How do we understand the Parable of the Rich Man (and his barns), when the life of a poor soul is vanishing before our eyes?

Glimpsing the hope of the resurrection, modeled by the insights of one displaced by war.

One might say that the beauty of the poor is hard to spot. But one would be wrong... because in truth, beauty is the hospitality of holiness for the human being. And where do we find this hospitality more present than in the body of the poor? Take a look into Christine's joyful and deep blue eyes, to see for yourself.

A handful of stories demonstrating how the repentance of the poor and downtrodden offers everyone a glimpse at the doors that lead to peace and life.

Notes from the underground, written by Brother Luke.

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie about the gospel story of the father of the demon-possessed boy.

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie.

A story written by Fr. Nicolaie.

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie.

More stories, written by Brother Luke, from St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Stories written by Brother Luke during Holy Week.

More stories from volunteers at the mission.

Stories from St. John the Compassionate Mission written by Brother Luke.

Reflections from Fr. Nicolaie on the Sunday of the Grateful Leper.

Scarborough is the eastern part of Toronto where St. John the Compassionate has a church and a mission, called Good Neighbours.

Stories shared by Brother Luke of St. John the Compassionate Mission.

A Prayer of Welcome on the Occassion of Someone New Coming to Live with Us, written by Brother Luke.

Writings from Fr. Nicolaie for the Sunday before the Nativity.

Reflections about hospitality, written by Fr. Nicolaie.

Listen to reflections about the rich young man, written by Fr. Nicolaie.

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie for the Sixth Sunday of Luke: the story of the farmer who wanted to build more barns.

The Mission will receive a relic of its patron, St. John the Merciful (Compassionate), and Fr. Nicolaie invites us to discover who we are by asking the least of these who we are.

Listen to reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie for the Fifth Sunday of Luke.

Listen to reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie for the Sixth Sunday of Luke.

Listen to Fr. Nicolaie's reflections on Ezra that he shared at the recent Volunteers Appreciation Night Celebration at the Mission.

"On Friday we tried to read the gospel on the stairs at the mission. We were not well organized and without structure. In spite of this, reading the gospel outside made us, even for a little while, to see and hear Jesus preaching to people in the light of the day, sitting in the boat." From reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie.

A snapshot of an afternoon at St. John the Compassionate Mission, written by Fr. Nicolaie.

Reflections written by Brother Luke.

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie.

Another story written by Brother Luke of St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto.

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie, about communicating with a refugee, and Memory Eternal to Tom.

Listen to reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie about M's experience with panhandling and the Church's loss.

Fr. Nicolaie writes about forgiveness and loss at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Fr. Nicolaie writes about language and communication--reflections on the Friday before Pentecost at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet three pilgrims who frequent St. John the Compassionate Mission; written by Brother Luke.

Listen to reflections from Fr. Nicolaie at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

"The love he experienced, and still does, is deeper in his heart than the harm brought about by drugs."

Listen to stories written by Brother Luke at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Fr. Nicolaie writes about discussions and prayers from those gathered on a typical Friday afternoon at St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto.

Listen to reflections by Fr. Nicolaie about those on the mission's "Hall of Fame" and the value of each person.

Listen to two stories from Fr. Nicolaie about people who spend time at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Listen to reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son.

Listen to stories about Mat and Hector enduring the cold Toronto winter, by Fr. Nicolaie.

Join St. John the Compassionate Mission as they celebrate the feast of the Nativity of Christ our Saviour, as written by Brother Luke.

Listen to stories and reflections from Fr. Nicolaie at St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto,

Hear three short stories of people who are part of the community at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Listen to reflections about what makes life rich, from Fr. Nicolaie at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Listen to reflections and stories from Fr. Nicolaie at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Listen to reflections and stories from Fr. Nicolaie at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

"Today, a tear coming from a heart that battles heavy addictions is as rare as the myrrh from a streaming icon. We are blessed to see and witness both at the mission." Fr. Nicolaie

Here are some more stories, written by Brother Luke, of those who are part of the St. John the Compassionate Mission community.

Hear five short stories of people who are part of the community at St. John the Compassionate Mission, as written by Brother Luke.

