An Episcopal Priest's Sermons, Prayers, and Reflections on Life, Becoming Human, and Discovering Our Divinity
The collect and readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent may be found here. The appointed gospel is Matthew 1:1-25. Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to…
Read More Scandals, Wombs, and Emmanuel – A Sermon on Matthew 1:18-25
“We are all meant to be mothers of God. What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son takes place unceasingly, but does not take place within myself? And, what good is it to me…
The collect and readings for The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, may be found here. The following sermon is based on the gospel for the Liturgy of the Palms, Luke 19:28-40. 28After he had said this, he went on…
Read More Which Will It Be, Palms or Cloaks?
The Angelus Domini is used to commemorate the holy annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:26-38). It is used three times daily: at dawn, mid-day and at dusk. It remembers and honors the incarnation, the Word becoming flesh…
Read More The Angelus Domini – Feast of the Annunciation
In a previous post I wrote about ecstasy; that God is ecstatic and we are called to respond to his ecstasy with our own ecstasy. This double movement of God to humanity and humanity to God underlies the doctrine of…
Read More Incarnation, Theosis, Ecstasy
The collect and readings for Christmas Day may be found here. The appointed gospel was John 1:1-14. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All…
Read More The Ecstasy of Christmas
"The Son of the Most High came and dwelt in me, and I became His Mother; and as by a second birth I brought Him forth so did He bring me forth by the second birth, because He put His Mother's garments on,…
Read More Hymns on the Nativity – St. Ephrem
Mary appeared to us as a sealed letter, in which were hidden the mysteries of the Son and his depth. She gave her body as a clean sheet; the Word wrote his essence on it, corporeally. The Son is the…
Read More The Virgin Mary, A Letter Sent by the Father
The Annunciation to the Theotokos (Luke 1:26-38) is an annunciation to the entire human race that the Son and Word of God has become incarnate. What happened physically in Mary happens spiritually in everyone who lives in virginity, that is,…
Read More Birthing God – The Feast of the Annunciation
“O inexpressible mystery and unheard paradox: the Invisible is seen, the Intangible is touched , the eternal Word becomes accessible to our speech, the Timeless steps into time, the Son of God becomes the Son of Man." -- Saint…
Interrupting the Silence 