1. When, exhausted by illness, I sense that the end of my earthly existence is approaching: Lord, have mercy upon me. 2. When my poor heart, beating its last, is languishing and pining in the pangs of death: Lord, have mercy upon me. 3. When for the last time, my eyes fill with tears at the thought that with sins throughout my life I have offended Thee, O God: Lord, have mercy upon me. 4. When my rapid heartbeat speeds... Read more

There’s an old joke that goes like this: A bunch of scientists created a huge machine capable of complex calculations and called it UNIVAC. Eager to test their invention, they asked it, “Is there a God?” The vacuum tubes hummed and the tape spools spun for several minutes. Finally, the machine spit out a little card, on which was written, “THERE IS NOW.” On this day in 1951, the Remington Rand Corporation signed a contract to deliver the first UNIVAC... Read more

As noted in the Endnotes of the book, We Came, We Saw, We Converted – The Lighter Side of Orthodoxy in America (concerning the chapter “Shut Up, Go Home, Pray More”): The Not of This World Conference sponsored by Rose Hill College and TOUCHSTONE magazine — Aiken, South Carolina, May 1995 — was, hands down, the best theological gathering I have ever attended. At that conference, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christians gathered for what was billed as an “Ecumenical... Read more

A portion of this week’s episode, already in progress: Having gathered in front of the temple, we were at the point, per the service rubrics, where I turned toward the door with the hand blessing Cross in my hand and forcefully knocked on the door, saying:Lift up your gates, O ye princes; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting gates, and the King of Glory shall enter in. Nothing happened. Realizing that much preparation had gone into this moment –... Read more

Since I have a “bad habit” of giving copies of this book to those struggling to make Confession, and since it’s “that time of year” …From a few years back: Fr. Joseph: I wanted to both congratulate you and personally thank you for the book you wrote. There are countless truths in love … thank God, throughout the book. However, the message, over and over, to come to one’s senses, confess, receive forgiveness, and struggle to repent is overwhelming. But,... Read more

The Rt. Rev. John Abdallah, Dean of St George Cathedral in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, PA, the editor of The Word magazine, a professional counselor and an educator delivered a presentation — “Good Grief – Going Through the (Healthy) Process of Grieving” — at St George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Houston, on February 17, 2011. For nearly two decades Fr. John has led T.H.E.O.S. (They Help Each Other Spiritually), an international support group for widows and widowers. Fr John’s entire... Read more

This from Wednesday, January 18, 2006: Comments have been steadily flowing in from Vassula devotees since I put a moratorium on their comments on this blog. According to Sitemeter, her followers spend time googling blogs on the World Wide Web tracking down comments to comment upon. So, in an effort toward full disclosure, here’s her site: True Life in God. Use your own discernment. Another old post – here. Now this from the Ecumenical Patriarchate March 16, 2011: Announcement On... Read more

It’s the birthday of Flannery O’Connor [Savannah, Georgia (1925)] who wrote two novels and 32 short stories and who said: “I come from a family where the only emotion respectable to show is irritation. In some this tendency produces hives, in others literature, in me both.” When she was six, she and a chicken that she taught to walk backward appeared on the news. She later said: “I was just there to assist the chicken but it was the high... Read more

Click the above image to enlarge. Here’s the INFO and REGISTRATION. NEW – Updated Schedule! Co-sponsored by Houston Baptist University, Pope John Paul II Forum, University of St. Thomas, Orthodox Clergy Association of Southeast Texas, and TOUCHSTONE Magazine. Hope to see you in Houston at the end of April! Read more

There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come of out of him, those are they that defile the man ([St.] Mark 7:15). This and similar passages – for example, But meat commendeth us not unto God (I Cor. 8:8) – are usually cited by those who do not like to fast, supposing that they thereby sufficiently justify the fact that they do not fast according to the rule and... Read more