Listen to reflections from time at the Refuge and back in the city: gypsy moths, hydrangeas, and "keeping the water fresh."

The staff of St. John the Compassionate Mission remember Kevin's life and his death. May his memory be eternal.

The Refuge is a place to refocus, pray, and plan, impacting the entire community associated with St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Listen to a short reflection about R., whose life has been difficult as he lives for the Truth.

Listen to a short reflection about S., who is becoming a new person.

Listen to three short reflections about interactions at St. John the Compassionate Mission, reminding us that all lives are worth living.

Listen to stories about Mothers who frequent St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto, Ontario.

Christ is risen! Listen to stories about people who frequent St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto, Ontario.

Listen to stories from Brother Luke about people who frequent St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto, Ontario.

Listen to stories about the people who frequent St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto, Ontario.

Listen to stories from Brother Luke about people who frequent St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto, Ontario.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to reflections about encountering Christ in the midst of pain, from St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Reflections from St. John the Compassionate Mission about the Prodigal Son and Canada's Bill C-7.

Brother Luke shares stories from St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto, Ontario.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Brother Luke shares about one of the visitors he met at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Listen to reflections of Christmas morning at the mission, from volunteer Mary.

In this episode, we hear a Christmas letter from Fr. Nicolaie about two things, no three things, St. John the Compassionate Mission can count on.

Brother Luke shares about an addict and a group of mourners he met at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto. "What was it in their hearts that moved the Myrrh-bearing women to do something against common sense?"

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto. "Jesus tells Mary Magdalene that He will meet His disciples in Galilee. That is the place where the community is fully alive having Christ in their midst. The place where you work, you celebrate, you heal the sick and feed the hungry with the Lord. The place where you break bread and drink good wine with the Lord and go fishing with no worry that you’ll toil all night without catching anything. The place where you take care of the sick and cure the demoniacs; where you celebrate the feast of marriage, plant, prune and harvest. The place where you learned what it means to be thankful for being alive because you tasted from life in abundance. Most of the time, life at the mission is called to find and to become a Galilee where the Lord can feel at home."

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, still open and serving the most vulnerable in Toronto. "The light is breaking through any human heart. Wherever the heart might be. It finds any crack to break through. There is so much light at the mission because the people who come here are so broken. So the light is visible in abundance. So is our dear community. Broken, so that the light of Pascha can be received through the cracks. Even if you want to hide it and contain it you cannot help but share it. So broken and imperfect we are."

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, still open and serving the most vulnerable in Toronto. "Never has the church worldwide celebrated Pascha in this way, as we will this year. Abstinence not only from sin but from things that are good in themselves creates an empty space where God can act and surprise us. Could this not be the unexpected grace that is waiting for us in the empty tomb this year? What if the church is called this year to risk living something new, unfamiliar, even surprising?"

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, still open and serving the most vulnerable in Toronto. "This becomes a time when we get to experience what real life has been for others. We are receiving the good news of the Resurrection so we can witness and testify for the sake of those who do not know when the darkness is going to end, to those who have not seen the dawn just yet."

Meet Chris and Laura, two of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet William and Jane, two of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Ruth, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Kenneth, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Edward, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Xenia, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Karl, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Daniel, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Anna, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Nick, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet John, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Edna, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Carol Anne, one of the treasures at the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Helen, one of the treasures who is part of the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Father Tom, one of the treasures who is part of the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Catherine, one of the treasures who is part of the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Meet Peter, one of the treasures that is part of the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Dn. Pawel, the prefect of the Lived Theology School Program, highlights connections between the stories of St. Mary of Egypt, the Annunciation, and our own.

Fr. Roberto shares reflections on how we can only truly know what we have experienced.

Fr. Roberto shares about Joe, an example of someone who feels deeply the struggles of others and has compassion for them.

Fr. Nicolaie shares about the deep faith of a woman who helps at the mission.

Fr. Nicolaie shares about the interest in St. Anthony the Great expressed by a man at the mission.

Fr. Nicolaie shares a short story about forgiveness.

Father Roberto reflects on a moment that he shared with a woman who visits the mission.

Fr. Roberto reflects on one of his experiences with the people that go to the mission for help.

Fr. Roberto shares that there is little that we can do to solve the world's problems, yet that little is perhaps the most important thing in the world.

