St. Mary Orthodox Church

June 08, 2025 - by Subdeacon JD Swartz

What we find here, brothers and sisters, is that the peace and stillness granted to us by the Holy Spirit is an effect of God’s being, which is love. And in us, a love ablaze for God is ablaze also for His creation. The love of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit, and the love of Christ and us through the Holy Spirit, and the love of us with one another, with our neighbor, with our enemy is through the Holy Spirit.

June 02, 2025 - by Dn. James Wilcox

There is a clear picture given in this warning from the Apostle Paul, which is not unlike the situation facing the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. Namely, that it is from within the body of believers that division will threaten, not from outside of it. For the body can only be divided when it is fractured from within. It is, therefore, essential that we hold to the rudimentary teachings about God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit that have been passed down to us through the centuries, for this is where our salvation lies! The faith we possess is not some passing trend or a way of life, which serves as a suitable alternative to worldly living. It is, rather, a confession of faith that demands our conformity to the reality of who God is.

May 25, 2025 - by Dn. Jeff Smith

Celidonius stands before them so that the Word of God will be made manifest. In a way, this man is a cipher, or a tool being used to reveal God’s glory.

May 18, 2025 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

The Lord never acts the way we want or expect or believe he must like a performing seal. God is not constrained by anything except the law of unlimited and unconditional love. He would not ever allow any social or religious norm keep him from loving an immoral Samaritan Woman.

April 13, 2025 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

His path was the way of letting go. He demonstrated the difference between the worldly life and the spiritual life not just by speaking about it, but also by living it. This dichotomy is not spoken of very much. It should be. From the beginning of his earthly life when he, the Son of God, became the Servant of all, his path was the way of the Cross and not the way of the world.

March 30, 2025 - by Teva Regule, MDiv, PhD

And so, we continue our dance—working to free or purify ourselves from the passions that afflict us—taking steps forwards and backwards—and practicing the virtues that illumine our hearts and move us closer and closer to that intimate relationship with God.  This is the relationship that allows us to see as God sees, have mercy as God has mercy and love as God loves. 

March 23, 2025 - by Christina Palis

It can feel frightening and vulnerable to confront the uncertainties, questions, contradictions, and concerns that we experience in our spiritual lives and in our relationship with God. We may feel the urge to either blindly accept or reject completely. But what if we embraced Mary’s curious stance as we face our faith and God?

March 16, 2025 - by Dr. Ioana Popa

Interestingly enough, the Jesus Prayer is exactly one pathway in achieving an authentic compassionate presence, toward the union of God, Theosis, in the midst of polarized opinions which we all face today in our country and the world.

March 09, 2025 - by Natasha Smith

God gives gifts to us, we offer them back, and then He gives them back to us as a means for communion with Him. A beautiful relationship. God gives us His best, and we must respond with our best—engaged, sacrificial, humble, sustained charity.

March 03, 2025 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Forgiveness is always and forever the will of God. Always ready to forgive, always willing to come to the rescue. Tonight we are called to open the door to forgiveness for ourselves and our neighbors.

March 02, 2025 - by Sarah Byrne-Martelli

Fasting and forgiveness are examples of storing up our treasures in Heaven, and they are inseparable in the life of a Christian. Fasting is not merely about food, nor is forgiveness just about easing burdens. Both are intentional acts of the heart, stripping away pride and making space for God’s grace to enter in.

February 23, 2025 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

Avoid the dark and the cold and move towards the light and warmth. The light and warmth come from God.  We know this. And also from people who seek and embrace him. I share this with you because it seems there is a growing darkness around us. Still, here is a hopeful truth. If it were not for the light we could not see the darkness. So even in the Valley of the Shadow of death there is light or else there would be no shadow.

February 02, 2025 - by Dn. Jeff Smith

The righteous Symeon was waiting for Jesus. The Gospel says that the Holy Spirit was upon him. I love that about Symeon, that he was in tune with and blessed by the Holy Spirit to keep his eyes open for the Christ child. And, the Prophetess Anna could have known Mary as a child. I think that’s a nice thought. She heard what Symeon said, and as a widow, she told everyone who was looking for redemption about Jesus.

January 12, 2025 - by Dn. James Wilcox

Repentance, in light of this, should be understood as a formative transformation of the heart that realigns one's desires with the will of God. Taken this way, repentance should be seen as something positive, not as something negative as we might think of it.

January 05, 2025 - by Fr. Antony Hughes

We do not pray to change God. We pray so that we may be changed. With the perception of water as filled with grace our way of seeing everything changes. All of a sudden God appears to us everywhere. Everything that exists is blessed by God directly. Illumination is a very great gift.