• Home
  • Streaming & Prayers
    • Service Live Stream
    • Service Archive
    • English Pre-Communion Prayers
    • English Post-Communion Prayers
    • Russian Pre-Communion Prayers
    • Russian Post-Communion Prayers
  • Church Calendars
  • About Us
    • A History of Our Parish
    • Church News
    • Latest Newsletter
    • Orthodox Christianity
  • Donations
Saints Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox ChurchSaints Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox Church
Saints Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox ChurchSaints Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox Church
  • Home
  • Streaming & Prayers
    • Service Live Stream
    • Service Archive
    • English Pre-Communion Prayers
    • English Post-Communion Prayers
    • Russian Pre-Communion Prayers
    • Russian Post-Communion Prayers
  • Church Calendars
  • About Us
    • A History of Our Parish
    • Church News
    • Latest Newsletter
    • Orthodox Christianity
  • Donations
Priest’s Corner, December 2020

Priest’s Corner, December 2020

December 26, 2020 Uncategorized

Given the difficulties we have all faced during this past year, it is likely that many of us will be happy to see 2020 disappear into history with the coming of the new year. Unfortunately, pandemics and similar trials do not always disappear with the turning of a calendar page. We pray that the pandemic, and the restrictions placed upon us as a result, will end in the coming year. Until that time, we will continue to conduct our services with the same modifications we have been using over these months until we are allowed to return to our normal, unrestricted practices.

The aforementioned notwithstanding, we should be grateful to our Heavenly Father for His boundless and never-ending mercies, with which He continually graces us. Does this mean we should be grateful for this pandemic and all of the difficulties it has caused us? Absolutely. As a schoolteacher in both middle and high schools, I encountered a number of troubled and disruptive students. In trying to get to the root of their unhappiness, I discovered that virtually all of them were allowed by their parents to do as they pleased without any oversight, restriction, or discipline on their part. Whatever the reasons for this (some respectable, others not), I could see that it appeared to these children that their parents did not care enough about them to take the time to guide them, to counsel them, and yes, to discipline them when necessary.

All of life’s trials and tribulations are allowed by or sent by God to strengthen our faith and to constantly remind us that all things are in His hands. The fact that this virus continues to run its own course—regardless of the government-imposed lockdowns and other restrictions placed on us—must be humbling to us and to all of mankind, if our spiritual eyes are open to recognize this. Just as we trust that God will protect us from any harm every time we leave our homes, drive our cars, or simply go about our daily lives, so too should we trust in His benevolence that this trial will end and that, hopefully, we will have learned the lessons He intended us to learn.

Let us, in this coming new year, once again place our trust in God’s mercy, recommit ourselves to our faith, and gratefully recognize His love and benevolence in all things, in the knowledge that He cares enough about us to discipline us while also protecting us and guiding us along the path to salvation.

God bless!

—Father Alexander

Share

You also might be interested in

A Heavenly Intercessor for the Pandemic

A Heavenly Intercessor for the Pandemic

Oct 8, 2020

St. Nikephoros the Leper (feast day January 4) is a[...]

When We Put on Christ, We Become God’s Messenger

When We Put on Christ, We Become God’s Messenger

Nov 4, 2019

Walking through life with a smile on our face and[...]

Putting These Times Into Perspective

Putting These Times Into Perspective

Jun 4, 2020

This year, 2020, we certainly experienced a memorable Easter period.[...]

Recent Posts

  • Synaxis of Archangel Michael and the Heavenly Hosts
  • Upcoming Church Consecration
  • We Have Seen the True Light
  • The Gift of Freedom of Choice
  • The Real Purpose of Ascetic Practice: Mending the Heart

Archives

  • October 2024
  • August 2024
  • June 2024
  • February 2024
  • December 2023
  • October 2023
  • August 2023
  • June 2023
  • March 2023
  • December 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • June 2022
  • April 2022
  • February 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • March 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • June 2019
  • February 2019

Categories

  • Events
  • News
  • Priest's Corner
  • Sisterhood
  • Uncategorized

© 2025 · Saints Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox Church

(707) 584-4092 · 850 St Olga Ct, Santa Rosa, CA 95407

Prev Next