In preparation for a parish retreat later this week, I’ve been perusing On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius. We (myself included) do not read from Holy Scripture near enough, and these words by St. Athanasius in his conclusion should be worthy words of encouragement for us all to open up those Bibles!

Here, then, Macarius, is our offering to you who love Christ, a brief statement of the faith of Christ and of the manifestation of His Godhead to us. This will give you a beginning, and you must go on to prove its truth by the study of the Scriptures. They were written and inspired by God; and we, who have learned from inspired teachers who read the Scriptures and became martyrs for the Godhead of Christ, make further contribution to your eagerness to learn. From the Scriptures you will learn also of His second manifestation to us, glorious and divine indeed, when He shall come not in lowliness but in His proper glory, no longer in humiliation but in majesty, no longer to suffer but to bestow on us all the fruit of His cross—the resurrection and incorruptibility. No longer will He then be judged, but rather will Himself be Judge, judging each and all according to their deeds done in the body, whether good or ill. Then for the good is laid up the heavenly kingdom, but for those that practice evil outer darkness and the eternal fire. So also the Lord Himself says, “I say unto you, hereafter you shall see the Son of Man seated on the right hand of power, coming on the clouds of heaven in the glory of the Father.” (Matthew 26:64) For that Day we have one of His own sayings to prepare us, “Get ready and watch, for you know not the hour in which He comes.” (Matthew 24:42) And blessed Paul says, “We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive according as he practiced in the body, whether, good or ill.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

But for the searching and right understanding of the Scriptures there is need of a good life and a pure soul, and for Christian virtue to guide the mind to grasp, so far as human nature can, the truth concerning God the Word. One cannot possibly understand the teaching of the saints unless one has a pure mind and is trying to imitate their life. Anyone who wants to look at sunlight naturally wipes his eye clear first, in order to make, at any rate, some approximation to the purity of that on which he looks; and a person wishing to see a city or country goes to the place in order to do so. Similarly, anyone who wishes to understand the mind of the sacred writers must first cleanse his own life, and approach the saints by copying their deeds. Thus united to them in the fellowship of life, he will both understand the things revealed to them by God and, thenceforth escaping the peril that threatens sinners in the judgment, will receive that which is laid up for the saints in the kingdom of heaven. Of that reward it is written: “Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things that god has prepared” (1 Corinthians 2:9) for them that live a godly life and love the God and Father in Christ Jesus our Lord, through Whom and with Whom be to the Father Himself, with the Son Himself, in the Holy Spirit, honor and might glory to ages of ages. Amen.

Each year as we celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m always reminded how I go through most of the year taking for granted how thankful I should be to God. This year with the day before Thanksgiving being the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos in the Temple it really hit home about not being thankful. Without Joachim and Anna presenting their daughter in the Temple, the “wheels” would not have continued in motion for God to become Incarnate. We owe grateful thanks to Joachim and Anna!

Well……I lived up to my words from our Annual Meeting yesterday! Here I am writing again! We had our Annual Parish meeting yesterday and I am so excited that one of the exercises at the meeting was to hear from folks what our next big projects are. Too often, meetings focus on what we did (that’s good), but we don’t focus enough on what we do next. Our focus for 2008 will be the Eucharist and Communication. Thank you Lord, for communicating Your love for us each day! Now it’s off to Chicago for more meetings…..

While speaking with parishioners, I find myself very often referring to my past. I did that alot today, and it made me think that someone 100 years from now may read this blog and wonder who this crazy priest was. So, here’s some bio stuff: I was born in Scranton, PA. I’ve lived in Baden, PA; Crossingville, PA; North Hollywood, CA; St. Louis, MO; Lawrence, KS; Crestwood, NY; Huntington, NY; New Salem, PA; Lakewood, OH and Gardner, KS. It’s amazing how each of these locations, and the people from them, have helped me  in pastoring to each of my flocks.

I was thinking that one of the goals of life is to not take God for granted. It sounds simple, but I know it’s not easy. Each day brings with it temptations that keep us from remembering God. And, I guess it’s not even enough just to remember Him—we need to remember His love for us, His mercy for us, and how he continually forgives us. And that’s probably not enough either! We need to be mindful that God, being who He is, hears our every word, and knows our every thought. I know, personally, I sometimes feel like a kid who took a piece of bubble gum from the store and thought he got away with it. That’s taking God for granted!