“When we examine our lives, where does our true focus lie?  Do we see things through the lens of our spiritual lives, asking ourselves how our day to day decisions can lead us closer to Christ?  Do we spend more time obsessing over the news and chatter about worldly things like politics, pandemic responses, and finance than we do reading from God’s Holy Words to us in scripture?  If we are to teach others how to embrace this life of Christ, we have to first do it ourselves by spending more time in prayer and meditating on the things above, instead of lamenting and being paralyzed by the things below.”
(Fr Gabriel Bilas, St Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church)