If you're feeling exhausted, anxious, fearful, or tired this Christmas season, remember that Jesus, his mother, Joseph, and even the shepherds and magi also had to navigate the fears and anxieties of life. God knows and understands your struggle! A recording from Fr. Thomas' live teaching on December 15, 2021.

Christ is Born! Glorify Him! "The Journey of the Magi" By TS Eliot A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter.' And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. There were times we regretted The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, And the silken girls bringing sherbet. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling and running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it. At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly. Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley, Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation; With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness, And three trees on the low sky, And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, And feet kicking the empty wine-skins. But there was no information, and so we continued And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory. All this was a long time ago, I remember, And I would do it again, but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death. An icon of the Adoration of the Magi.

"...let us make our way towards the radiance of the light of grace, that we may acknowledge and venerate the threefold Godhead, who shines with a single indescribable radiance from one nature in three persons. "Let us lift up the eyes of our understanding to the Word who now sits, with His body, above the vaults of heaven. And He who sits in divine splendour on the right hand of majesty, utters these words to us as if from afar, 'If anyone wants to stand in the presence of this glory, let him imitate Me as far as he can, and follow the way and the manner of life I taught on earth.' "Let us look with our inner eyes at this great spectacle, our nature, which dwells for all eternity with the immaterial fire of the divinity. And let us take off the coats of skins (cf. Gen 3:21), the earthy and carnal ways of thinking, in which we were clothed because of our transgression, and stand on holy ground (cf. Exod. 3:5), each one of us hallowing our own ground by means of virtue and reaching up to God. "In this way we shall have boldness when God comes in light, and as we run to Him we shall be enlightened, and, once illumined, shall live for ever to the glory of the one brightness in three Suns, now and for ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen." - Excerpted from Greogry Palamas, The Homilies, Christopher Veniamin, trans. and ed. Waymart, PA: Mount Thabor Publishing, 2009, 281. Icon of the Transfiguration.

Somewhere deep inside, Beneath my titles, My work, My relationships, My words, and If I'm being honest, My own noise ... There is a flame burning. I did not kindle it. It was given as a gift. It was fostered by saints, (and, oddly, some sinners too). I tended to it by Sacrament and Silence (not nearly enough ... yet!) And it has never once been extinguished ... Ever! This is the great, joyful secret of my life (it could be yours too, by the way). God is not far away. The light that blazed on Mount Tabor, and The fire that rested in the Upper Room, is the Love that is God Himself. "The kingdom of God is within you" (Lk 17:21), Christ says, and I have found it to be true. It dwells within me (and you, too). But we are too ignorant and unrepentant To see it and to share it So that every day, we can exclaim "Did not our hearts burn within us" (Lk 24:32)? You see, silence is not emptiness. It is the Holy Spirit Speaking softly, Without words. A love so near it needs no proof. And this flame is not mine alone. You can discover this in yourself if you truly seek God (the whole world could too, if they all understood). Here is how to begin: Seek the Body and Blood of Christ Go to confession Sit quietly. Breathe slowly. Pray: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Let your mind descend into your heart. Pray: "Most Holy Spirit, save me from myself and sanctify me!" When distractions come, Simply return. Do not fret or strive. Just listen and Let love find you. Then carry the warmth outward, Joyfully and faithfully, for This flame is meant to be shared. Close-up Photo of Orange Fire If you have a question or prayer request, please reach out here. If you can donate, please click here.

Do not be afraid to do what is difficult in order to get on the path of completing the will of God. If you avoid those tasks, you will not be able to move forward. This will cause you great sorrow at later times and in unexpected ways. And it will be much worse than facing the task in the first place. - If you need help completing the work to get on the straight path, implore the Mother of God who intercedes for us. Try using one of the kontakia (a special type of hymn) from the feast day of The Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow (icon pictured below). "We have no other help, we have no other hope, Apart from thee, O sovereign Lady. Come to our help. We hope in thee And in thee we glory. Let us not be confounded, For we are thy servants."

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 icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos.