Fr. Nicolaie expresses the beauty of the mission that many are quick to over look in their every day busy lives.

Dn. Theodore tells about the new ministry that the mission provides.

Paul and Naomi talk about the importance of the mission in the busyness of downtown Toronto. They also reflect on the mission's purpose of being there for those who need them.

Naomi tells about her relationship with an older friend at the mission, and how it relates to living the Orthodox way of life.

Paul shares about his experiences at the mission with children of all backgrounds and from all walks of life. He reflects on a story that changed his perspective of world cultures, and how that pertains to our Orthodox way of life.

Dn. Theodore shares from his many experiences at the mission about the topic of confession.

Dn. Theodore describes an encounter he recently had with a man who claims to have written a quantum formula that proves the existence of God.

The Orthodox view existence as directed toward an encounter with a personal God who gives meaning to all the dimensions of earthly human existence.

Fr. Roberto Ubertino, Founder and Executive Director of St. John the Compassionate Mission, reminds us that the Lord can be found in the crumbs of daily life.

Dn. Theodore, the Director of Community of St. John the Compassionate Mission, tells a suffering man to pray, but is that enough?

It's called the Agape meal because that is where we are challenged to live what we have experienced in the liturgy.

Dn. Theodore, the Director of Community of St. John the Compassionate Mission, explains that the real work of the mission comes from sitting and talking.

Dn. Pawel, the prefect of the Lived Theology School Program, discusses the narthex of St. John the Compassionate Mission and its meaning.

Nikolai, a counselor at St. John the Compassionate Mission, explains why it's important to break bread together with the poor.

Nikolai, a counselor at St. John the Compassionate Mission, discusses Great Lent and the Early Morning Breakfast Program at the mission.

Dn. Theodore, the Director of Community of St. John the Compassionate Mission, discusses a man at the mission who wanted to love God but felt as though he just couldn't love back anymore.

What does The Rule of St. Benedict have to say to an Orthodox mission in 21st-century Toronto?

Dn. Theodore, the Director of Community of St. John the Compassionate Mission, reminds us that by thinking that the sole purpose of a mission is to convert everyone, you put a price tag on compassion.

What does it mean to be mentally healthy?

Fr. Roberto Ubertino, Founder and Executive Director of St. John the Compassionate Mission, tells the story of a man who would have given up hope if not for his remembrance of the bells at the mission.

Dn. Pawel, the prefect of the Lived Theology School Program, describes a typical/atypical lunch discussion at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Fr. Roberto Ubertino, Founder and Executive Director of St. John the Compassionate Mission, explains how mission work begins by showing how God is already working in people's lives.

Dn. Theodore, the Director of Community of St. John the Compassionate Mission, discusses a regular at the mission named John and his encounter with St. Moses the Ethiopian.

Dn. Theodore, the Director of Community of St. John the Compassionate Mission, tells a story about Libby, a non-Orthodox woman who attends prayers every day.

Dn. Theodore, the Director of Community of St. John the Compassionate Mission, reminds us that Christ arrives at 3:45 on a Friday afternoon.

Dn. Theodore, the Director of Community of St. John the Compassionate Mission, tells the story of an unborn child named Maria who changed his life forever.

Dn. Pawel, explains how the mission came to minister to victims of abuse.

Dn. Theodore, the Director of Community of St. John the Compassionate Mission, reminds us that our relationship with God needs to be simpler and a lot more trusting.

Fr. Roberto Ubertino, Founder and Executive Director of St. John the Compassionate Mission, demonstrates how part of the challenge and the beauty of living Orthodox mission is learning to accept the tenderness of God in our lives through the poor.

Nikolai, a counselor at St. John the Compassionate Mission, shares how he learned from the mission to be attentive.

Pres. Maria Drossos, Director of Operations, describes what makes St. John the Compassionate Mission unique and different from the outside world.

Only those who suffer and speak the universal language of the heart can help others who suffer.

Dn. Pawel, the prefect of the Lived Theology School Program, tells the story of Karina, one of many who experienced for a time the comfort and safety of St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Fr. Roberto Ubertino, the Founder and Executive Director of St. John's, discusses the open doors of the mission.