Eastern Christian Insights

Fr. Philip calls us to become vessels of the shocking love of God that is the salvation of the world.

Fr. Philip calls us to endure suffering in striving for the salvation of our souls as modeled by St. Joseph of Damascus.

Fr. Philip calls us to engage in the practices of prayer, fasting and generosity - the basic building blocks of Christian faithfulness.

Like the Saints, our path to holiness will be through the daily struggle to be faithful in small ways that few will notice or celebrate.

Fr. Philip reminds us of the significance of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church.

Are we ascending in holiness with Christ through the pains and challenges of this world?

Are you experiencing healing from the blinding power of sin and death through the resurrection of Jesus?

Do you understand the Gospel as being good news for all, even for those whom you hate?

Fr. Philip challenges us to respond in humble obedience to the resurrected Christ, following the example of the Myrrhbearers.

On Thomas Sunday, we are reminded that Christ rose victoriously with his wounds and that we too may bring our bodily limitations and challenges into the redeeming light of the risen Christ.

Fr. Philip invites us to follow Jesus through his passion, bringing victory through the cross.

Fr. Philip calls us to a life of repentance like St Mary of Egypt.

On this Sunday of "The Ladder of Divine Ascent," by St. John Climacus, we are called to ever greater heights of union with God by lowering ourselves through humble repentance.

Fr. Philip encourages us at this midpoint of Great Lent to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

Fr. Philip remembers St. Gregory Palamas by calling us to bring our whole personhood - body, soul and spirit - into our relationship with God.

Fr. Philip encourages us to find ourselves in the story of the Prodigal Son, and to come home to the Father who is ready to forgive.

Fr. Philip calls us to begin the journey into Great Lent with the mindset of the Publican rather than the self-righteousness of the Pharisee.

Fr. Philip calls us to open our eyes to those areas of our own lives which need to change, as we become children of light.

Fr. Philip challenges the foolishness of pursuing wealth, power and politics in place of the true salvation of our lives.

The story of the Good Samaritan calls us to treat everyone as our neighbor through the love of God for the whole world.

We must accept a kind of death in order to become our true selves—one that includes a rejection of legalism and self-justification.

Fr. Philip explores the significance of St. Luke, the patron saint of his parish.

We must tend or care for the seeds and the growing plants of our souls if they are to have any realistic hope of producing a good crop.

Becoming a blessing to others is the way to be blessed ourselves.

Have you lost your sense of wonder at God's presence in your life?

To be Christ's disciple requires taking up a cross, denying oneself, and losing one's life in the world.

To believe in the power of Christ's Cross is to bet our lives on His sacrificial offering.

Our baptismal garment gives a profound responsibility throughout our lives to live in a way that shines with the divine glory—that radiates the light of Christ to a world so filled with darkness, death, and despair.

Many times in the Bible, cultivated land is a sign of our relationship with God.

It is a mistake to approach the life in Christ as a list of chores to be checked off.

The Feast of the Dormition calls us to embrace the fullness of life—the deepest reality of what it means to be a human being in the world as we know it.

Contrary to many contemporary Christians, Jesus and the Apostles did not seek a happy or successful life.

Christ does not ask us to fix our own personal problems, much less to end wars or feed thousands. All that he asks us to do is offer what little we can to Him for blessing with the faith that He will do with it what is best.

In order to accomplish anything, we have to accept who we are, stay focused, and faithfully fulfill the duties that our particular calling gives us. Otherwise, we will likely fail in what we set out to do.

Jesus Christ calls his followers to something much more profound than being friendly, decent, or thoughtful.

In the name of freedom, we easily enslave ourselves to our own desires and passions in ways that make it very hard to set things right once again.

Fr. Philip reflects on the lives and witness of the early Christian martyrs and saints in Rome.