of water from a Samaritan woman with a broken personal history, engaged in an extended spiritual conversation with her, and then spent two days in a Samaritan village. He invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus, a corrupt tax-collector for the Roman army of occupation. And as we read today, He not only healed the servant of a Roman centurion, but said of this man, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” This encounter is truly astounding because the Jews expected a Messiah to defeat the Romans by military force, not to praise the faith of their officers.

We are certainly in a spiritually rich time of year in the life of the Church. Having begun the fast in preparation for the Dormition of the Theotokos, we are now also anticipating the Transfiguration of the Lord, when Peter, James, and John beheld His divine glory on Mount Tabor. As with all the feasts of the Church, the point is not simply to remember what happened long ago, but instead to participate personally in the eternal truth made manifest in these celebrations. And that means nothing less than being transfigured ourselves by our Lord’s gracious divine energies as we come to share more fully in His restoration and fulfillment of the human person as a living icon of God.

Today we continue to celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mt. Tabor, when the spiritual eyes of Peter, James, and John were opened to behold His divine glory. They saw Him shining brilliantly and heard the voice of the Father proclaiming “This is my beloved Son with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” We also continue to prepare to celebrate the Dormition (or “falling asleep”) of the Theotokos, when she became the first to follow her Son as a whole embodied person into the eternal life of the heavenly kingdom.

It is easy to fall into despair before our own personal problems, the challenges faced by loved ones, and the brokenness of our society and world. It is tempting to refuse to accept that we remain responsible for offering ourselves to Christ as best we can for healing and transformation in holiness, regardless of what is going on in our lives, families, or world

As we continue to celebrate the Elevation of the Holy Cross, we must remain on guard against the temptation of viewing our Lord’s Cross as merely a religious symbol that requires nothing of us. Through His Self-Offering on the Cross, Christ has conquered death and brought salvation to the world. But in order for us to share personally in His eternal life, we must take up our own crosses, deny ourselves, and follow Him. If we refuse to do that, then we will show that we are ashamed of our Lord and want no part in Him or His Kingdom. We will show that we prefer to continue in the old way of death rather than to enter by His grace into the heavenly reign.

Many are strongly tempted today to allow the problems facing our culture and world to distract us from growing to maturity in the Christian life and bearing good fruit for the Kingdom of God. That is perfectly understandable in light of our constant access to global media and the gravity of current events.

Fr. John recorded these comments in his car on the way to the Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers service in his region. He asks, "What is the difference between Triumph and Triumphalism?"

Fr. John shares the Homily of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) for the Sunday of the Last Judgment.

Dr. Humphrey takes us to the letter to the Hebrews for the Christian Hall of Fame as we approach the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

As we approach the Sunday of the Adoration of the Cross during Great Lent, Dr. Humphrey reviews the scriptural passages which will be read and reflects on the obedience of Christ and our own obedience.

Dr. Edith Humphrey considers the Judges’ parable of the bramble and the trees, and the most famous of the Servant Songs of Isaiah, to illuminate the godly vs. self-seeking ambition, and the New Testament readings for this week.

Dr. Humphrey explores the meaning of “Memory eternal”, beginning with the idea of God remembering, and then going on to discuss what it means to remember “the least” who will be first—those whose names we may not know, but who have turned in costly faith towards the Lord.

Professor Humphrey here tackles the difficult passage of Romans 10:1-10, showing that it echoes Deuteronomy 30. Here we see the mistake of interpreting the religion of Israel as a cold and legalistic religion of laws, and are called to generosity of spirit in praying for all who do not know Christ, including the Jewish people, whom St. Paul declares to be “beloved for the sake of their forefathers.”

What is sure and what is shallow? Our Great Vesper readings (Genesis 14:14-20, Deuteronomy 1:8-11, 15-17 and Deuteronomy 10:14-21) guide us in understanding what the fathers of the ecumenical councils have done, and in reading Titus 3:8-15 and Luke 8:5-15.

