The darkness roots deeply within us all, both personally and collectively, and nothing but the brilliant glory of the Lord can overcome it. Whether we know it or not, we inevitably sink like stones into the abyss whenever we make anything or anyone else the foundation of our lives.

If we want to know Christ as the beloved disciple did, then we must learn that our very life is in our brothers and sisters. Loving them and Christ in them is the only way to find liberation from fear in our world of corruption, for it is fear that separates us from one another and keeps us from becoming together the uniquely beautiful persons our Lord created us to become in His image and likeness.

People think of religion in many different ways today, but usually not in a way that requires our hearts to be broken.

Let us look to the Savior’s raising of the son of the widow of Nain as a sign that we must entrust ourselves only to the One Who has conquered the grave, for slavery to the fear of death is the reason that it is so appealing to entrust ourselves to false gods as a distraction from facing the truth about ourselves and our world.

When the struggle is hard and we cannot imagine being set free, we must remember the difference between a person disintegrated by the power of evil and one gloriously restored as a living icon of God.

There is simply no way around the truth that how we relate to other people reveals whether we are participating in the life of our Lord as we conform our character to His. What we do and refuse to do for neighbors who need our time, attention, and generosity in any form, we do or refuse to do for Him.

Like the men in today’s gospel reading, we all need the healing of the Lord for our eyes, our mouths, and every aspect of who we are.

Fr. John evaluates the impact that the Christianization of Rome had on the state's conception of sacrifice.

In this final episode of Reflection 17, Fr. John relates the final catastrophe to befall eastern Christendom during the period, the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453.

In this episode, Fr. John discusses an important and fateful development in the history of Russian Christendom before modern times, the Possessor Controversy.

In this anecdotal introduction to the final reflection of Part 2 of the podcast, Father John relates the extraordinary story of a Reformation-era town that declared itself the kingdom of Christ on earth, a "New Jerusalem." Expressing a profound absence of God in the world, however, the story of Reformation Muenster was in fact a sign of the fall of a Christendom centered upon the experience of paradise.

In this episode, we join Fr. John Parker at a fundraising dinner for the OCMC sponsored by the DC Metro Area Pan-Orthodox Missions Council. Fr. John's keynote address was entitled, "Here I Am, Send Me: How Every Christian can Answer the Great Commission."

We consider the story of Lazarus (John 11:1-45) in the light of Hebrews 12:28-13:8, 2 Maccabees 7 and Daniel 12, seeing how this story confirms the importance of the body, and looks forward to the great Resurrection of Pascha, in which we hope to share when our LORD Christ returns.

Our readings for the eleventh Sunday of Matthew (1 Corinthians 9:1-12, Matthew 18:23-25) happily correspond this year with our remembrance of the Holy Prophet and last of the Judges of Israel, Samuel. Parts of his story in 1 Samuel/Kingdoms 12 and 28, plus words about him in Psalm 98 (LXX)/99 and Sirach 46, help us understand more deeply God’s character of justice and forgiveness, exemplified in the prophet. We, too, are called to this pattern as we respond to the problems of our day, including the social unrest and violence of this week.

After completing our analysis on the troparia, kontakia, and theotokia, we turn to reading the epistles for Divine Liturgy, beginning with this week’s section from 2 Timothy. The Apostle Paul’s words to this young leader are applicable to everyone, not simply to those who lead the Church, since the Scriptures, Old and New Testament, are for all. We seek to understand the Apostle’s instructions by reference to Psalm 118 (MT 119), and by remembering those who have suffered for their faithfulness—most especially our Lord Jesus himself.

We read the Revelation 12:13-17 in the light of Deuteronomy 32:10-18 and Psalm LXX 54:7-8 (MT 55:6-7). Here we learn how God uses the “desert” to nourish and perfect His people. We also see our paradoxical position, both joyfully safe with Christ and the Theotokos, but also exposed to the ongoing campaign of the adversary, who seeks to destroy, dissuading us from following the way of the Lamb.

This week we consider Psalm 19 LXX (20 Hebrew Text), the “royal beginning” to Matins, in which we are taught confidence in King Jesus, who ruled even from the cross. We are helped in our reading by several ancient commentaries, Philippians 2:5-11, Romans 7-8, and Hebrews 7, all of which show gratitude for the LORD’s actions in raising us up and glorifying us with Him.

In this episode, we read Esther 4: 4:17a-x, which contains the remarkable prayers of Mordecai and Esther. We see these in the context of salvation history by reference to Psalm 1, Psalm 150-151, Daniel 3:2-45; 2 Kings/4 Kingdoms 19:14-19, Nehemiah 1:5-11, and the instruction of ancient theologians.

The Queen and the Cats: A Story of Saint Helena by Calee M. Lee, illustrated by Turbo Qualls (Xist Publishing, 2011)

A Necklace of Virtues by Calee M. Lee, illustrated by Turbo Qualls (Xist Publishing, 2012).

The Nightmare Tree: A Tale of Mysterion, prologue by Richard Rene (Coteau Books for Kids, 2007).

"Healing of the Woman with an Issue of Blood," from Feasts of Christ and the Theotokos and Miracles of the Lord by Spiritual Fragrance Publishing (2012)

Welcoming the Christ Child: Family Readings for the Nativity Lent, "Ruth’s Story and The Young Prophet Samuel," by Elissa Bjeletich, illustrated by Jelena Jeftic (Sebastian Press, 2017).

"Queen Esther," from Royal Saints: A coloring book with stories of saintly royalty throughout the history of Christianity (Draw Near Designs). Saints drawn by Marian Adams. Stories & Borders by Abigail Holt. Layout by Caroline Gann.

"Queen Abigail," from Royal Saints: A coloring book with stories of saintly royalty throughout the history of Christianity (Draw Near Designs). Saints drawn by Marian Adams. Stories & Borders by Abigail Holt. Layout by Caroline Gann.

"Saint Tamara, Queen of Georgia," from Royal Saints: A coloring book with stories of saintly royalty throughout the history of Christianity (Draw Near Designs). Saints drawn by Marian Adams. Stories & Borders by Abigail Holt. Layout by Caroline Gann.

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter 1, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available from Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Two, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter three, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available from Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Four, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available from Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter five, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available from Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter six, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter seven, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter eight, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Nine, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Ten, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Eleven, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Twelve, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Thirteen, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Fourteen, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Fifteen, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Sixteen, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Seventeen, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Eighteen, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter nineteen, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Twenty, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Twenty One, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Twenty Two, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Twenty Three, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon

Queen Abigail the Wise, Chapter Twenty Four and conclusion, written and illustrated by Grace Brooks. Create Space (2015) Available on Amazon