Author Archives: johnaroop

Yesterday I attended the funeral mass of my neighbor, a good man and a worthy deacon in the Roman Catholic Church. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, by the mercy of God, rest in peace … Continue reading →

Apostles Anglican ChurchFr. John A. Roop What has Jesus been doing all this time?(Amos 2, Ps 119:153-176, John 17) In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In Book 11, Chapter 12 … Continue reading →

Apostles Anglican ChurchFr. John A. Roop Transcription and Sacrament(Prov 9:1-6, Ps 147, Eph 5:3-14, John 6:53-59) Jesus said: 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him…58 whoever feeds on this bread … Continue reading →

I suppose I should begin with a “trigger warning:” what follows is entirely political, though I write not primarily as a citizen but rather as a priest. I write because I feel the need to, though I also write with … Continue reading →

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” C. S. Lewis I have long struggled with this all-or-nothing dichotomy of Lewis’s: not with the logic of … Continue reading →

Apostles Anglican ChurchFr. John A. Roop Psalm 78: A Psalm of Generations(Nehemiah 10, Psalm 78:1-18, John 6:1-21) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 5 He made a covenant with Jacob, … Continue reading →

AXIOS Today is the one hundredth birthday of St. Paisios the Athonite (d. 1994). I first encountered stories and teachings of this elder of Mount Athos in the book The Mountain of Silence by Kyriacos Markides, which remains, for me, … Continue reading →

Jesus’s teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of his day. However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect. The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches, even … Continue reading →

A friend posted this meme, a friend who has moved away from Christianity and religion to what I might describe as a “Spiritual Scientism” — my description, not my friend’s. I thought to respond to my friend, but I decided … Continue reading →