Christ is Risen! Indeed he is Risen! Christos voskrese! Voistinnu Voskrese! Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! SUNDAY of the MAN BORN BLIND Sunday May 5th 2024. Dear Friends, We have many things to motivate and inspire us over the next two weeks. Today’s Gospel highlights one of the greatest miracles Christ worked. No one EVER healed a man born blind in the Old Testament. We do read of Tobias was cured of this blindness, but, he was not born blind. Therefore, as a miracle never seen before (pun intended), this miracle stands out as one of the greatest any Prophet had worked. It is also striking ..read more

The story of the healing of the man born blind, from St John’s Gospel, obviously has a message for us about seeing, or vision, or perception.  In his homily, below, for this 5th Sunday after Pascha (6th Sunday of Pascha), Fr James Graham invites us to think about what we should be seeing when we look at the world around us. Celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom with us at 9:30 on Sunday morning, and stay after the liturgy to enjoy lunch and conversation. LEARN TO SEE GOD AT WORK IN THE WORLD Homily for the Fifth Sunday after Pascha Acts of the Apostles 16:16-34…………….John 9:1 ..read more

On the Fifth Sunday of Pascha (the Fourth Sunday after Pascha) we hear the story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well from the Gospel of John.  And from the Acts of the Apostles we hear how Christ’s disciples dispersed from Jerusalem and in Antioch began preaching to non-Jews, who came to believe and made Antioch the place where the name “Christian” was first used.  In his homily, below, Fr James Graham shows how these two stories shape our understanding of the Church and its mission. Join us to celebrate the Divine Liturgy at 9:30 am on Sunday.  This Sunday, after l ..read more

Christ is Risen! Indeed he is Risen! Christos voskrese! Voistinnu Voskrese! Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! SUNDAY of the SAMARITAN WOMAN, Sunday April 28th 2024. Dear Friends, The reading from the Acts of the Apostles is noteworthy since for the very time the disciples, the new Christians of the nascent church are known as the Christianoi, that is, as Christians. What stands out and bears witness to them is their love one for another. This is a beautiful testimony to the Christians and was not something lost to the Pagans who saw their way of life. In fact the Acts describe Christians as tho ..read more

Christ is Risen! Indeed he is Risen! Christos voskrese! Voistinnu Voskrese! Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! SUNDAY of the PARALYTIC MAN, Sunday April 21 st 2024. Dear Friends, Today we celebrate the Sunday of the Paralytic man. His healing is not the only healing that we read today. We also read of healings by St Peter who heals Aeneas at Lydda, and the Tabitha in the town of Joppa. The tie between the Gospel healing and the healing we read in the Acts of the Apostles is subtle, but there is link when we look at the number 38 knowing the sacred number of 40. It is two short of the perfect num ..read more

On the Fourth Sunday of Pascha (the Third Sunday after Pascha) we read the Gospel story of the paralyzed man at the Pool of Bethesda, whom Jesus healed after 38 years of waiting.  In his homily, below, Fr James Graham discusses the second part of the story–the part after the healing–and its implications for our lives. Celebrate the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning at 9:30 with our parish community, and stay after the liturgy for food and fellowship. HEALING FOR BODY AND SOUL Homily for the Third Sunday after Pascha Acts of the Apostles 9:32-42…………….John 5:1-15      Sometime ..read more

Christ is Risen! Indeed he is Risen! Christos voskrese! Voistinnu Voskrese! Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! SUNDAY of the MYRRH BEARING WOMEN, Sunday April 14th , 2024. RWP8RG Myrrhbearers icon, Palekh, Ivanovo region, Russia Dear Friends, Today we celebrate the Sunday of the Myrrh bearing women. We read in the Gospel of a group of ladies who were close friends of Jesus and Mary. They go to the tomb to perform a service to honor the lifeless body of Christ. In some ways the very human side of things comes to light. Quite often when I think of funeral arrangements, where in other churches it ..read more

On the Third Sunday of Pascha (the Second Sunday after Pascha), the Church commemorates the holy women who came to Jesus’ tomb to anoint his body for burial and instead discovered an empty tomb and an angel telling them, “He is risen.  He is not here.”  In his homily, Fr James Graham reflects on their fearful reaction to this wonderful news and connects it to our own often fearful expression of our faith, concluding that we really have no reason to fear, because Christ is risen! Join us on Sunday morning at 9:30 to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, and stay after for food and fellowship ..read more

Christ is Risen! Indeed he is Risen! Christos voskrese! Voistinnu Voskrese! Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti! THOMAS SUNDAY, Octave day of Pascha, April 7th, 2024 Dear Friends, Today we celebrate the Octave Day of Pascha, we also call it Thomas Sunday. In the Chaldean Church this Sunday is called New Sunday. Our Chaldean brethren are highlighting the work of restoration. Christ begins his work of renewing all things, this new creation is something that we see at Baptism. St Paul will say that there is no distinction between Jew and Non-Jew, Greek and Roman, Man and Woman, instead we are all new ..read more

The Second Sunday of Pascha (the First Sunday after Pascha) is called Thomas Sunday because, on this day, we read from the Gospel of John the story of the Apostle Thomas’ encounter with the Risen Lord a week after the Resurrection–a story about belief (and the difficulty of believing).  In his homily, below, Fr James Graham suggests that this story does not condemn those who have trouble believing, but in fact shows Jesus’ special concern for them. Join us at 9:30 this Sunday morning to celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, and stay after the service for food and fellowship ..read more