"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

Mary, Most Holy, and Mother of my God. My model, My refuge, and My love. I seek, and With humility, I ask To approach your Life-Giving Spring? With all my heart, I pray... Revive, Restore, and Renew me. "O Lady graced by God, you reward me by letting gush forth, beyond reason, the ever-flowing waters of your grace from your perpetual Spring. I entreat you, who bore the Logos, in a manner beyond comprehension, to refresh me in your grace that I may cry out, 'Hail redemptive waters'.” - From a kontakion (a hymn), which is chanted on Bright Friday after Pascha

With head bowed, Back bent, and tired feet, I crawl to you on hands and knees. With eyes swollen, Parched mouth, and Prayer rope in hand, I whisper the words, One more time. Your enemies are boundless O Christ, Yet, you offer An inexhaustible cup that Never runs dry? Forgive me, a sinner. You gave yourself Mary Most Holy, As the birth giver of God. And now you provide A refuge to me? "Rejoice, for the angelic powers and the human race rejoice because of you! Rejoice, for your glory surpasses both human and heavenly praise! Rejoice, you have revealed to us the mystery of the Divine Eucharist by showing the image of your Son in the chalice! Rejoice, you show us the Lamb born of you who is always eaten but never consumed! Rejoice, O cup of life and immortality that leads us to the gates of eternal life! Rejoice, you fill our thirsty souls with the water from the fountain of immortality! Rejoice, you do not withhold your blessing even from the most rejected and despised! Rejoice, by your compassion you pull us away from the pit of perdition! Rejoice, O Theotokos, the Inexhaustible Cup that quenches our spiritual thirst!" - Ikos VI, Akathist of the Inexhaustible Cup - Example of an icon of the Inexhaustible Cup

Why do I take the man-made paths Twisted and turning With fits and stops along the way? Overgrown with brambles Created by a mind Built by its own importance Fleshed by a heart Stirred by the demons lurking beneath. Intercede for me all you saints! Show me, Most Holy Mother! The way back to the path Your Son spoke into existence Trod by His own feet Washed by His own blood Resurrected by His own Ascension! Illumined by the Holy Spirit! This is the path of deification Born of love and silence Hewn by pride, anger, sadness, and all the rest I forget which is my worst But they always get thrown back into the fire Forged not by my tears or pleas But by Your incarnation, Your Very Body and Blood! Pick me up into Your Arms And set me down upon Your path again In this life, For the next So that I may behold your countenance In the darkest hours. Never regret the faith you gave me The hope you are to me The mercy You bequeathed to me in love. An_overgrown_path_on_Woodhead_Hill_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2112602.jpg ‎(640 × 427 pixels, file size: 148 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Oh, how the Apostles must have cried! When she, whose soul magnified the Lord, tasted death. Oh, how the Apostles must have been stunned! When Thomas, my dear Thomas, begged to behold Her face once more. Instead of her beauty and Without her loving countenance, Another tomb was found empty. Shock took over and doubt sunk in ...hard and fast... But she, who was without sin, Yet, still in need of Salvation, Kept in constant prayer, For those faithful servants who Served her Son and Loved her unconditionally, So that they would know and Teach the world that the Fullness of her spiritual And bodily existence experienced The heavenly kingdom of Christ. Teach me your ways, Ever Virgin Mary! Protect me, Most Holy Lady! Intercede for me, Most Holy Theotokos! Today, in my deepest prayer I implore you. Do not give up on me. Remain in constant prayer for me. Love me. Mosaic of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Koimisis tis Theotokou) from The Church of Holy Savior in Chora, Constantinople.

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 done according to [His] word" (Luke 1:38). If you are a parent, have you offered your children back to God so that His will may be done in them as opposed to yours? If you are child, do you give your life totally to God as Mary did? If you are a priest, do you repeatedly give your entire body, soul, and spirit to Him who gave you your vocation? If you are lost, have you sought yourself in the Temple of the Lord? Do we desire God totally and completely? Be still and silent and let the Holy Spirit fill every ounce of your being. Icon of the Entrance of the Theotokos (aka The Presentation)