Flames of Faith | St. Elias Parish, Brampton
https://youtu.be/w2KxoIN5vbA
Jan
26
2017
Jan
25
2017
Mark 11:23-26- Mind Your Manners
Christ is Born! I have heard it said, that when you ask the Lord to move a mountain, don't be surprised if He hands you a shovel. Whatever the method of moving mountains, we need faith to see it through. In today's reading our Lord reminds us of His amazing power, as well as the awesome gift of faith through prayer. And yet we know that faith, which is necessary for our discipleship, can be a very difficult to find at times. The classic example of this is often seen in the cry of the father to Christ "Lord, I…
Jan
24
2017
Mark 11:11-23- I Don’t Give a Fig!
Christ is Born! Bible quiz- What type of leaves did Adam and Eve sew together to make themselves clothes in the garden of Eden? That's right, fig leaves! We actually see fig trees in many places in Scripture. The fig tree came to be recognized as a symbol of national wealth and prosperity for God's people in the Old Testament. With this in mind, and only in the context of Our Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem and His cleansing of the temple, can we understand what is being conveyed when Christ does not find any fruit on the tree, and…
Jan
23
2017
Blessed Martyrs of Pratulin
Today is the anniversary of the massacre of thirteen peasant men and boys who died defending a little Greek Catholic church in what is now Poland. They gathered, with their families and neighbors, to prevent the Russian Imperial government from imposing an Orthodox priest into their parish. This took place when the Tsar destroyed the last Greek Catholic eparchy in the empire, Chelm, in 1873 – 1875. Deportations had already begun of clergy and lay leaders who were sent off in long columns on foot to Siberia. Read more at Father Christopher Zugger
Jan
23
2017
Mark 10:46-52- You Gotta Want It
Christ is Born! It's always very disheartening to see a person who has been incredibly gifted with natural ability- whether in music, sports, intelligence etc.- but lacking the drive to do anything with it. This is often noticed especially with teachers who recognize wonderful gifts among their students but are at a loss as to motivate them to develop them. Bartimaeus on the other hand is a different kind of guy. He's living in Jericho, the capital of godlessness, and he's blind. He hears our Lord coming through and shouts out to Him. When he is silenced he shouts all…
Jan
20
2017
Jan
20
2017
Mark 10:23-32- Who Can be Saved?
Christ is Born! Often times, depending on the Christian you are talking to, a lot of fuss and worry is made about "if you are being saved or not." In fact, with door to door evangelists "are you saved?" is often the first question which they will ask. The short answer for an orthodox Christian is "I am saved, I am being saved and I will be saved." Salvation is an on-going process. Some of it depends on us and some of it does not. Our Lord makes it very clear that salvation is impossible for human beings on their…
Jan
19
2017
Mark 10:17-21- Ask the Photographer
Christ is Born! What is the one thing you will never find in the photo? The photographer of course. In our reading today from the Gospel of Mark we encounter the Rich Young Man, a would-be disciple of the Lord who asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. His question is an important one for us today because in it we can find the seeds of what has really matured in our own culture- materialism, capitalism and utilitarianism: "What is heaven worth? How can I earn my way in?" etc. Our Lord's advice cuts straight to the heart…
Jan
18
2017
Mark 10:11-16- Bring the Children to Him
Christ is Born! Richard Dawkins, one the the world's most famous "New Atheists" has stated that Christian parents baptizing their children and raising them in the faith is child abuse. He believes that this ultimately removes their choice to choose later on in life what their true beliefs might be. Interestingly, I doubt he includes the indoctrination of children (young and old) into his chosen religion- that of Materialism- in his sweeping judgments. It has been the practice of Christians from the beginnings of the Church to bring children for baptism and to instruct them in the faith. Just as…
Jan
17
2017
Luke 16:17-23- Blessed are the Needy
Christ is Born! Are you one of those "needy people?" I sure hope so. If we had to describe the people who come to the Lord in today's reading with one word it would certainly have to be "needy." They had diseases. They were troubled by evil spirits. They needed healing. They needed Christ- and they knew it. And what is our Lord's response to them? To affirm them in their independence of course! - NOT! He affirms their need. Contrary to all the world teaches us the Lord tells them that they are blessed in their need because this need…