Join St. John the Compassionate Mission as they celebrate the feast of the Nativity of Christ our Saviour, as written by Brother Luke.

Fr. Nicolaie writes about discussions and prayers from those gathered on a typical Friday afternoon at St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto.

Fr. Nicolaie writes about language and communication--reflections on the Friday before Pentecost at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

A Prayer of Welcome on the Occassion of Someone New Coming to Live with Us, written by Brother Luke.

Reflections from Fr. Nicolaie on the Sunday of the Grateful Leper.

More stories from volunteers at the mission.

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie about the gospel story of the father of the demon-possessed boy.

In the heart of every prodigal son, at the time of prayer, God prepares a real place ready to offer hospitality to the one that is wounded.

Brother Luke reflects on some scenes from every day at the mission.

Today's episode addresses spiritual warfare, demon dishwashers, Palm Sunday as a fish, wine and oil day and the wisdom of Fr. Alexander Schmemann.

Do you miss breakfast on Sunday? Today, Martha takes a look at the gift of a relaxing breakfast on Saturday and preparing for the Holy Eucharist.

Martha begins the new year listing a few basics she hopes her children learn before entering adulthood.

Join Martha this week for some practical tips to help with your Lenten meals.

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

look in the direction you want to move, open and close your mouth to go faster #

a dozen surprise new games released to everyone at the same time on a regular schedule #

they're asking people not to access NYT games or cooking apps until it's over, so give up that Wordle streak #

anything out of frame is immediately forgotten, making it very dream-like and surreal to explore #

Where would you find yourself on that day when our Lord road into town on the seat of a foal?

What does the Orthodox Church think about gay sex? The official answer is not hard to find.

As as we journey through Great Lent, Fr. Lawrence Farley looks at the Prayer of St. Ephraim.

The story of Cain and Abel is the story of the human race. It is tragically timeless, for it is tirelessly enacted over and over again in every generation. As Larry Norman once queried (as aged historians may remember from his song “Nothing Really Changes”), “Will Cain kill Abel—with a bayonet?” Regardless of the choice of weapon, somewhere and some place that murder is happening even now as you are reading this.

I know a man in Christ who prays for Marilyn Monroe every day as a part of his prayers for all the departed. He doesn’t pray for her under her stage-name of “Marilyn” though. He prays for her under her real name of “Norma Jeane”, the name given her by her mother and under which she was once baptized by (of all people) the evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson while under the foster care of a very fundamentalist family.

A quiet confession between us: Nostalgic freak that I am, I still like listening to old songs from the Christian folk group Children of the Day. The group is one of the earliest Jesus People music groups and consisted of four young people, headed by Marsha Carter. They were famous for the song "For those tears I died" - also known as "Come to the waters:, written by Marsha shortly after her conversion to Christ at the age of 16. The song contains the sort of emotionalism that often characterizes young 16-year-old evangelical girls, with tears being cried in the dark, as well as that bit of latent calvinism which often characterizes evangelicals. The song begins with the lines "You said you'd come and share all my sorrows, you said you'd be there for all my tomorrows. I came so close to sending you away, but just like you promised - you came here to stay. I just had to pray."

Thousands of years ago when I was an Evangelical Protestant in the Anglican Church, I never prayed to the saints or asked for their intercession. It was made quite clear to me by those around me that obedient Christians never did that and that prayer to the saints (especially to Mary) was idolatry of the worst sort and consequently provoked the ire of the Most High. Catholics, of course, prayed to Mary and the saints, but real Christians didn’t. Even when I got out more and grew a bit and realized Catholics were real Christians, I still was convinced that they shouldn’t pray to saints, and that prayer to the saints ran the risk of traffic with demons. So much for ecumenism!

I have recently come across the teaching that Orthodox Christians should not pray for non-Orthodox. I cannot cite the details of who-where-when, so perhaps I am misunderstanding what is being said. But the concern to differentiate Orthodox from non-Orthodox in our intercessory prayers is real enough: I have been in one Orthodox Church where the list in the narthex on which one could write names to be prayed for in the Litany of Fervent Supplication has separate columns for Orthodox and non-Orthodox. I know of another church where some parishioners write down the names and then add “(non-Orthodox)” after them. What are we to make of this? Are there such requirements made on liturgical prayer?

Fr. Apostolos reminds us that while prayer is difficult, it is essential to our salvation.

Fr. Apostolos begins a discussion of the Lord's Prayer.

Fr. Apostolos continues his discussion of the Lord's Prayer.

Fr. Apostolos concludes his discussion of the Lord's Prayer.

Fr. Apostolos shares about myrrh in the Old Testament, New Testament, and today. "We must become emblems of hope as we bear that sacred myrrh, that oil of healing to a broken world."

Fr. Apostolos shares about the flash mob that gathered on Palm Sunday and at the trial of Jesus.

Fr. Apostolos shares about the ministry and mystery of motherhood.

In this homily, Fr. Apostolos deals with focusing on the positive goal of our faith in Jesus Christ as opposed to getting bogged down in a negative view of merely keeping the "rules."

Fr. Apostolos Hill discusses the Sunday of the Cross and the importance of learning to pick up our cross in the simple day-to-day choices we make.

Fr. Apostolos Hill gave a recap of the vitality of our young ones' faith alongside the pitfalls awaiting those whose spiritual development is neglected in the home or parish. Stay Alert, Stay Alive was the theme of All Saints Camp (Arizona) this past week.

Fr. Apostolos' homily, a "part two" to the one delivered on Zaccheus Sunday. As the previous one focused on what it means to be "lost" and estranged from God, as the Prodigal Son was in today's Gospel, while today's focuses on how to be found in Christ.

Fr. Apostolos Hill preaches on the Gospel reading about the difference between casual, ineffective prayer and the fervent prayer required of us in our present difficulties.

Fr. Apostolos Hill shares a short homily reflecting on the Gospel theme of the second Bridegroom Matins service.