Seeing darkness, I watch the clouds build on the horizon. Assuming rain, I wait for the clouds to whip up the sea and the sand. What really comes? Not clouds, but a cloud. The cloud. "The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God'" (Luke 1:35). Rejoice in the cloud that Overshadows. Rejoice in the cloud that brings Light. Rejoice in the c

When I gaze upon the still waters, I feel the breeze of your loving insistence. When I gaze upon the still waters, I hear the calm from your enveloping silence. When I gaze upon the still waters, I smell the incense of your everlasting persistence. When I gaze up on the still waters, I taste the love in your embracing sustenance. When I gaze upon the still waters, I see the light of your glistening countenance. How can this be, Through such a life? The Most Holy Trinity, One

Head bowed And hair soaked, My fingers grasp The woolen rope on my hand. Ebb of sin Flow of prayer, My mind in heart The knots move my fingers. Eyes closed And body still, My soul receives The silence nearer my spirit. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy on me, A sinner. Sounds of rain in my ears And cracks of thunder in my soul, Is praying in the rain Another Baptism, but of tears?

I walk along the water’s edge, Aware that I live in liminal spaces. One foot seemingly on solid ground, Relying on what’s familiar....

Open your eyes wide to the coming of the Lord! This message is given to us repeatedly as the Church approaches The Feast of the Meeting...

"Your birth, O Christ our God, dawned the light of knowledge upon the earth. For by Your birth those who adored stars were taught by a star to worship You, the Sun of Justice, and to know You, Orient from on High." O Lord, glory to You. - From the Apolytikion (a dismissal hymn) of the Feast of the Nativity - Icon of the Adoration of the Magi (from the Menologion of Basil II, 10th-11th c.)

"Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One, And the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable One! Angels with shepherds glorify Him! The wise men journey with a star! Since for our sake the Eternal God was born as a Little Child!" - Kontakion (thematic hymn) from the Nativity Service

The Great Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos is the celebration of the presentation of Mary, the Mother of God, who was brought by Joachim and Anna (her parents) to the Temple in Jerusalem to live and serve until her betrothal to Joseph. We deeply cherish this feast because we honor Mary as "the abode of heaven" (from the Troparion of the Feast) and "the heavenly tabernacle" (from the Kontakion of the Forefeast). On this day we bask in the glory of Mary who "let it be don

Mary, the Mother of God, the Most Holy Theotokos, died to herself at a very early age in order to serve God. Have you ever thought about what that was like? It was a total gift of body, soul, and spirit. Not one part of her was reserved for something selfish. That is why in death she was assumed, soul AND body, into heaven. Do you meditate on her life? Do you ask her intercession? Do you ask God for the strength to emulate her? Die to yourself. Live in God and God alone. An i

In order for a person to serve others authentically, they must first be at peace with God and themselves. An icon of Moses at the Burning Bush