There is a popular series on Netflix titled, “13 Reasons” which, deals with the topic of teen suicide. In the series the lead character, Hannah Baker, records 13 cassette tapes of herself citing 13 reasons why she decides to take her own life. The series deals with the troublesome dynamics of teen culture, such as sexual abuse, bullying, and drug … Read More
Finding Balance Through the Cross
Last week, I encouraged people to attend the services for the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious Cross. As I reflect upon the message of the Cross in these days of the post-feast, I am reminded of a question often asked of me about family life: how does one balance one’s time between school related commitments and the … Read More
Striving to bring a “new normal” into our lives! – by a Priest of the Midwest Diocese
Labor Day has come and gone — as has the ecclesiastical new year, which Orthodox Christians observe on the first day of September. As the days grow shorter, we once again focus on the normal routines we may have suspended during the “lazy, hazy days of summer” — family, school, work and church. As with the beginning of the civil … Read More
9-11
On this day seventeen years ago, the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the airliner crash in Pennsylvania took place, killing thousands of innocent people. Regarding the Pennsylvania crash, some brave people on board prevented the plane from reaching its target. That day drastically changed the way our country operates. Much was done to make … Read More
“Dad – if I can’t text I am gonna die!”
I often take early morning flights out of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport — sometimes as early as 5:00 a.m. I am amazed as I watch people in the terminal, many of whom are glued to their I-phones. Rather than sending a brief text or email and then putting the phone away, they engage in a steady and endless stream of activity. … Read More
I Have Never Fasted Before, How Do I Get Started?
I have told this story many times, so forgive me as I repeat it. A number of years ago, I served as the priest of a parish of new converts who were not accustomed to fasting. Even the idea of fasting before receiving Communion on Sunday was new to them. A father relayed to me that his son, who would … Read More
How do we fast, are there any shortcuts?
About 20 years ago, a parishioner asked me if her family could keep the fast on Tuesdays and Thursdays instead of Wednesdays and Fridays. When I asked why she made this request, she replied that it was easier to fast on those days. The simple response on how to fast is to just follow the rules. In doing so, fasting … Read More
Fasting, Hunger, Desire, and Prayer
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward He was hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But He answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live … Read More