Eastern Christian Insights

Fr. Philip LeMasters calls us to open our lives to the Holy God in humility, following the example of the Publican.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus during his baptism and upon His followers as beautiful epiphanies in the world.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on the baptism of Christ by the Holy Prophet and Forerunner, John the Baptist.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on the genealogy of Jesus, and healing work of redemption that comes through Christ.

Responding to the call to come to the heavenly banquet requires us to leave behind those things to which we are enslaved.

The point of the Christian life is a participation in the healing of the human person, struggling against the forces of evil in our own souls.

As we prepare for the coming nativity of Jesus, we need to follow the example of Blind Bartimaeus who opened his life to the Light of Christ in humility.

Approaching God's requirements as a simple checklist for eternal life will leave us, like the Rich Young Ruler, outside of the great joy of Christmas.

When we become distracted by the indulgence of our passions, we will be like the rich fool who was blind to the ultimate purpose of his life before God.

"Loving our neighbors as ourselves foreshadows the blessedness of the Kingdom where there are no hated foreigners."

Are we so spiritually blind that we are unable to see the resurrected Christ and to offer ourselves to others in sacrificial love?

The woman suffering from a physical ailment that made her ceremonially unclean is an example for us in how to approach Jesus in humility and faith.

Our favorite sins drive us into the isolation of the wilderness, away from the healing power of Jesus. Once healed, the best witness to the transforming power of Christ is the personal story of those set free.

What is the point of our lives according to Jesus?

Who do you think you are? Is it leading you more and more into the likeness of Jesus?

Jesus calls all to take up our cross and follow him for our entire life.

Each one of us are invited into new life in Christ. However, we must be willing to die to those things which hold us back if we are to become a 'new creation' in Christ like the Theotokos.

Self-centeredness is an act of idolatry, addressed by giving of ourselves and our desires to meet the needs of others.

Are you willing to look at what your life truly is like? It is the grace of God that moves us more and more into the life of Christ, crucifying our shame and despair.

Pride is one of the primary hinderances to our life in Christ. Instead, humility accepts the will of God in our lives, like the Theotokos, even if it makes look like fools to the world.

Observing the Feast of the Transfiguration means that we enter into our own change into the likeness of Jesus Christ through the many opportunities provided to us by the Church.

We must open the eyes of our souls to the truth of where we stand before Christ. And then, when we know our own inadequacy, it will be possible to offer ourselves truthfully to Him.

Fr. Philip explains how the hatred and rejection of other people in the name of Godliness leads to the hatred and rejection of our Lord Himself. He also discusses St. Timon and the plight of the people in Syria.

Jesus called his followers to become the light of the world by becoming holy, united through the healing and transforming grace of the One who is the Light of the World.

Being set free from those things which possess us is just the beginning of the process of salvation.

All disciples of Jesus are called to follow Him, in the power of the Holy Spirit, into a new life of holiness.

Christ calls us to ascend with Him into the Kingdom of Heaven, becoming like Him in His holiness even now in the Church.

Each of us are in need of the healing and illumination of our risen Lord, opening the eyes of our souls to himself.

How do you decided whether you measure up or not? Does shame or blame keep us from opening our souls to the new life offered by our Lord?

Along with the paralytic man, Jesus asks us, "Do you want to be healed?" Or have we become so accustomed to our illnesses that we no longer feel the need for healing and transformation?

The Myrrh-Bearers lived a life of service for the flourishing of the Church, much like the early Deacons, modeling the kind of life that all Christians are called to live.

We are called to bear witness of the resurrected Lord, along with St. Thomas, who sought to know Christ through a personal experience with Him.

Why did Jesus come as one of us, entering on the foal of a donkey on his way to the cross?

Entering the final week of Lent, we are reminded once again of our own weakness and failings and our needs for the mercy of God.

During the season of Lent, we are called to crucify our passions and turn from sin so that we can gain the strength to respond like the Theotokos in simple, trusting obedience.

Is the cross a symbol of death or life, victory or defeat? This Lent we are called once again to take up our cross and follow our Savior, setting us free from the fear of death.

How do we break free from the paralysis of our own sin and brokenness? The disciplines of Lent are tools given to us to help us move towards our own salvation.

How can we find joy and healing for our souls as image bearers of God?

Are you prepared to enter the Kingdom of God? If not, the Church calls us to enter through forgiveness into the journey of repentance of Great Lent.

Are we truly becoming partakers of the divine nature? Our actions reveal what is true our about lives, and will be revealed at the last judgment.

Is pride derailing your spiritual life? The season of Great Lent helps us see our need for repentance and humility.

During the coming Lenten season, spiritual disciplines like prayer are intended to help us humble ourselves before the Lord and make us aware how far we are away from God. Pride threatens to weigh us down, while humility lifts us up to God.

The Savior came to heal, bless and sanctify all who bear his image and likeness. Are we living into that healing and blessing?

Does everyone walk the same path of repentance into the Kingdom of God?

We are called to become living epiphanies of God's salvation by offering every dimension of our lives to Christ.

The circumcision of Jesus is a sign that He fulfilled the requirements of the Law, and an invitation for us to receive the circumcision of our own hearts.

Who exactly belongs in the story of Jesus - the perfect as well as the imperfect, the sinner as well as the saint? Perhaps the true meaning of Christmas is more shocking than we first imagined.

Are you prepared to receive the great blessing of the coming of Christ?

What is keeping you "stooped over," hindering you from becoming more like Jesus?

Does your approach to this Advent season reflect an attitude of self-sufficiency, or does it reveal your reliance on the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus?