science and technology

Everything and All is Christ (Mar. 4, 2018)

Sharing more of the wisdom he learned from his experience Athonite monasticism, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses how even at the heart of where everything is being done 'right,' the Orthodox Christians there are focused completely on Jesus Christ.




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Self-Denial Is an Invitation (Mar. 11, 2018)

Jesus said that anyone who would come after Him should deny themselves and take up their crosses. We may think this is about doing hard, painful things, but Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick tells us it's actually an invitation.




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A Renewing Ministry: Orthodox Christian Witness and Ministry in this Secular Age

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick speaks on the kind of secular age we are actually in (it may be not what you think!), how we evangelize and minister in this context, and how we live a true Christian life here. (This talk was given on Mar. 17, 2018, for the OCA Diocese of New York & New Jersey annual teen retreat.)




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The Old Gods Had Been Too Small (Mar. 25, 2018)

On the great feast of the Annunciation, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick speaks of how very different was the God Who revealed Himself in Jesus Christ than the lesser deities who had been worshiped before.




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The Triumphal Entry of Christ into the Heart (Apr. 1, 2018)

Jesus enters triumphantly into the Holy City of Jerusalem, as celebrated on Palm Sunday. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick relates that to His entry into the Jerusalem that is our hearts and talks about what happens when that occurs.




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20 Years of Being Orthodox: 6 Things I've Learned

Reflecting on the 20th anniversary of his reception into the Orthodox Church, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick talks about 6 things that he's learned along the way, most of them things he couldn't quite imagine 20 years ago.




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That Very Body (Apr. 22, 2018)

Preaching on the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick shows how both the encounter of Joseph and Nicodemus with the body of Jesus and the lack thereof with the myrrh-bearing women make a crucial point about Christianity.




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Jacob and His Well: Baptism for the Nations (May 6, 2018)

Jacob is invoked by the Samaritan Woman who encounters Jesus at the well. What does this father of the Old Testament mean in this conversation and for us who read it?




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Of Exorcisms and Earthquakes (May 13, 2018)

What do an exorcism and an earthquake have in common? What about attempted suicide and mud? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick connects all these together.




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Pentecost: Christ Has Not Left Us (May 27, 2018)

Far from being a substitution at Pentecost, swapping Christ with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit makes Christ present to us for ever. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick meditates on this and related themes.




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Why Christianity Must Have Saints (June 3, 2018)

On the feast of All Saints, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses what it means to be a saint, both for us and for those we usually think of as 'saints,' as well as why saints are actually critical to Christianity.




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No Love? No Church. No Christianity. (July 1, 2018)

St. Paul's famous Love Chapter in 1 Cor. 13 follows on the closing verses of 1 Cor. 12, which are about the gifts God gives the Church in her people. So what is love? Where do we get it? And how does that express itself in these gifts? What about love in daily life?




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“Blessing”: Does It Actually Mean Anything? (July 8, 2018)

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick tells us we use the word 'blessing' all the time in religious talk. But does it mean anything other than just good religious vibes? And what about 'blessing' God Himself?




science and technology

What Do You Believe In: Reaching for the Transcendent on the Streets of New York

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Steven Christoforou take to the streets of Manhattan and ask people what they believe in. What they hear surprised them and might surprise you, too.




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The Viking and the Fisherman (July 29, 2018).

With the feast of St. Olaf of Norway, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses the Gospel of Peter walking on the water and interprets both in the light of St. Paul's teachings on synergy with God.




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Are You a Christian Lunatic? (Aug. 5, 2018)

The man who brings his son with seizures to Jesus tells Him that the boy is a lunatic, that he is being controlled by the moon. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick asks, do we act like lunatics ourselves? Do we have to?




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A Hedged Vineyard (Aug. 26, 2018)

Using the image of the vineyard placed in a hedge by a householder, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick preaches on all the elements of the placing of that vineyard, and then expands his thoughts on what it means to be separate from the world and why that is a positive experience for Orthodox Christians.




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Is John 3:16 About My Salvation? (Sept. 9, 2018)

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick meditates on one of the best-loved verses of the Bible, looking at it in the context of the full secret conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.




