Musings From The High Desert

This passage is so extraordinary in Paul's writings that we have to cover most of the chapter this week. At Vespers, Fr Gabriel, after reviewing the preceding chapters, considered verses 1-5, about presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1-5)

As we end the Apostles' Fast, Fr Gabriel looks at a quintessential passage from the third and final section of the second prophet known as Isaiah. As the people prepare to return from captivity, in Babylon under the amnesty granted by King Cyrus of Persia, the prophet expresses both high expectation and hope for the future, but issues a caution about conduct that contradicts the content and spirit of fasting. The caution continues into our day. Listen in. (Isaiah 58:3-12)

In this Gospel from Matthew, Jesus lays down the gauntlet: you have to serve either God or mammon. But what is mammon, anyway? Join in as Fr Gabriel explores the meaning of this text in its time and for our lives today, with the call to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:22-33)

Fr Gabriel takes a deeper look at the word "blessed" which is often now translated as "happy." What does this word really mean? How does it have an impact on our lives today, particularly in regard to the call to be both salt and light, which ends this passage from Matthew 5? (All Saints of North America)

Fr. Gabriel Rochelle offers meditations on the meaning of saintliness for our times in the light of the biblical concept of sainthood, reflecting also on the concept of holiness. Tune in.

The healing of the paralytic comes within a section of John's Gospel that seems to relate to the second phase of entry into Christian faith: baptism. The water imagery is seen as symbolic by early Christian writers. But there is much more that awaits us in this story, and it is pointed toward our own reception and practice of the faith. (John 5)

The story of Dorcas/Tabitha is a fascinating one about the only woman in the New Testament called a "disciple." But she is surprisingly more than that, and a great deal was at stake surrounding her life...and death...and Peter's prayer. (Acts 9)

Fr Gabriel offers a slightly different look at St Thomas the Apostle. (John 20:19ff)

Paul's letter to the Philippians may be dated near the end of his ministry and life when he was imprisoned at Rome. Despite this, the theme of the entire letter is joy; in this passage Paul enjoins us to follow the pathway he has shown. Listen to his advice on finding peace in a world marked by suffering, pain, war and death. (Philippians 4:4-9)

Fr Gabriel sees this passage as the clearest statement of the meaning of Messiah for Jesus himself. The heart of the message is that the Kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom in which the servant is the Lord, and the only Lord worthy of the name is the servant. This is the heart of Christ's servant-leadership. (Mark 10:32-45)

Deacon Ted Brinegar explores and explains the Gospel for the day in connection with the Ladder of Divine Ascent, St. John of Climacus' classic text.

Fr Gabriel offers insights into the meaning, significance and centrality of the cross to our faith. Basic material here for your contemplation.

Fr Gabriel invites us to look at icons this day from two different perspectives. Listen in.

The parable of the last judgment which is our threshold to Lent is the harshest in the New Testament. Beyond the imagery, however, he main point is that we are responsible for our behavior in this world. What stands in the way, most often, is our own focus on self. Listen as Fr. Gabriel Rochelle contemplates this parable from that angle of vision. (Matthew 25)

In a developing series on passages from the Psalms, Fr Gabriel Rochelle focuses on a portion of the longest Psalm in the book. We consider what it means that God's word is sweet, like honey to the taste; and secondly, what it means to consider God's word a lamp for your feet and a light on your path. (Psalm 119:103ff)

The Parable of the Prodigal Son could be called many other things. It is a deep source of contemplation and teaching about the faith. This year Fr Gabriel focuses on the older brother in the parable and asks how we might be like him. (Luke 15:11-32)

A meditation on silence and waiting awaits listeners. Fr Gabriel offers five interpretations of what it means to wait in silence for God. (Psalm 62)

Persecution is the backdrop for the earnest encouragement and advice given to our young priest Timothy in this week's Epistle lesson. In particular there are lessons for all of us about the cumulative benefit of studying scripture over a long period of time. (II Timothy 3:10-15)

Fr. Gabriel Rochelle teaches that the Zacchaeus' story is a great demonstration of the truth that being Christian is not about being good. Zacchaeus' ethic is above reproach, but this shows us that ethics is not what the faith is about. It is about having Christ come into your life, into your heart, and transform you from within, to renew your nature. As St Cyril of Alexandria pointed out, Zacchaeus' small stature is spiritual, not merely physical. He needs to be enlarged by Christ in the core of his life. We all do. (Luke 19:1-10)

Fr Gabriel Rochelle considers carefully the words enjoined to the young priest Timothy in this passage: to set an example for believers, in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. These apply, ultimately to all of us in our dealings with one another. (I Timothy 4:9-15)