With all the talk about “Swine Flu” (H1N1) and other communicable diseases, the question arises: “Can I get sick from the Chalice?” There is a one word answer to this, but more on that later. First, a few words about those who should not receive Holy Communion … + If you are Orthodox and not taking your spiritual life seriously; + If you are not living a life of faith and repentance; + If you have not been faithful in... Read more

A recent podcast, When God Ain’t Good Enough, scratched the surface of “the good” and our cheating disobedience. For further reflection, these two: Thanks to Orthodoxy Today. And this … “We are so used to thinking of spirituality as withdrawal from the world and human affairs that it is hard to think of it as political. Spirituality is personal and private, we assume, while politics is public. But such a dichotomy drastically diminishes spirituality construing it as a relationship to... Read more

O almighty and everlasting Father, King of kings and Lord of lords, Thou Who art the unfailing Protection of the faithful and the sure Hope of all who trust in Thee: As we mourn the sudden violence and deaths occasioned by the evil and barbarous attacks on our nation of September 11th, 2001 and celebrate the selfless heroism of the first-responders, we humbly beseech Thee to reveal unto us the immense power of Thine own goodness. Come swiftly to our... Read more

Back when I was in seminary, during the good ol’ days at Nashotah House in Wisconsin, we had two athletic contests each year – football & softball – both against another Episcopal seminary, Seabury-Western, in Chicago. (PIC: That’s me, white hat backwards, back row, 7th from left; Fr Joseph Kimmet is 3rd from left, same row.) Nashotah House, known far and wide for liturgics, is not known for her athletics. Additionally, my first year at seminary we were vexed by... Read more

Fr John Moses writes:You should be with me on a Friday night when I walk into Wal-mart. Being a Russian priest, I am dressed in my black prodrasnik, ryassa and skufia (long robes with big sleeves and a black hat). With my long white hair and white beard, I am quite a sight. People have never seen anything like me. The reaction can go something like this: “Hey, Bubba, take a look at that! Is that a woman?” Of course,... Read more

The recent flap about the Harry Icon got me thinking about the “good ol’ days” … back when I thought Harry Potter was the bogeyman. Now that the comments on the previous post have made it safer for me to wade in, I must confess: When I received my first HARRY ICON EMAIL OF OUTRAGE I didn’t even notice the Harry Icon. I mean, I saw it … but proceeded on to skim the accompanying article, found it safe and... Read more

Don’t shoot me — I’m just the blogger! This image, which recently accompanied a story in the Dallas Morning News, is … well … ummm: What? The person who sent it to me included this note: ——– begin quoted material ——- “The front page of the August 30th Dallas News Points section featured an illustration which is offending many area Orthodox Christians. The illustration accompanies an article by Michael Paulson, a religion reporter for the Boston Globe. Many Orthodox Christians... Read more

PIC: Basil at a recent Astros game. The smile is actually from the fact that his sister, MC, had texted me saying that the UPS man had just delivered his latest set of Legos! The other night, while we were out delivering St Phanourios Bread … SON: Dad … girls are weird. DAD: M-hmm. SON: Sometimes they smile at you like they like you … Then, the next day, they look at you like they hate you. DAD: Yep. That’s... Read more

From the AFR site, Saturday morning, August 29th: We are so thankful for those of you who rallied behind us to help us make our August budgeted donation goal of $8,000. Perhaps some of you would like to set up an automatic monthly donation to make it more convenient to support AFR. Details here. In these days of economic confusion some things remain constant: + the fullness of the Ancient Christian Faith + the need to stay informed + the... Read more

Just as some generous and opulent man who has seen some one escape from shipwreck and only able to save his bare body from the waves, cradles him in his hands, and casts about him a bright garment, and conducts him to the highest honors; so also God has done in the case of our nature. Man cast aside all that he had, his right to speak freely, his communion with God, his sojourn in Paradise, his unclouded life, and... Read more