by Patriarch Craig Bates 4th Sunday in Lent, 14 March 2021 We knew last March this year would be a sacrifice and this lockdown would be hard; but some of us discerned that something good would come out of it.  It would be a birthplace: wind, fire, a work of the Holy Spirit; a birthplace…

3rd Sunday in Lent, 7 March 2021 Beyond the externals, our Lenten journey has to do with the heart.  The past few decades have displayed an exponential growth in travel; many people have visited places they would never have imagined.  Lent is a journey towards the Paschal feast. Last week I shared some thoughts from…

2nd Sunday in Lent, 28 February 2021 Recently I’ve been reflecting on Alexander Schmemann’s book, Great Lent, and have drawn some thoughts from it which I’d like to share with you in relation to today’s Gospel. Someone who embarks on a journey makes preparations; more than that, we must know where we’re going.  Lent is…

1st Sunday in Lent, 21 February 2021 Mark 1:9-13 The idea of the liturgical season of Lent came from the preparation of those who decided to convert to the Christian faith.  This included learning the disciplines of prayer and fasting, reading and meditating on the sacred writings or Holy Scriptures, and deliverance from demonic influences…

17 February 2021 Today is a special celebration when Christians around the world embark into a very powerful season and our eyes look in a different direction, particularly a time of self-examination.  There are many times and reasons why we praise God: Most of the time, we praise Him because of material blessings we receive,…

Last Sunday of Epiphany, 14 February 2021 The Gospel for the last Sunday after the Epiphany is always the Transfiguration.  Glory has different meanings for different people: for Cicero, justice is the crowning glory of the virtues; for Richard Dawkins, scientific rationalism is the crowning glory of the human spirit.  This is not the glory…

5th Sunday after the Epiphany, 7 February 2021 The Old Testament reading is a very timely word: may it speak to us in this time.  Isaiah was one of the greatest Old Testament prophets, from around 740 BC onwards.  National and international developments of the time provide the essential background to his message.  Israel’s northern…

by Fr. Dana Jackson31 January 2021 The week before I had COVID, our parish had just begun meeting in a church again after five years in a hall.  We’d celebrated the third Sunday of Advent, and the Lord was giving me a word for the fourth Sunday and Christmas Eve.  We light candles to remind…

24 January 2021 Today we not only celebrate the life of a great apostle, but we’re particularly reminded of the starting point.  We see the power of God’s grace, even upon those who were against Christ, in his conversion from a zealous persecutor to a passionate, ardent apostle of our Lord.  Saul of Tarsus was…

by Fr. Terry Gensemer Our Lord the Giver of Life, 17 January 2021 The Feast of Our Lord the Giver of Life reminds us about the sanctity of human life.  Millions of babies are killed in their mother’s womb each year all around the world; this horrendous behavior takes place even in churches and is…