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Engaging with the Non-Orthodox: Reflections with Notes from the Church Fathers

Addressing alumni and seminarians at St. Tikhon's Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, during the year-opening retreat, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick challenges them to have conversations with the non-Orthodox and not to settle for falling into either polemic or compromise, showing how engagement is instead the traditional Orthodox patristic posture.




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Christianity is Not a Fair Deal (Sept. 30, 2018)

Speaking on 2 Cor. 9:6-11, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses why Christianity isn't a fair exchange and also why we often can't see what God is giving us.




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What We Own is Sacred Because We Are Sacred (Oct. 14, 2018)

With the teaching on the sacredness of icons of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick demonstrates how our theology about the blessedness of material reality also means that we have to dedicated what we own to God.




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The Samaritan and St. Martin (Nov. 11, 2018)

On the feast of St. Martin of Tours, Fr. Andrew uses his story as well as the Gospel of the Good Samaritan to show how what we do and what we give depends a great deal on how we perceive our lives.




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You Can't See Heaven If All You Look at is Earth (Dec. 9, 2018)

In Luke 13, Jesus heals a woman bent over for 18 years. Bringing in the commentary of St. Theophylact of Ohrid, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick talks about how this woman is an image of our own souls and how we perceive what is heavenly.




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False Gods on the Theophany Icon (Jan. 6, 2019)

Springboarding off a blog post by Fr. Stephen De Young ('Theophany and the River Gods'), Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses what Theophany means in terms of God's defeat of false religion.




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The Paralysis of Life on the Go (Apr. 29, 2018)

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick reflects on a major milestone in his own life—finally living in one home for more than 5 1/2 years—and uses that to explore how life on the go can actually be quite paralyzing.




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The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand, So How Do I Repent? (Jan. 13, 2019)

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick unpacks the preaching of Christ and John the Forerunner—'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand'—discussing what all of those terms really mean for everyday Christian life.




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The Power of Remembering Jesus Christ (Feb. 10, 2019)

Memory is powerful. And to a significant degree, it makes us what we are, shapes how we experience life, and influences what we do and say. And the acts of remembering that we engage in further shape us. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses all this in terms of St. Paul's admonition to St. Timothy to remember the risen Jesus Christ.




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The Prodigal Gets It Both Right and Wrong (Feb. 24, 2019)

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses the parable of the Prodigal Son, how he asks to return as a servant but is instead given sonship, expanding on this theme in terms of the ways in the spiritual life what we desire from God is often not what He is offering.




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Three Falls of Man and Return to Paradise (Mar. 10, 2019)

Looking at the Fall of Man as three distinct 'falls,' Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick uses the major themes of Forgiveness Sunday to discuss making the journey 'backwards' into Paradise.




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Whose Bible Is It?

Speaking at Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick asks the question 'Whose Bible Is It?' He presents four different paradigms for Scriptural interpretation through specific examples from multiple traditions, wrapping up with an Orthodox example and giving general principles for how the Orthodox Church reads the Bible.




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The Annunciation and the Buffered Self (Mar. 24, 2019)

Speaking on the Forefeast of the Annunciation, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick describes the feast as being God's answer to the buffered, fenced-in selves that we ironically construct to protect ourselves even while desiring someone to reach out in love.




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Should it Matter to Christians When Churches Burn?

The world watched in disbelief as the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris burned. But why should it matter? Fr. Andrew Damick has an answer.




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Henry David Thoreau and Mary of Egypt (Apr. 14, 2019)

On the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick compares her journey into the wilderness with a similar journey made in the 19th c. by Henry David Thoreau. What is it that each hoped for by making that journey?




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The Struggle for Prayer (Apr. 21, 2019)

Using one of the major hymns for the feast of Palm Sunday, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick talks about the struggle to pray, how it works and why it's worth doing.




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Christ is risen! The Paschal Homily on the Road (Apr. 28, 2019)

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick preaches the Paschal homily of St. John Chrysostom at the feast and adds a story about a time when he shared Chrysostom's words in a non-Orthodox setting.




