In today’s Gospel, from Matthew 8:28-9:1, we hear the story of the two men who were possessed by demons in the region of the Gedarenes. We know from the Gospel that the two men entreated Jesus to drive them out and send them into a herd of pigs that was grazing nearby.
In today’s Gospel, Matthew 8:5-13, we hear the story of the healing of the centurion’s servant by the Word of Jesus.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is speaking of our basic needs, not luxuries, when He speaks about the health of our eyes, for the “lamp of the body is the eye”. For if the eye is good the whole body will be full of light, if not then darkness. For as Jesus says we should not worry about earthly matters and necessities, for Our Heavenly Father knows our needs, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”. Jesus is telling us not to worry about what to eat, drink etc., but to seek the Kingdom which every Christian must prioritize in our lives.
This Sunday June 18, 2023 is an especially important occasion for us at St. Herman’s Church, in that today is the nationwide commemoration of the many Saints of North America, including America’s first Saint, Herman of Alaska our heavenly patron who was canonized in 1970.
The Sunday following the Feast of Pentecost in the Orthodox Church is dedicated to All Saints.
This weekend, we in the Orthodox Church celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. On this great Feast Day God gave humanity the gift of the Holy Spirit, the pledge of a new Promised Land.
The sixth Sunday of Pascha, May 28,2023 is dedicated to the memory of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, which was held in the year 325 AD. Through these Fathers, God has given us the Symbol of our Faith, The Nicene Creed.
Throughout the Season of Pascha, the priest uses the Three-Branched Candlestick symbolizing the Light of the Resurrection. The theme of Light is echoed in all the hymns of the season along with brightness, radiance and splendor.
Established many years ago this Sunday in our country we celebrate in the afterglow of Pascha, Mother’s Day. This is a very important day in the life of our country where we pay homage and thankfulness to our mothers, grandmothers, etc., for their many sacrifices on our behalf.
The Gospel for May 7, 2023 is the Gospel reading of the Paralytic. Some of the most beautiful hymns of the Orthodox Church dramatize Jesus’s encounter with the paralyzed man. The Vesperal Hymn of that day sings, “the paralytic, an unburied dead man, upon seeing You cried out; Lord have mercy on me! My bed has become my grave. Of what use is my life? But I come to You, the fountain of healing, that I may say together with all Almighty Lord, glory to You!” It further sings, “Lord it was not the pool that healed the paralytic but your word”.
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