Pastoral Reflections

When Jesus calls His first followers, Peter and Andrew, James and John, to leave their fishing boats, leave their livelihood, leave their families, leave everything they know and feel comfortable with, and follow Him in today’s Gospel story, He is inviting them to begin a journey of imitating His life! Listen »

We all want a comforter and an encourager in our lives, someone who stays with us and helps us in our times of need, someone who guides us in truth and empowers us to fulfill all that is good. Where can we find such a comforter and helper, such a guide and one who empowers us? Listen »

Archbishop Anastasios of Albania shares the story about how he made the decision to go as a missionary to Africa back in the 1960s. He was a young, dynamic theologian and deacon in Greece, preparing for his ordination to the priesthood. For the previous decade, he built a reputation as a charismatic preacher who had written much about missions. Now came a critical point in his life. Listen »

The “unthinkable” has happened once again with the latest school shooting in Uvalde, Texas this past week following the supermarket and racist shooting in Buffalo. And yet, is it really “unthinkable?”  Unfortunately, we all are becoming desensitized to these horrific, mass killings. Unfortunately, they are NOT so unthinkable anymore. They have become too common, and we all are just waiting for the next one to happen. Sadly we all realize that it may happen closer to home, in our own schools, among our own people, sooner than later. Listen »

Breaking Down Barriers.  How often do we create barriers which hinder us from coming closer to God?  We can create barriers through our sin, with our pride, through certain habits and actions. Yet, throughout the Gospels we see how Jesus continually breaks down barriers that separate people from Him. He doesn’t want anything to hinder someone from coming closer to Him and receiving the good news of salvation He offers to all people. Listen »

What a special celebration our Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Webster had last weekend! After postponing our 100th Anniversary Celebration twice because of COVID, we finally concluded our centennial celebration when 190 of our church family gathering for a Gala celebration. It was a quite an evening for our loving community! Listen »

“I wish I could convince my friend to come to church,” someone said to me. “He doesn’t believe in God, but when I invite him to Church, he won’t come. What should I do?” Listen »

Christ is Risen! Or is He truly risen? How many people doubt the greatest event in world history – the reality that someone who was dead for three days resurrects back to life and never dies again? It sounds quite improbable, even impossible? It’s no wonder that plenty of people in our contemporary society question or outright reject this miracle as nonsense. We live in quite the skeptical age that won’t readily accept miracles and quite frankly rejects most religious claims. Listen »

My father tells me about his mother, my yiayia, who was a very pious woman and who loved her Lord Jesus, the Virgin Mary and His saints above all else. Listen »

Death is all around us, even though we often try to ignore it. Whether natural disasters like we’ve seen in our country that bring unexpected tragedy. Or long-term illnesses that numerous people in our Church family are battling. Or this ongoing pandemic. Every day we can read about tragedies and death happening throughout the world. Listen »

I recently read about the life of Maximillian Kolbe, the Polish Catholic priest who died in the Auschwitz Nazi death camp during WW2. His story is one of truly “denying yourself, taking up one’s cross, and following Jesus Christ.” Listen »

On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 smashed nose-first into the rock-solid ice covering the Potomac River just outside Washington, D.C. To horrified onlookers, it seemed impossible that anyone could be alive inside the mangled steel carcass slowly vanishing into the water. But one by one, six survivors gasped to the surface and grabbed desperately at the tail of the plane. Listen »

We get an understanding of this in today’s Gospel story of the Unforgiving Servant. Jesus describes a servant who owed a king an insurmountable debt. Listen »

In our society today, how often do we compromise the “Truth,” whether consciously or unconsciously, in order to appease public opinion? How often do we allow opinion polls to sway our understanding of right and wrong, instead of relying on the unchangeable truth of the Gospel and the Church? Listen »

"If it were possible for me to climb up into the sky and shout with a great voice, to preach to the entire world that only our Christ is the Son and Word of God, true God and life of all, I would have done it.  But because I can't do such a thing, I do this small thing of walking from village to village and teaching my brothers and sisters as I can, not as a teacher but as a brother." Listen »