Sunday of Mary of Egypt

On the threshold of Holy Week, we examined the layers of St. Mary’s life — a living icon of the Cross. In her, the Cross is no longer an idea but a way of life — a path to transformation.

Through the awakening of her conscience, and repentance, the desert blooms. St. Zosimas beholds beauty beyond appearances. Creation itself is renewed. In Christ, male and female, sinner and saint — all divisions are healed.

Fr. Robert reminds us: "When we take up the Cross and make it our own we affirm what we proclaim in the Resurrection Matins, 'Through the Cross joy has come into all the world.' "

Sunday of John Climacus

Today, we reflected on the three dimensions of repentance from The Ladder of Divine Ascent and its cosmic significance. Fr. Robert’s sermon reminded us of the gifts we have received as Orthodox Christians—gifts we often neglect or squander. Yet, through repentance, we find renewal, restoration, and healing—not only for ourselves but for those around us and the entire universe.

What a powerful gift we have in the ascetical witness of St. John, calling us to embrace the fullness of ecclesial life in all its glory. What treasures await discovery through a sober reading of St. John's Ladder. 

Sunday of the Cross

At the heart of Great Lent stands the Cross, a beacon of self-emptying love and sacrifice. Our crucified and risen Lord draws all creation to Himself through the Cross, and in His ultimate act of humility and love, He saves us.

As we marked the Sunday of the Cross at the midpoint of Great Lent, we reflected on its profound implications:

What does it mean to deny/disown ourselves, take up our Cross, and follow Christ?
How does the Cross shape our Christian identity and the Church as the living body of Christ?
How is the Cross misused or distorted in today's world?

The Cross is not a symbol of power or dominance, but of self-emptying love and sacrifice. True repentance and self-denial lead us to embody the outpouring of divine mercy—a mercy that heals, restores, and unites.

May we embrace the Cross with faith and humility, allowing Christ’s love to flow through us and into the world.

Sunday of Gregory Palamas

On this Second Sunday of St. Gregory of Palamas, we delved into the profound depths of his teaching—that we are called from all eternity to participate in the divine, uncreated light.

Through prayer, ascetic struggle, and a heart turned toward God, we come to know and experience this divine light, which emanates from Christ and permeates all creation. Holy Father Gregory pray for us that we might enter upon that ascetical path that leads us to being fully alive.

Sunday of Orthodoxy

Icon or Idol: The Journey from Death to Life

On March 11, 843, a historic procession from the Church of Blachernae to Hagia Sophia in Constantinople marked the restoration of icons—a triumph for the fundamental truths of Orthodox Christian life and faith.

Icons reveal the true nature of humanity—fully alive, ascending from glory to glory. Yet, the collapse of humanity through idolatry of the self has led us to death.

As we celebrate the Sunday of Orthodoxy, we reclaim our divine calling—that Christ may increase in us as our self-love decreases, transforming us into His living icons, entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

Forgiveness Sunday

The Cosmic Dimension of Forgiveness 


"Sin impacts all of creation," reflected Fr. Robert during Forgiveness Vespers, echoing Dostoevsky's image of how one pebble causes ripples that extend across an entire pond. No sin is isolated—each action, no matter how small, affects the world around us.


In his heartfelt and profound sermon, he reminded us:


“The dynamic of forgiveness—giving, asking, and completing God’s forgiveness—begins to heal the world… What we do here today, and what we must do throughout our lives as disciples of Christ, allows us to participate in the healing, transfiguration, and deification of everyone and everything.”

Matthew 25:31–46

The True Test of Discipleship: Serving the 'Least of These'

The homily on Matthew 25:31-46 this past Sunday called us to account. What does it truly mean to be a disciple of Christ? How will we respond as Christians to the erosion of rights of the most vulnerable and marginalized?

Rev. Fr. Robert's Addendum to the Homily 

The judgment in this Gospel—“eternal punishment”—is not an act imposed by the Son of Man, but rather the natural consequence of a hardened heart. The verse says, “they will go away into eternal punishment”—not because Christ desires it, but because indifference, callousness, and hatred toward the suffering create a self-inflicted exile from divine communion.

1 Timothy 1:15–17

On this day of our brother Andrew's baptism, we were blessed to receive this soul searching sermon from 1 Timothy 1:15-17 of St. Paul's transformation—a movement from self-righteousness and violence to humility and grace. Fr. Robert’s interpretation highlights the profound nature of Paul’s confession, "the chief of sinners": his past identity as a blasphemer, persecutor, and a man of violence was rooted in the law as an end in itself. This distortion, as Fr. Robert examines, is not just a misrepresentation of divine justice but also a reduction of God’s nature to either an oppressive ruler or a mere slavish wish-granter—both of which fail to capture the true essence of divine love. St. Paul’s acknowledgment of being the “chief of sinners” is not an exaggeration but an honest reckoning with his past life, where hubris blinded him to the transformative love of Christ. His conversion, then, is not just a personal redemption but a model for all who seek to enter into the new creation. This new life, as Fr. Robert points out, is one characterized by mercy, compassion, patience, and kindness—the very virtues that Christ Himself embodies. In baptism, we are called to this same renewal, putting off the old self and being clothed in the new life of Christ. St. Paul’s story is an invitation for all of us to move beyond false images of God and embrace the reality of Christ who is both love and truth—prompting us to reflect on how we stand in relation to Him, each other and ourselves. 

Colossians 3:12–16

On the 30th Sunday after Pentecost, Fr. Robert reflects on the epistle reading from Colossians 3:12-16, offering a meditation on how the Church can truly embody the living body of Christ rather than functioning as an institution driven by power. He delves into the profound significance of baptism, reminding us: "It teaches us that each of us who enters the baptismal waters dies to that old life…being revitalized, being made new here and now."

Fr. Robert emphasizes that this ongoing renewal is a genuine witness to "Christ's death and resurrection for the life of the world and its salvation." He calls the Church to acquire the mind of Christ, embracing attributes of meekness, humility, compassion and patience so it can be a credible presence and witness to the Gospel here and now. 

Join us next Sunday as we participate in the baptism of a young catechumen and pray for him as he puts on Christ.

Afterfeast of the Theophany of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

On the 29th Sunday after Pentecost, the afterfeast of Theophany, Fr. Robert examines the central principle of Christ’s ministry—repentance—that He initiated following His baptism in the river Jordan. He expounds on how the transformative power of repentance enables the Church “to encounter and respond to the social and cosmic issues of our time.”