Monthly Archives: November 2021

Andrew is one of the 12 Apostles who followed Jesus during the 3 years he taught, healed and cast out demons before he died on the cross.  Andrew was originally a follower of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John.  We call Andrew the “First Called” because he left John to follow Jesus after John first said […]

The feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God Into the Temple praises and glorifies God for His plan of salvation. God prepares for Himself a holy dwelling place. The Byzantine Church never tires of praising the Mother of God for her role in our salvation. She is called the “Heavenly Tabernacle” in the […]

The Phillip’s Fast began Monday, Nov. 15th.  This 40-day fast in preparation for Christmas, like the others (The Great Fast etc.), involves prayer (our communication with God takes on a tone of anticipation), fasting (denying ourselves certain earthly goods so that we are yearning for Christ’s coming with our body as much as we are […]

The 40-day fasting period that prepares our minds, souls, and bodies for the Nativity of Our Lord begins Monday, Nov. 15th. I’ll be sending out my own thoughts on the fast in an email to the parish, but here are some reflections from Bishop Kurt that I found helpful. Why do we fast? There are three […]

Acquiring Spiritual Friendships: St. John tells us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them” (1 John 2:15). So many of our friendships are with the world. St. Teresa of Avila offers the following guidelines for spiritual friendships, or friendships […]