Newsletter February 13, 2026

God, Where is the Wound?

Mother Siluana is a radiant face – an illumined person. She is a witness to our times of what divine grace does in those who allow it to dwell within them—when that grace encounters a person open to both human beings and the knowledge of their era, discerning wisely what is good to receive.

Mother Siluana was born during the Second World War, in 1944. In her youth, she experienced deep suffering caused by the lack of meaning in life, and the emptiness and dryness of the soul. She sought to confront this void. After discovering Christ, she experienced the work of divine grace through prayer and self-knowledge. She became certain that He had accompanied her in her pain, waited for her, forgiven her, and—most importantly—loved her with an infinite love. She consecrated her life to Him, striving to love Him passionately and limitlessly with all her heart.

Her wounded heart, healed by the grace of faith, found great consolation in the writings of St. Silouan the Athonite. Metropolitan Theophan of Moldovia and Bukovina, Romania, said of her: “Saint Silouan offered her the image of true prayer, the icon of the love of God and neighbor, and the strength to rise from the hell of despair.”

Read the entire article: https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/2729

In this time after the Feast of Theophany and before Great Lent (1/6 – 2/20) we bring the Holy Water newly blessed during Theophany services to each of our homes and celebrate the service of the Theophany Home Blessing. I would love to celebrate it at everyone’s home (catechumens included!) this year.

Weekday evenings are the prefered time. Please contact me via phone or email to schedule a time. Also, while I appreciate everyone’s hospitality, I would ask that there be no food. We can celebrate the service and then have a visit over a cup of tea (or other refreshment).

For the celebration of the service, I simply need a small space near your icons. I will bring everything required with me. If you would like to light a candle and carry it around during the blessing that would be great. The service is simple: we will say the few prayers and a litany, and then we will walk through the home and bless each room with the Holy Water.

Denver area Lenten Sunday evening pan-Orthodox Vespers will be held again this year. All services begin at 5:00 P.M.

Sunday of Orthodoxy (March 1): Assumption Cathedral, Denver
St. Gregory Palamas (March 8): Transfiguration Cathedral, Denver
Sunday of Cross (March 15): St. Elias, Arvada
St. John of the Ladder (March 22): St. Catherine, Greenwood Village
St. Mary of Egypt (March 29): Ss. Peter & Paul, Boulder

(These are also listed on the parish calendar, with map pins and addresses)

Let’s continue our recent tradition of celebrating Cheese-fare Sunday with a parish feast after the Liturgy (February 22). Everyone bring some of your favorite cheese, dairy, egg, (yes, ice cream too) dish to share together.

Silouani would like to start up a new women’s book study group. She has offered her home as the gathering place. The first gathering will be on Tuesday February 17 at 7:00 PM. and meet monthly thereafter (3rd Tuesday of the month).

The first book will be “On the Mystical Life, The Ethical Discourses: St. Symeon the New Theologian, Volume I: The Church and The Last Things”. Here is a link to the publisher:
https://svspress.com/on-the-mystical-life-the-ethical-discourses-st-symeon-the-new-theologian-volume-i-the-church-and-the-last-things/

Please remember that our full calendar continues to be available at our parish web site. Here is a link:
https://stjfc.org/Pages/Calendar/calendar.php

Full schedule:
https://stjfc.org/Pages/Ministries/Prosphora/Docs/prosphora sched 2026 web.pdf

Full schedule:
https://stjfc.org/Pages/Ministries/Altar/Docs/epistle readers for 2026.pdf

Epistle: ST. PAUL’S FIRST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS 8:8-13; 9:1-2

Brethren, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol’s temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother’s falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Gospel: MATTHEW 25:31-46

The Lord said, “When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

An Introduction to the Spiritual Life

Fr. Seraphim Rose

However, do not expect any sudden light, revelation, or whatever. True faith comes from a small seed which is planted in our hearts by God Himself, and which is nourished and gradually grows through God’s grace and through our own actions which are in accordance with His commandments and the tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church, which has been given by the Holy Spirit and handed down to us through our Holy Fathers.

You do not say what you are doing in trying to open the door of faith, and so here I will give you a suggestion: God is everywhere and sees and hears everything; therefore you do not need to cry out to him loudly or dramatically—but you must be persistent. The seed of faith which you have within you will sprout and grow only if you water and tend it every day, and not just when you feel like it.

Read the entire article: https://www.orthodoxethos.com/post/an-introduction-to-the-spiritual-life-letter-from-fr-seraphim-rose