Establishment of the Lord’s Mystical Supper
There was a time in my life when I viewed the Eucharist as just a symbol. What really mattered was a person’s confession of faith. And this confession was way too often scrutinized and judged insufficient by those of us who felt we were in the know. But the Lord’s salvation is not like this. And the first time I heard this beautiful prayer from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, my heart was smitten by God’s abundant mercy:
One of my favorite obediences as a Deacon in the Orthodox Church is bringing communion to the sick and disabled. It emphasizes what my seminary professor used to call, “the ecstatic nature of the Church”; ecstatic, for she is never satisfied with staying put in a box, but is ever moving outward just as we pray that the Holy Spirit is everywhere present, filling all things. No remote or isolated place on this planet is beyond the reach of our Lord Jesus Christ, and He frequently sends his messengers to those places to prove it. No locked doors, not even the strictest quarantine can prevent His healing touch to the health of soul and body which results from receiving his body and his blood.
Continue readingHello dear friends and readers. I must confess a certain annoyance this time every year. While the voices to “keep Christ in Christmas” seem loud and insistent, everyone else seems content to celebrate our great American holiday of Thanksgiving any ‘ole way they please. I hear increasingly every year, the holiday reduced to its chief dish and simply called “Turkey Day”. While this at first seems endearing, it is quite alarming when I begin to hear people describe food as “something to die for.” Below is a reflection by my good friend and former Missions Professor, Fr. Luke Veronis, on the true spirit of Thanksgiving. Blessed feast to all. Happy Thanksgiving!
GIVING THANKS
Thanksgiving 2017
Lancaster, PA
There is a beautiful story about one of the greatest world leaders, Abraham Lincoln. One day an elderly woman made an appointment to see the president. When she entered his office, he welcomed her and asked, “How may I help you?” The woman responded in a quiet voice, “Mr. President, I know that you must be very busy. I didn’t come to ask anything of you. I simply came because I heard that you liked certain cookies, and I decided to bake some for you.” After she gave them to her, she got up to leave. However, she could see that there were tears in the president’s eyes. He smiled at her and said, “Madam, I thank you for your gift. I must tell you that during all the years of my presidency, many people have come into my office asking for favors and even demanding that I help them in various ways. But you are the very first and only person to come into my office and ask for nothing, but instead to bring me a gift of thanksgiving. I thank you, and promise that I will never forget your act of love.” Continue reading
Like Mendicant Monks... 