Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church

06/24/2026

Did you know that we pray six psalms at the beginning of Matins?

Matins (in Greek Όρθρος, meaning early dawn) is one of seven “offices” (daily prayers) that Orthodox Christians around the world pray. Specifically, it is the “sunrise” office, so called because we pray this service at sunrise, making this the beginning of our daily prayer upon waking from sleep. We certainly experience this beautiful service every Sunday morning as it immediately precedes the Divine Liturgy that we attend in church on Sundays. Very soon into the service, we pray six very specific psalms every day at Matins. These psalms are selected by the Holy Church because they are six psalms that focus on God as the Just Judge.

In every Divine Liturgy, we pray for “A Christian end to our life, peaceful, without shame and suffering, and for a good defense before the awesome judgment seat of Christ.” This is because one day, we will awaken, not in our own beds as we typically do, but in front of the Lord’s judgment seat! On his last Tuesday on earth before his death, the Lord taught us that one day, we will awaken and find ourselves before the Judgment Seat of God. This is why the Holy Church has assigned Psalms 3, 37, 62, 87, 102, and 142 to be prayed immediately upon beginning the new day after arising from sleep. We call them “Exapsalmos (in Greek Εξάψαλμος, meaning six Psalms). These psalms focus on lying down to sleep and then awakening to God’s judgment. Every Matins service, therefore, reminds us that we are given another day by God as a gift and an opportunity to draw closer to Him, to ask for forgiveness, and to repent.

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06/22/2026

When I was a young man, my spiritual father once asked me to clean the old windows of our church.

To be honest, I didn’t understand why. Snd as a kid I wasn’t the happiest doing it to be honest!!😅 The work was slow, the windows were covered with years of dust, and from inside the church they didn’t seem that dirty.

But as I cleaned those old dusty windows, something beautiful happened. Little by little, more light began to enter. The icons seemed brighter. The colors became more vivid. The entire church felt different….and I felt so happy with my unexpected accomplishment!

My spiritual father smiled and said, “ Seeeeeee….? The light didn’t change. The sun didn’t become brighter. The window simply became cleaner.”

Years later, I finally understood what he was teaching me.

In today’s Gospel, Christ says, “The eye is the lamp of the body.” Our hearts are like those windows. When they become covered with the dust of anger, fear, pride, jealousy, constant negativity, and the noise of the world, we begin to think that life itself has become dark.

But the problem is not that Christ’s light has disappeared. The problem is that the window of our heart needs a bit cleaning.

Prayer cleans it.
Repentance cleans it.
Forgiveness cleans it.
Love cleans it.

My friends, the world tells us to look everywhere except toward God but Mother Church teaches us to clean the window of the soul so that we can see the Light that was there all along.

The Sun never stopped shining, and it never will. Christ’s light has never grown dim. From time to time, we simply need to pause and ask ourselves whether the windows of our soul have become covered with the heavy dust of all troubles, struggles and unnecessary stress.

For when the window is clean, we discover that the Light was there all along.

May our Good Lord enlighten your hearts, steps and minds!

Fr. Avgoustinos

06/19/2026

The Holy Apostle Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, is descended from King David and Solomon, and was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed (Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord) by his first wife.

The Holy Apostle John the Theologian writes in his Gospel, “... neither did his brethren believe in Him” (John. 7:5). Saint Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, explains this passage. He says that at the beginning of the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, Joseph’s sons, Jude among them, did not believe in His divine nature. Tradition says that when Saint Joseph returned from Egypt, he began to divide his possessions among his sons. He wanted to allot a share to Christ the Savior, born miraculously and incorruptibly from the All-Pure Virgin Mary. The brothers were opposed to this because Jesus was born of another mother. Only James, later called “The Brother of God,” offered to share his portion with Him.

Jude came to believe in Christ the Savior as the awaited Messiah, and he followed Him and was chosen as one of the twelve Apostles. Mindful of his sin, the Apostle Jude considered himself unworthy to be called the Lord’s brother, and in his Epistle he calls himself merely the brother of James.

The Holy Apostle Jude also had other names: the Evangelist Matthew terms him “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddeus” (Mt. 10:3). The Holy Evangelist Mark also calls him Thaddeus (Mark 3:18), and in the Acts of the Holy Apostles he is called Barsabas (Acts 15: 22). This was customary at that time.

After the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Jude traveled about preaching the Gospel. He propagated the faith in Christ at first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria and Idumaia, and later in the lands of Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia. Finally, he went to the city of Edessa. Here he finished the work that was not completed by his predecessor, Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy (August 21). There is a tradition that Saint Jude went to Persia, where he wrote his catholic Epistle in Greek. In the Epistle much profound truth was expressed in a few words.

