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.

A community member and Father Nicolaie each reflect on their experience with an aspect of the Gospel story of the young man who was possessed.

Martha offers a suggestions for planning Lenten menus and then compares a favorite, reliable cooking spoon to the saints from who she seeks intercessory prayers.

open-source music visualizer that synchronizes MIDI to bouncing balls in a modified game of Pong #

an Android phone hidden in the Mission is set to Shazam all audio 24/7 and post the roughly 120 songs/day it can identify #

research and short essays about cultural loss and the critical importance of preservation and access #

the incredible web-based Mac/NeXT system emulator somehow keeps getting better #

I have just read two fascinating pieces about Pope Francis’ recent and controversial document Fiducia Supplicans, which officially allows Roman Catholic priests to bless persons in same-sex relationships, one by an Orthodox and the other by a Roman Catholic.

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 Hill talks about deconstruction of determinism on both a personal and corporate level. The change Jesus invites us to experience is one He Himself provides. To suggest that real change is impossible, as determinists insist, is to abandon the path of salvation.

Fr. Apostolos Hill delivers a timely message of hope in the Gospel during this time.

Fr. Apostolos Hill preaches a homily taken from the end of the Epistle reading about the weight of our words.

Fr. Apostolos Hill discusses the book "God and the Pandemic' by Anglican bishop N.T. Wright. This book, as Fr. Apostolos notes, is written for us to consider the Christian response to this crisis as one of lamentation.

Fr. Apostolos Hill shares a homily about the Apostles' Fast and the command to share the Gospel.

Fr. Apostolos speaks about the evangelical imperative of the Apostolicity of the Church.

In this second episode on the inner person, Fr. Maxym discusses the powers of the soul: nous, word and spirit. He shows how these powers were placed in us by God, reflect His image and demonstrate what a whole, balanced and healthy human being is meant to be.

Scott Hanselman and his wife will be joining the walk for diabetes on May 6 2006. They've set a goal of raising $10,000 for this event and could use your help in reaching that goal. I encourage all of you to go to Scott's blog to find out more about this worthy cause, or go directly to diabetes.org to make... (64 words)

Sermon on the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Romans 6:18-23; Matthew 8:5-13)

Sermon on the Feast of the Elevation of the Precious Cross (I Corinthians 1:18-24; John 19:6-11, 13-20, 25-28, 30-35)

Sermon on the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Galatians 2:16-20; Luke 8:41-56)

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

God did not create sickness and disease nor does He desire for us to suffer. However, Fr Tom teaches us that the sovereign God uses suffering to draw us closer to Him. (Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

Short-of-stature Zacchaeus overcomes his obstacles to seeing Jesus. Fr Tom reminds us that our actions and behaviors reveal to the world and to God what things are most important to us, but we can rise above the crowd of the world in order to be united with God. (Thirty-seventh Sunday after Pentecost)

A temptation for some Orthodox Christians is to take in the beauty of the church services while remaining somewhat mentally disengaged. Fr Tom reminds us that Christ's command to "launch out into the deep" is given to everyone to plumb the depths of the wisdom and word of God. (Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

The healing of the paralytic is a wonderful gospel scene rich with meaning for us. Fr Tom reminds us that God demonstrates His power when formerly "paralyzed" lives are healed and transformed to become living testimonies to the truth of Christ.

The Orthodox Faith is rich with tradition and discipline, but sometimes we can seem disinterested in being faithful to it all in our lives. Fr Thomas reminds us that obedience done out of love for God and each other is the "linchpin" which holds it all together. (13th Sunday after Pentecost)

The parable of the soils sets the tone for other parables taught by our Lord. Fr. Thomas reminds us that this parable brilliantly expresses the importance of both hearing and actively receiving the Word of God in us. (Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

The parable of the Lazarus and the Rich Man is a story rich with lessons about life and about death. Fr Thomas focuses on the implications of living with unprecedented wealth in our modern society.

Sometimes Christians unfortunately feel burdened by the frequent call to worship. Fr Thomas reminds us that worship is not only one thing we do as Christians, it is the very purpose of our life: to constantly give thanks to God.

Bishops and priests are most accountable before God for the state of the church. But Fr Thomas reminds us that all of us share responsibility for our church communities and gives practical advice on how to remain faithful and focused.

It is an inescapable fact that suffering is a part of the fallen human condition. In a powerful message, Fr Thomas describes three important principles to help us form our perspective on suffering.

In the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, Jesus dramatically demonstrates the reward for greed and selfishness. Fr Thomas reminds us that helping the poor is not only a matter of money, it's a matter of love. (Luke 16:19-31)

On the seventh Sunday of Holy Pascha we recall the words of our Lord to His apostles before His passion, reminding them that what He taught them was given by God Himself. Fr Thomas reminds Orthodox Christians that we must also receive this apostolic teaching and pass it on to new believers without any change or error.

in Romans 10, St Paul writes about the importance of his fellow Jews hearing about Christ and why it's important for their salvation. Fr Thomas reminds us that evangelism should not be a foreign concept to Orthodox Christians. We must get comfortable with sharing our faith in Christ and speaking about God's work in our life.

In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus illustrates the consequences of unforgiveness. Fr Thomas teaches us that it is the God of love, mercy, and compassion who commands us to forgive and warns us of the judgment to come if we do not.

On the Feast of Pentecost, Fr Thomas teaches us that our Christian life must be empowered by the Holy Spirit of God in order to be one with each other and to tell the world of the good things God has done for us.

As Christians, the Holy Spirit gives us a new perspective on life and that includes what we do with our time, talent, and treasure. In short, everything belongs to God. He gives it all to us as a gift and we're called to offer a portion back to Him in thanksgiving.

The saying goes, "actions speak louder than words." Christ Himself condemned the Jewish religious leaders for saying one thing but doing another. Fr Thomas teaches us that, as Orthodox Christians, our actions are important because they have to align with what we claim about God and ourselves. In fact, our eternal judgment is at stake.

When we hear about the miracles that Christ performed for people, it can seem distant. Fr Thomas reminds us that the grace they received is the same life-giving power that we are granted in the Eucharist: the fullness of Christ.

On the Great Feast of Pentecost, Fr Thomas teaches us about our participation in the first Pentecost through the sacramental grace of the Holy Spirit in Chrismation.