Something we all do sometimes. When reflecting on Jacob’s wrestling with God yesterday, I recalled one of the so-called Terrible Sonnets, “Carrion Comfort” by the English priest Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1899), for it too concerns a wrestling match. Hopkins speaks of his struggle with despair and darkness but also, as it turns out, of his struggle with […]
We do not belong to ourselves. We are not our own. This is what it means to be created in the image of God. We belong to God, and we are made to become like God. And yet many of us—in fact, all of us at some time or other—do not want to become like God. You might say that this is […]
What does it mean to bless and to be blessed? The Greek verb meaning “bless” is εὐλογέω (eulogeo), from the words eu, meaning “well” or “good” and λογώ (logo) meaning “a word”; so a literal meaning of εὐλογέω would be “to say a good word upon” something or someone. But εὐλογέω takes on additional meanings within Christian worship: To bless is to reveal, as Jesus says […]
The Berrien County Clergy Association consists of Protestant ministers who meet from time to time. I haven’t been free to attend these meetings, but I like to stay connected. Last year during Western Holy Week, I was asked to address that passage in the Gospel of John where Mary Magdalene visits the tomb of Christ. […]
It is Bright Tuesday, the 3rd day of Pascha, and I greet you with all my heart: Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen! And all of nature is glorified! Get out of yourself. Look outward. All is fresh, green, and peaceful. Daffodils are in full bloom. Tulip trees blossom. Nature sings a new song, and the […]
John 14 is included in the first of twelve passion accounts read on Holy Thursday evening, at the Orthros of Great and Holy Friday. This is some indication of its central importance to Orthodox Christians. Passages from this chapter are read at other times throughout the year as well. John 14 shows Jesus asserting His divinity in […]
This Holy Wednesday morning I’ll reflect on Jesus’s Great Eucharistic Prayer to the Father as recorded in John 17. It is said in the presence of the Apostles just days before His Passion. Here is a portion of that prayer: At that time, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, ‘As you, Father, […]
