Month: December 2010

  • On Wearing Jewelry to Ward Off the Evil Eye

    Just a public service announcement mostly aimed at the Greeks on my Facebook friends list, owing from a question I recently received: wearing the blue eye necklace/pin/jewelry as a way to “ward off” the evil eye is itself a demonic superstition, especially with all the rituals associated with it involving oil, spitting, etc. You are inviting other demons to come and inhabit your home and be a part of your life when you engage in this superstitious behavior!  If you were becoming ill from eating food, would you try to “ward off” that illness by eating more food of a different variety, or would you just cut to the chase and take medicine?

    While “the evil eye” is certainly a real thing (someone hating someone or wishing evil on them invites demonic attacks), the antidote is not in talismans, but rather in the prayers of the Church. There is a prayer that your priest can read over you to remove “the evil eye”, curses, negative “energy” being directed at you, etc.

    Evil Eye
    These items are themselves evil and will NOT help you get rid of the evil eye! Don’t use them!

    Trust in Jesus Christ, not in witchcraft. If you feel burdened by a depressing feeling, feel that many more bad things are going on in your life than normal, etc., then first pray to Jesus Christ by yourself and ask for His help, and then go to Church and ask the priest to pray for you! Don’t try your “luck” with instruments of the Devil that are disguised as “helpful.”

    If you have ever trusted in the blue eye talisman or any other form of superstition to help you with your problems, then please go and confess this to your priest the next time you are in confession. It may not seem like a “big deal,” but you don’t know what the spiritual effects may be in your life.

  • What’s the Maximum I Have to Do?

    Dear Friends in Christ,

    Owing to the computer crash last month, the bulletin was not sent out, which also meant I missed being able to send out a reflection. We’ve had a lot happen since then; our regular Divine Liturgies, the celebration of our second anniversary, the Ohi Day Lecture of Dr. Papalas, and of course the Thanksgiving Day holiday. I hope you all were able to enjoy it as much as Presbytera Michaela and I did!

    When presented with an obligation, we often ask about the “bottom line,” “the absolute minimum,” “the bare essentials.” In relation to Church, as a priest, I am sometimes asked “what is the minimum one has to do to be a good Christian?” This is nothing new; in today’s Gospel, we saw a similar question posed of Jesus:

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