Consider how the gospel readings from various jurisdictions for this Sunday clarify St. Paul’s difficult retort to St. Peter in Galatians concerning the Law, faith, and the faithfulness of Christ, and how the OT clarifies the meaning of the phrase “Son of God” used in all these passages!

What is a seemly response to our knowledge of the mysteries that archangels and angels lead celestial worship, and are sent to minister to us? This podcast considers this week’s readings (Hebrews 2:2-10; Luke 8:41-9:1) in the light of Daniel 8:16; 9:21-11:1; Joshua 5:13-15, Rev. 12:7-11.

Let’s consider the story of the Samaritan leper in terms of God’s love for his one fold, shepherded by Christ our Lord, and foreshadowed in stories and prophecies about Gentiles in the Old Testament. Jesus recognized the thanksgiving of an outcast and heretic in his day; what, then, ought we to think about the descendants of God’s ancient people, Israel?

The story of the “little man” Zacchaeus (Luke 19:10) is illuminated as we consider a psalm concerning the “sons of Abraham” (1 Chronicles 16:7-14) and the vision of the victorious “Son of Man” (Dan. 7:12-14; 17-18) who came to rescue those who were lost. 1 Timothy 4:8-15 then encourages the entire Christian community (not simply those who are leaders) to grow in godliness, representing the Lord to those who are around us.

Consider this difficult story (Matthew 15: 21-28) of Jesus ‘refusing’ to help, and consider the mercy, rather than the fairness of our mysterious and compassionate Lord. The Fathers and the Old Testament help us through this awkward gospel reading.

Luke 15:11-32; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Hosea 14:1-9; Isaiah 55:1-7

Consider how the prophet Isaiah and the sage ben Sirach help us to understand more about the gospel’s teaching on forgiveness, and St. Paul’s words on living the attentive life of ascesis. Why should we ask forgiveness of those whom we think we haven’t even hurt—because our sins hurt everyone in the body of Christ!

We read Hebrews 1:10-2:3 and Mark 2:1-12 shows how the arrival of God the Son in our midst was wholly unanticipated, something completely new, helped by hints in Psalm 101 (102 MT) and Daniel 7.

We consider the donkey who bore Jesus into Jerusalem and, with St. Mary of Bethany (John 12:1-18), contemplate the beautiful but surprising acts of God (Philippian 4:4-9) in the light of Numbers 22; Zechariah 9:9, and select poems from G. K. Chesterton, William Blake, and Samuel Crossman.

This Sunday we listen in on Jesus’ appearance to the eleven, and then his special visit with St. Thomas, learning, with the help of the epistle of John, how Jesus is LORD and God over the whole created order. He answers our sensory questions, and not simply the abstract “spiritual” problems of life, bringing us to know Him intimately. John 20:19-31; 1 John 1:1-7 Genesis 2; Exodus 3

St. John Chrysostom sets the tone for us, showing us how to receive riches from our readings for this Sunday, the Sunday of the paralytic. Both John 5:1-15 and Acts 9:32-42 relate stories that are concrete fulfillments of the prophecy in Micah 4:1-7 that God would call those on the margins of society, including the disabled, as part of his “remnant,” to give glory to Him.

Our readings for this Sunday before Ascension are dramatic stories of Jesus’s healing of the blind man, and the conversion of the jailer after Paul and Silas had been wrongfully imprisoned (John 9:1-38; Acts 16:16-35). Psalm 2 and Daniel 7 help us to understand the authority (and compassion) of the Son of Man, and lead us to reflect upon our place in an increasingly hostile world, where both religious and political powers may not appreciate the glory of the Lord, or our solidarity with Him.

Our readings for this week hold together in tension two key teachings: that everything is by God’s initiative, and that we are called to respond. God is sovereign, and yet looks for our cooperation. We see these teachings in Matthew 4:18-23 and Romans 2:10-16, illumined by numerous OT passages, including Isa 53:2-5, the Song of the Suffering Servant.

