In today’s gospel reading, Christ teaches that the humble faith of the Roman centurion surpassed that of any of the Jews. Since the dominant expectation in Israel was for the Messiah to set them free from Roman rule by military victory, the Lord’s statement was surely perceived by many as terribly unpatriotic.

In the remaining days before Christmas, let us embrace the scandalous calling to hope in nothing and no one other than the God-Man Who is born to heal and fulfill all who bear the divine image and likeness.

Lent does not call us merely to think or have feelings about our Lord’s Cross and resurrection. This season invites us to grow in our personal knowledge and experience of the Savior Who offered Himself on the Cross and rose in glory on the third day for our salvation.

The devotion of the Myrrh-Bearers, Joseph, and Nicodemus shows us what true faith looks like, and it has nothing to do with figuring out how to use God to help us get what we want on our own terms in a pathetic attempt to distract ourselves from the fear of death.

Today we celebrate the restoration of our true unity in God through the unifying power of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter sent by the risen and ascended Savior Who is seated at the right hand of the Father in heavenly glory.

By faith in Christ, we have become the new tenants of the vineyard with an obligation to “give him the fruits in their seasons.” That, of course, is precisely what the original tenants refused to do. Instead of tending the vineyard and offering its fruit to their rightful owner, they wanted everything for themselves and even killed the son of the owner in order to take his inheritance. We must read this passage as a reminder that, in order to be good tenants of the Lord’s vineyard, we must offer ourselves in union with His great Self-Offering on the Cross for the salvation of the world.

As we conclude our preparation for celebrating the Lord’s Nativity, we must resist the temptation to corrupt this blessed season into an excuse for glorifying ourselves in any way. Instead, we must allow our hopes for whatever we want in this life to be called into question by the God-Man, Who was born in such strange circumstances to fulfill a kingdom not of this world that stands in prophetic judgment over all our agendas, preferences, and desires. We must learn at Christmas to hope only in Him.

It is easy to overlook how often the Lord used money and possessions to convey a spiritual message. Perhaps that is because almost everyone struggles with being overly attached to material things, for they can meet our basic physical needs and provide comfort and a sense of security. Due to our self-centered desires, however, they so easily become false gods as we make them the measure of our lives. As Christ taught, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also….You cannot serve both God and mammon.” (Matt. 6: 21, 24)

If you are like me, there are times when you become worried or upset over matters of very little importance. It often does not take much to punch our buttons because we base our sense of self and wellbeing, as well as our hopes for the future, on illusions that cannot fulfill them. Due to our darkened spiritual vision, we do not see ourselves, our relationships with other people, or where we stand before the Lord very clearly. When the inevitable challenges of life cause us to catch even a small glimpse of these uncomfortable truths, we usually do not like it and can easily start to sink into the churning sea of our passions.

Fr. John introduces the principle of heavenly orientation and then explores actual forms of art, beginning with iconography.

Fr. John discusses the development of Christian hymnography.

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, the first episode of the Paradise and Utopia video edition, Father John provides a video lecture from his office in Puget Sound, showing, with the use of powerful, full-color icons such as those of Andrei Rublev, how hesychasm inspired some of the greatest art in the history of eastern Christendom.

In this episode, Father John relates a case in which the early humanist Petrarch confronted one of the new Christendom's chief architects, Pope Innocent III. Applying his newly developed secular thinking, he rejected the pope's notorious treatise entitled On the Misery of the Human Condition.

In this special edition of Paradise and Utopia, Fr. John Strickland responds to a recent review of the first two volumes of his book series. In it, he notes the failure to consider the books on their own terms. He uses the opportunity to elaborate what he considers a healthy vision of Christian historiography, one that supports what many consider the need for a "re-enchantment" of modern culture.

Fr. John interviews Fr. Christopher Foley of Holy Cross Orthodox Church, High Point, North Carolina.

Fr. John shares the Homily of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) for the Sunday of the Last Judgment.

Fr. John shares about the Sunday of All Saints and gives a challenge for us to follow the examples of the missionary saints.

Fr. John Parker analyzes the impact of love in two Super Bowl commercials, and exhorts us to comprehend the impact they have on our lives as Orthodox Christians.

1 Thessalonians 2:9-14; Luke 11:47-12:1.

1 Thessalonians 2:14-19; Luke 12:2-12.

1 Thessalonians 2:20-3:8; Luke 12:13-15, 22-31.

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 12:42-48.

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12; Luke 12:48-59.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-8; Luke 13:1-9.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-13, 24-28; Luke 13:31-35.

2 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Luke 14:12-15.

2 Thessalonians 1:10-2:2; Luke 14:25-35.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Luke 15:1-10.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5; Luke 16:1-9.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-18; Luke 16:15-18, 17:1-4.

1 Timothy 1:1-7; Luke 17:20-25.

1 Timothy 1:8-14; Luke 17:26-37.

Hebrews 9:1-7; Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28.

1 Timothy 3:1-13; Luke 18:31-34.

1 Timothy 4:4-8, 16; Luke 19:12-28.

1 Timothy 5:1-10; Luke 19:37-44.

1 Timothy 5:11-21; Luke 19:45-48.

1 Timothy 5:22-6:11; Luke 20:1-8.

Philippians 4:10-23; Luke 11:29-33.

Colossians 1:1-2, 7-11; Luke 11:34-41.

Colossians 1:18-23; Luke 11:42-46.

Colossians 1:24-29; Luke 11:47-12:1.

Colossians 2:1-7; Luke 12:2-12.

Colossians 2:13-20; Luke 12:13-15, 22-31.

Colossians 2:20-3:3; Luke 12:42-48.

Colossians 3:17-4:1; Luke 12:48-59.

Colossians 4:2-9; Luke 13:1-9.

Colossians 4:10-18; Luke 13:31-35.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5; Luke 14:12-15.