Meet Nick, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Anna, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Karl, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Daniel, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Xenia, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Edward, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Kenneth, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Ruth, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Chris and Laura, two of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto. "What was it in their hearts that moved the Myrrh-bearing women to do something against common sense?"

Meet William and Jane, two of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Listen to stories from Brother Luke about people who frequent St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto, Ontario.

Hear three short stories of people who are part of the community at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Listen to reflections about the rich young man, written by Fr. Nicolaie.

Frank (or Isaac, in the Church), a regular member of the community, passed away suddenly near the end of March. A mixup with his phone provided the community with the chance to learn of his passing, and opened the door for his daughter to share her grief with others who also loved her father.

Father Nicolai reflects on recent hopeful learnings in the community.

very sad to hear this but I'm grateful for their effort, and loved having them at XOXO to talk about their weird and special community #

you'll just have to trust me on this one; recommended for desktop browsers #

for the tenth year, Laura E. Hall brings back her popup newsletter sending a gently spooky email for each day of October #

the creator of A Short Hike relaunched his charming interactive ghost town where players design and share jack-o-lanterns #

a useful case study given the current debacle stemming from WordPress's "benevolent dictator for life" model #

he has an extraordinary memory, reliving the stories behind a beautifully simple song #

for the last 19 years, Michael Pusateri has tracked children's Halloween costumes at his front door and published the stats online #

I didn't even realize iOS automations could do this #

useful Chrome/Firefox add-on that finds your X/Twitter friends on Bluesky #

Recently I heard a very dark and serious song about the judgment of God and His wrath against sinners. It was the folk song “Great God Almighty’s Gonna Cut You Down” (accessed here). I was not aware of the song before; apparently it is an American folk song. The oracular Wikipedia informs me that it was first recorded by the Golden Gate Quartet in 1946 and issued in 1947 by the Jubalairies, and since then has been covered by a variety of singers in country, folk, electronic, and black metal genres, including such singers as Johnny Cash, Tom Jones, and Elvis Presley. It takes some imagination to contemplate someone singing both about blue suede shoes and the wrath of God, but that’s America for you.

In reflecting on the Sunday of the Last Judgment, the Very Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur calls our attention to the difference between the Lord’s invitation to those at his right hand in Matthew 25.34: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” and the injunction to those on His left, “‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25.41). In this account of the last judgment, the difference between those on the right and the left is their deeds during their earthly lives. Fr Bogdan urges us to consider the concrete actions the Lord is expecting us to take during our time on this Earth to physically and practically minister to all those in need around us.

Many people will (hopefully) identify the above quote as coming from the speech of Polonius in Act 1, Scene 3 of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It was part of the fatherly talk he gave to his son Laertes before the boy moved away to university. It is now often quoted as a bit of perennial wisdom for life (it was written by Shakespeare, after all). It is not as often known that it was part of a speech that Shakespeare meant to be recognized as almost meaninglessly platitudinous, a kind of Elizabethan “blah-blah-blah, yada-yada-yada”.

Fr. Apostolos asks, "What investments are we making in the life to come?"

Fr. Apostolos continues his homiletic series on prayer.

Fr. Apostolos speaks on knowing God and merely knowing about Him as we celebrate the memory of St. Gregory Palamas.

Fr. Apostolos addresses sin as the animating principle behind the blood-letting we are witnessing around the world. References are drawn primarily from the Prophet Isaiah whose insights are as relevant today as they were 2,700 years ago.

Fr. Apostolos shares from 2 Corinthians 6 about the importance of finding the right context for our life in Christ. "Come out and be separate...."

Fr. Apostolos speaks about the power of the Cross. "If only avoiding the reality of the Cross were as easy as skipping services during Great Lent and Holy Week. If only avoiding the reality of being crucified with Christ were as easy as roasting a lamb.... As Orthodox Christians in the West avoid the spectre of the Cross, others rush to embrace it."

Fr. Apostolos talks about the true worship of God, "This week, as we celebrate the Presentation of the Lord of glory into the Temple, may we be reminded that we come into this holy place not in a state of mere passive observance, but in one of active, noetic worship of the One who alone deserves all glory, honor, and worship: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now until the ages of ages."

Fr. Apostolos shares some of the history of Holy Councils through the years, and some reflections about the upcoming council in Crete.

Fr. Apostolos reflects on the importance of Thomas' faith and the strength of our faith through the Paschal Season.

Fr. Apostolos Hill delivers a homily on finding our place in the crowd that greeted Jesus in His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.

Fr. Apostolos Hill delivers a homily about the belief that leads to salvation as opposed to a nominal "belief" that does not.

Fr. Apostolos Hill likens the experience of knowing God to that of meeting his bride. The effort we put into spending time together is a blueprint for entering more deeply into our union with Jesus.

Fr. Apostolos Hill talks about the parable of the sower and how we must grow in our faith.