Our readings for this Sunday give us deep insight into God’s practical care for the new human family that is reconstituted around the God-Man Jesus. He feeds them and suffers for them as the Good Shepherd, and teaches his disciples how to humbly care for others, as well. The Holy Theotokos is the example par excellence of one who has learned these lessons of nurture and humility. Matthew 14:14-22; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, Ezekiel 34:11-23, 2 Kings 40-44, Psalm 23.

Our readings for this Sunday, 1 Cor. 4:9-16; Matthew 17:14-23 are clarified in the Old Testament, in 1 Samuel (1 Kingdoms)16:1-13; Micah 5:2-4. Here we see the great paradox of humility that shows forth greatness: we become, as G. K. Chesterton put it. “Straighter when we bend and taller when we bow.” Authentic reliance upon God is born of such humility, and so is authentic love for others. We see the examples in the cross-bearing Jesus, and in the apostle Paul, ‘father’ to the Corinthians.

This week we look at Jesus’ first meeting with Peter in the light of Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messiah to come. We are helped to understand Peter’s great fear at Jesus’ ability to see into the depths of the sea, and the human heart. We are also given courage by St. Paul as we hear how our Christ God has reconciled enemies, and continues to work in his Church. (Luke 5:1-11; 2 Cor 1: 21-2:4; Col 1:13-23; Isaiah 11:1-9)

To err is human and to forgive is divine, but our readings for this coming Sunday, illumined by the prophets, show us that the proclamation of forgiveness is now a human responsibility. The God-Man demonstrates that God has bestowed this divine characteristic, part of His glory, to those who are his sons and daughters. God forgives, and we forgive. (Matthew 9:1-8; Romans 12:6-14; Jeremiah 31:27-34; Jonah 3:1-10)

This week we concentrate upon the epistle reading, where St. Paul mentions (as he does elsewhere), God’s armor for our use in life. This imagery may be difficult for a contemporary audience, but it is found many places in Scripture, and cannot be dismissed. We consider the “active” and “passive” weapons wielded by our Lord Jesus, and commended to us, by means of other NT readings, Isaiah, and the book of Wisdom. (2 Corinthians 6:1-10; Isaiah 59:15-17; Wisdom 5:17-20; Isaiah 11:3-5)

The prophet Jeremiah helps us to consider, along with this Sunday’s gospels and epistle, the different ways in which God makes himself intimately known to each of us, and to all of us together, in the Church. (Luke 8:26-39; Gal 1:11-19; Luke 16:19-31; Jeremiah 31:31-34)

The prophet Isaiah and St. John Chrysostom help us to understand why God hides and reveals, as we read Galatians 1 and Luke 8:41-56. We are led to pay special attention to the epistle, since we have heard it twice in the space of two weeks!

Looking at the heart of things clearly a principle of the Old Testament as well as the New. But in the NT, we learn also that God has concern for the material world and for the details of life, for in the Incarnation He took on all that it is to be human. We read our passages for Divine Liturgy in the light of other Old and New Testament readings that help us to see things in perspective. (Galatians 6:11-18; Luke 12:16-21; 1 Chronicles 28:9)

We look at the Psalms, the purpose of the Torah for the Hebrew people, and the story of David dancing before the ark to illumine the theme of liberty seen in our readings for this coming Divine Liturgy.

The “unnecessary” stories of the three youths (in Daniel 3 and The Song of Azariah) and of St. Joseph, husband of the Theotokos (Matthew 1) are illumined by God’s care for the humble in Deuteronomy 10:14-21.

We consider the humility of Jesus and the Theotokos in the Presentation, as well as the reason why humility is so important, as seen in our readings for Divine Liturgy this Sunday (2 Timothy 3:10-15; Luke 18:10-14), in the light of Hezekiah’s plea before God in 4 Kingdoms 19:9-20 and our Lord’s own pattern in Philippians 2: 5-11.