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St. Joseph of Arimathea: In the World but Not of It (May 12, 2019)

The details we know from St. Joseph of Arimathea's participation in his community, including its governance, show him to be a man who was fully in his world but not of it. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses his example and how to apply it ourselves.




science and technology

The Equal of Martyrdom: Fr. Nicola Yanney, Holy Man of Nebraska

In this special documentary, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick goes on pilgrimage to encounter Fr. Nicola Yanney, an early 20th century Orthodox missionary in America and the first priest ordained by St. Raphael of Brooklyn, whose missionary territory included most of the Great Plains. Join Fr. Andrew as he explores the life of this holy man through interviews, research and prayer in Kearney, Nebraska, asking the question: Is Fr. Nicola a saint? Included with this documentary are 9 bonus tracks of extra interviews and other material that was not included in the main documentary.




science and technology

St Columba and the Water of Artbranan (June 9, 2019)

On the feast of St. Columba of Iona, Fr. Andrew shares a scene from his life in which a pagan's baptism changes a piece of the world. He also shares another incident from the saint's life in which he uses his prophetic gift to help two men into the Kingdom of Heaven.




science and technology

The Saint is One Who Has Come Home (June 23, 2019)

On the Sunday of All Saints, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick asks the question: What does it mean to be a saint? And the answer he explores is: The saint is one who has come home. So what does that mean?




science and technology

The Apostles Enthroned (June 30, 2019)

On the Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses their eschatological future as enthroned on twelve thrones, judging Israel, the nations and even angels, and explaining that we are also called to the same enthronement.




science and technology

History is Necessary for Christianity (July 7, 2019)

Using St. Paul's comments about the Law of Moses in Gal. 3-4 especially in light of the Apostolic Council of Acts 15, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick argues that history is not just important for the Christian but actually necessary to Christian theology.




science and technology

When God Showed Up at the Meeting (July 14, 2019)

With the Sunday of the Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick tells the story of how God showed up at the meeting and also meditates on what happens when we actually expect Him to show.




science and technology

Which God Are You Sacrificing To? (July 21, 2019)

Using St. Paul's language about 'zeal not according to knowledge' (Rom. 10:2), Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick points out that our zeal is often for sacrificing to false gods, even when we may not see it that way, and gives direction on how to redirect that zeal for sacrifice toward the one true God Jesus Christ.




science and technology

We Are Training Ourselves for Selfishness (Aug. 4, 2019)

Every day, we make hundreds of small choices that train us for selfishness. How does that affect our behavior, and how do we train ourselves to be like Christ instead? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick explores some of our everyday experiences and what they mean for eternity.




science and technology

Feed Your God or Be Fed By God (Aug. 11, 2019)

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick compares the account of the Prophet Daniel and the idol Bel (Baal) in the Old Testament to the Feeding of the 5000 in the New. What does it mean when we have to feed our gods?




science and technology

The Acceptable Year of the Lord (Sept. 1, 2019)

With the Church New Year (the Indiction), Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses why the Church set Sept. 1 as its new year and also what time means for the Christian and how we use it for our growth in the knowledge of God.




science and technology

Freedom from False Gods to Worship the One True God (Sept. 8, 2019)

Using the images of the Exodus, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick shows how the Hebrews were freed from slavery not just to the Egyptians but to their gods. And with that freedom, they worship the one true God by using the Ark of the Covenant within the Tabernacle, prefigurations of the Holy Theotokos, whose Nativity is being celebrated.




science and technology

A Star of Hope (Sept. 29, 2019)

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick asks: Is it any wonder that, since the shaping of the world into order from formlessness and void in Genesis was begun with a light shining in the darkness, that the coming of Christ into this broken world of chaos and horror would also be begun with a star shining in the darkness?




science and technology

The Visitation of God (Oct 6, 2019)

Speaking on the raising of the son of the widow of Nain, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick gives us the 'backstory' on what it means when God visits His people and about how we can be prepared for this visitation.




science and technology

A Revelation at Hamatoura (Oct. 13, 2019)

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick preaches on the feast of St. Jacob of Hamatoura, who had been forgotten and yet made himself known again, telling what it means that God gives us saints and why He does so.