Fr. Dimitri Writing Archive

Father Dimitri Cozby was a prolific writer and a respected Orthodox thinker within the Church. Please enjoy Father’s unique wisdom, humor, and insight in the following essays archived below.

Hereos and Villains

Stories usually have heroes and villains, “good guys” or “bad guys.” The hero stands at the center of the story and is the model the teller wants us to identify with. Another char­acter, the villain, is usually antagonistic to him.

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Pharisees and Tax Collectors

We are all familiar with the Lord’s parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, read on the first pre-Lenten Sunday (Luke 18:10-14).  Both men in the para­ble, the Pharisee and the tax collector, approach God in prayer.  But the Pharisee

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Close Encounters

Encounters may take many forms, ranging from the polite exchanges of stran­gers, to the joyous reunions of long-separated friends, to the hostile clashes of enemies. Some meetings are casual or focused on one particular object; the people have no intention

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Children of Faith

As we approach our commemoration of our Lord’s Nativity, we seem naturally to turn for encouragement and instruction to the Old Testament saints. They remind us that Christ’s coming into the world was carefully prepared for. They also highlight elements

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The Giving God

A significant, and often abused, part of our celebration of Christmas is the exchange of gifts.  Too often we forget the original reason for giving:  We give because of the gift of mercy and salvation which the Father gave us

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The Sunday of the Murderers

The contrast between the joyous Feast of our Lord’s Nativity and, on the other hand, the commemorations and readings of the following Sunday has long fascinated me.  The Gospel for that day reports King Herod’s slaughter of guiltless children in

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