Become a monthly supporter of my online ministry and join me every week on Zoom for a Bible Study of the Gospel of Luke.
To accommodate participants in varying time zones throughout the world, I offer the same class at four different sessions:
• Tuesday, 3:00 pm US ET (Monday 8:00 pm GMT)
• Tuesday, 8:00 pm US ET (Wednesday 1:00 am GMT)
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We often wonder why people reject the Faith, blaming secular culture or “logic,” but St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 8:10 points the finger back at us. He warns that our “knowledge”—even if technically correct—can become a stumbling block (skandalon) if it lacks love. When we claim to follow the One True God but live exactly like the world, participating in its “temples” of ego and greed, we give unbelievers every reason to dismiss Christianity as powerless.
St. John Chrysostom put it bluntly: “There would be no heathen, if we would but be true Christians.” As Orthodox believers, we are called to be living icons, transparent windows through which others see Christ. But when our actions contradict our confession, we paint over that icon with the mud of hypocrisy. The observer sees only the mud, not the Savior, and logically concludes that our faith transforms nothing.
Ultimately, our life is the only Bible some people will ever read. We have to ensure our witness matches our words, lest we become the very reason someone else walks away from the Church.
In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Great Lent begins on a Monday. The day before Lent starts is called the Sunday of Forgiveness.
Forgiveness Sunday serves as a vital extension of the Sunday of the Last Judgment. If serving our neighbor is serving Christ, then making peace with those who have hurt us is making peace with Christ Himself.
We need to remember that any resentment we harbor acts as a wedge between us and the Lord; we cannot truly draw near to Christ while pushing a brother or sister away. As the Scripture warns: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, and clamor be put away from you” (Ephesians 4:31).
To experience the peace of Christ during Great Lent, we are called to be active peacemakers—especially with those who hurt us, offend us, or just “get under our skin.” By laying down our grievances, we clear the spiritual path for the Holy Spirit to work within us.
This season, let us embrace the promise: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). As we begin the Fast, let us first forgive, that we may be forgiven.
Eastern Orthodoxy 