Category Archives: A Lamp for Today

Readings: Hebrews 13:4 Genesis 1 and 2; Ephesians 5; Tobit (especially 8:4-8) My children’s generation grew up on a classical love-story, tinged with touches of humor: The Princess Bride, more often watched in the film version than read in the book by William Goldman. I remember my middle daughter Alexandra being delighted that the storyContinue reading ““What Have You Got Worth Living For? True Love!”–St. Valentine, Marriage and the Orthodox Faith”

2 Timothy 3:10-15; Luke 18:10-14, 4 Kingdoms 19:9-20; Phil. 2: 5-11. This week, especially on February 2nd, we concentrated upon that poignant story of Jesus’ presentation at the Temple, when he is brought by St. Joseph and his Holy Mother at 40 days after his Nativity to be received by the elder Simeon. Here weContinue reading “Humility that is Heard In Heaven: The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee”

1 Timothy 4:9-15 In writing to the Philippians, who were, it seems, finding the virtues of unity and humility hard to embrace, the holy Apostle Paul has this to say: I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. I have noContinue reading “The “Sub-Apostle” Holy St. Timothy (Jan 22, 2017)”

Colossians 2:8-12; Luke 2:20-21, 40-52, Various verses in Exodus, Deuteronomy and Numbers For our family, this season has been a time of new things: the first Christmas of two babies (my eleventh and twelfth grandchildren) and the welcoming of a new puppy. These fresh lives seem appropriate as symbols of the (secular) New Year, andContinue reading “The New and the Circumcized: An “Afterward” on The Circumcision of Christ and New Year’s Day”

Daniel 3// The Song of Azariah; Matthew 1; Deuteronomy 10:14-21. For the past three years, I have, with joy and some nostalgia, unwrapped my mother’s three little Goebel figurines, called “The Flight into Egypt”, and put them on a table that is too dangerously low for a grandmother with twelve grandkids. But I want itContinue reading “Not Strictly Necessary: The Three Youths and St. Joseph (Vespers and Sunday before Christmas)”

Luke 13:10-17; Gal 3:23-4:5; 2 Samuel 6 This Sunday we consider the Great-Martyr Barbara, our father the Venerable John of Damascus, words from St. Paul about our participation in Christ, and the gospel story of the woman who was made straight by Jesus, liberated from the eighteen-year prison of her bent body. The two saints,Continue reading “Untold Freedom: Tenth Sunday of Luke, Feasts of Saints Barbara and John of Damascus”

Galatians 6:11-18; Luke 12:16-21; 1 Chronicles 28:9 As I began to think about this week’s blog and podcast, and make some notes, I struggled with the first line of what I was trying to write. I tried THREE times to get a pesky comma deleted, only to find that I was deleting text. Looking moreContinue reading “Only Surface Deep: Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost & Ninth Sunday of Luke”

Galatians 1:11-19; Luke 8:41-56; Isaiah 43:9-13 It is perhaps significant that in this ecclesial year we read during Divine Liturgy from the first chapter of Galatians twice in the space of two weeks. This happens because Galatians 1:11-19 is the passage appointed for St. James’ day, which happened to be on the Lord’s Day thisContinue reading “Things Hidden and Things Revealed: Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost and Seventh Sunday of Luke”

Luke 8:26-39; Gal 1:11-19; Luke 16:19-31; Jeremiah 31:31-34 This weekend, the Orthodox community is united in remembering James, the brother of the Lord, but we have different gospel readings: Luke 8:26-39 for some of us, and Luke 16:19-31 for others.  Both gospel readings, and the epistle appointed for St. James touch on similar themes, fortunately. Continue reading “The God Who Makes Himself Known: James the Brother of God, Sixth Sunday of Luke”

“With Sacred Songs, let us praise the holy Apostle: the Narrator of the Acts of the Apostles and Author of the Bright Gospel of Christ , the All-Hymned Luke Whose Fame is not Confined to Christ’s Church for He is the Physician who Heals Men’s Ills,  Nature’s Frailties and the Soul’s Injuries and he Prays Unceasingly,Continue reading “The Gift(s) of the Evangelist Luke: Special Blog for St. Luke’s Feast-day!”