Saint Jude’s Epistle speaks about the Holy Trinity, about the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, about the good and bad angels, and about the dread Last Judgment. The Apostle urges believers to guard themselves against fleshly impurity, to be diligent in prayer, faith and love, to convert the lost to the path of salvation, and to guard themselves from the teachings of heretics. He also says that it is not enough just to be converted to Christianity, but faith must be demonstrated by good works. He cites the rebellious angels and men punished by God (verse 6) to support this.

The Holy Apostle Jude died as a martyr around the year 80 near Mt. Ararat in Armenia, where he was crucified and pierced by arrows.

Troparion — Tone 1

Divinely we praise you, O Jude, as a faithful witness, / knowing you to be the brother of Christ. / You trampled on delusion, / and so preserved the faith. / Today as we celebrate your holy memory, / by your intercessions we receive remission of sins.

Kontakion — Tone 2

You were chosen as a disciple for your firmness of mind: / An unshakable pillar of the Church of Christ, / you proclaimed His word to the Gentiles, / telling them to believe in one Godhead. / You were glorified by Him, receiving the grace of healing, / healing the ills of all who came to you, / O most praised Apostle Jude!

More saints commemorated today: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2026/06/19

Music downloads: https://www.oca.org/liturgics/music-downloads/june

06/18/2026

Love is not merely an emotion, it is the fruit of a life lived in Christ. Every act of kindness, every sacrifice, every prayer, and every work of mercy finds its true value when it is done with love for God and for our neighbor.

As Saint Paisius of Sihăstria reminds us:

“Whatever you do, do it with love, so that you may receive a reward for all things, for love is the crown of all good deeds.”

May we strive today to let love guide our words, our actions, and our hearts, becoming living witnesses of Christ’s compassion in a world that desperately needs His light.

☦️ Lord, teach us to love as You have loved us.

06/05/2026

If you left the Church to avoid hypocritical people, consider this: by the same logic, you’d need to quit your job, leave school, cut ties with friends and family, and isolate yourself completely.

Instead, try to see the Church for what it truly is — a hospital for the wounded. It’s a place where we are both patients in need of healing and practitioners learning to help others. Wherever there are people, flaws exist. Go to the Church not only for your own healing but also to help others who, like you, are struggling with their own challenges.

Let God’s grace work in you, transforming you day by day. And as you grow, extend compassion, patience, and love to those who are still on their journey to healing.

06/02/2026

The Summer edition of the Resurrection Quarterly Magazine is now available on our website and here: https://online.fliphtml5.com/pasmt/FINAL-Summer-2026-Magazine/ =1

Inside, we've highlighted the accomplishments of our 2026 college and high school graduates, along with a recap of our parish ministry activities over the past few months. Kalo Mina - Good Month!

06/01/2026

Blessed Monday of the Holy Spirit!

In the Orthodox Church, it is tradition that the day after a Great Feast honors those who made the Feast possible. Just as the day after the Nativity of our Lord celebrates the Theotokos, and the day after Theophany celebrates St. John the Forerunner; the day after Pentecost celebrates the Holy Spirit, whose descent fulfilled Christ’s promise.

Today we honor the all-Holy, good, and life-giving Holy Spirit, who descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost in the form of fiery tongues, fulfilling Christ’s promise to send the Comforter to His disciples. The same Holy Spirit continues to dwell within the Church throughout the ages, guiding it “into all truth” (John 16:13).

Before His Passion and Ascension, Christ promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to teach, strengthen, and remain with His followers. On Pentecost, that promise was fulfilled as the Apostles received the Holy Spirit and were empowered to preach the Gospel to all nations. The Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire, symbolizing both purification and the spreading of God’s truth throughout the world. Just as the confusion of languages once scattered humanity, the coming of the Holy Spirit united people once again through the message of Christ.

The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter because He strengthens, guides, and renews us. He continues to work within the Church, granting wisdom, sanctifying the faithful, and drawing all people into the knowledge and love of God. Through the Holy Spirit, the world was filled with divine gifts, and the Gospel began spreading to the ends of the earth.

The entire week following Pentecost is celebrated as a fast-free week, reminding us of the joy and fullness of God’s presence among us.

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Blessed are You O Christ Our God You have revealed the fishermen as most wise by sending down upon them the Holy Spirit through them You drew the world into Your net O Lover of Man, Glory to You! - Troparion, Tone 8

When the most High came down and confused the tongues, He divided the nations; but when he distributed the tongues of fire He called all to unity. Therefore, with one voice, we glorify the All-holy Spirit! - Kontakion, Tone 8

05/30/2026

The priest is not the only person who can deliver the “sermon.” The Gospel should be preached on the playground, in the office, at home, on the baseball field, and it should be preached by how we act, not only by what we say.
https://myocn.net/the-holy-spirit-and-many-languages/

05/29/2026