May 2, 2008
"Indeed, God calls even the body to resurrection, and promises it everlasting life. When He promises to save the man, He thereby makes His promise to the flesh: for what is man but a rational living being composed of soul and body?" -– St. Justin Martyr

May 1, 2008
"Is the soul by itself a man? No, it is but the soul of a man. Can the body be called a man? No, it can but be called the body of a man. If, then neither of these is by itself a man, but that which is composed of the two together is called man, and God has called man to life and resurrection, He has called not a part, but the whole, which is the soul and the body… The resurrection is of the flesh which died; for the spirit does not die." -– St. Justin Martyr

April 30, 2008
"For in the baptismal rite, death ensues through the slaying of sin; threefold immersion initiates the lying in the tomb three days, and the raising out of the water is like him that rose again from the tomb. The very nature, therefore, of the act teaches us that that is the recognized day for the general reception of the grace, on which the power of the gift and the character of the action originated." -– St. Leo the Great

April 29, 2008
"And we in receiving baptism, in imitation of our Lord and teacher and guide, are not indeed buried in the earth (for this is the shelter of the body that is entirely dead, covering the infirmity and decay of our nature), but coming to the element akin to earth, to water, we conceal ourselves in that as the Savior did in the earth: and by doing this thrice we represent for ourselves that grace of the resurrection which was wrought in three days." -– St. Gregory of Nyssa

April 28, 2008
"Divine symbols are perfected [in baptism]: burial and death, resurrection and life and all these happen at the same time. As we submerge our heads in the water as in a tomb, the old man is buried, and as he goes down he is once and for all and entirely hidden; then, as we lift up our heads, the new man comes forth. Just as it is easy for us to be immersed and to lift up our heads again, so it is easy for God to bury the old man and show forth the new. This takes place three times, that you may know that the power of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit brings all these things to fulfillment." -– St. John Chrysostom

April 25, 2008
"We are all surrounded by corruption in the Church, in our neighborhoods, our families, and in society. How do we defeat corruption all around us? - By perfecting ourselves. Christ was surrounded by the ultimate corruption of Hell when He descended into the depths. But His perfection destroyed sin, death, and the Devil. He released those held by corruption and ‘led captivity captive." -- His Grace, Bishop JOSEPH

April 24, 2008
"The Eucharist is Christ Himself. The Eucharist is His Eucharist and He is the Eucharist. '...it is He who offers and it is He who is offered.'" –- Fr. Alexander Schmemann

April 23, 2008
"Blessed is Christ Who promised life and resurrection to Adam's children in the day of His coming. We too shall arise and exalt Him along with the saints who have been pleasing to Him." -– St. Ephraim the Syrian

April 22, 2008
On Matthew, Chapter 25: “Indeed, all of them had retained their virginity, but they did not posses the other virtues, especially charity. Virginity alone is not sufficient to enter the Kingdom of God. Virginity does not help at all, if the virgin is proud and selfish.” –- St. Isidore of Pelusium

April 21, 2008
"We must not let worldly troubles divert us from our Savior, Jesus Christ. We cannot reduce parish life, or even the Diocese, to balance sheets and bank accounts. A watched pot never boils, a watched wallet never fills, and a watched pew is never occupied. If we are to watch for anything, it should be for the Bridegroom." -- His Grace, Bishop JOSEPH

April 18, 2008
"When the Lord cried: 'Lazarus!' the man awoke and lived. The Lord knows the name of each of us. If Adam knew the name of each one of God’s creatures, how could God not know each of us by name? Oh, sweet and life-giving voice of the only Lover of mankind! That voice can make sons of God out of Stones. How can it not wake us from the sleep of sin!" -- St. Nicholai of Zica