This morning’s gospel lesson comes from St Mark. In that passage, Christ Jesus heals a boy who is possessed by a demon, and then He talks to the apostles about the cross. Now, to us, those are two separate subjects, but that’s because we are out of touch with what the Church teaches about the cross. In Holy Orthodoxy, we proclaim that when our Lord and Master goes to the cross He triumphs over the demons; He casts down the kingdom of darkness, and He frees us from our bondage to Satan.

This is the third Sunday in Great Lent. We are now halfway to Pascha, and, at this midpoint, the Church always sets before us the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. …

I know. If you’re like me, you’re already tired of hearing about the subject. However, even after factoring in media hysteria and political posturing, this virus has the potential to cause a great deal of inconvenience and a great deal of genuine suffering. But it’s not like we Orthodox haven’t been through this before…