Fr. John now reflects on the litany for those in civil authority and our armed forces.

All around the world there are droughts, famine, and disease. How do our intercessory prayers at the Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings touch the people impacted by them?

As Fr. John continues through the litanies of the Divine Liturgy he reminds us of the quote, "we are saved together but we are damned alone."

In this final reflection on the petitions in the Divine Liturgy, Fr. John gives some alarming statistics of those "in tribulation, wrath, danger, and necessity."

Fr. John notes that as we accept the mercy of God, that mercy is proof that God accepts us.

With help from his daughter, Fr. Joseph tries to stay on pitch while singing Dan Idzikowski's "Superchristological and Homoousiosis".

Elissa describes the "Psalter group" and its purpose during Great Lent.

Those whose minds are set on the good and the holy, tend to see goodness and even the glory of God in just about everyone they meet. A holy man or woman feels compassion and love for everyone, even those who to most of us seem to have nothing about them worthy of love or compassion. They can see the glory of God in a very broken human being because they themselves have been illumined and shine with God’s glory.

We have to remember the mighty things God has already done in our life. We have to remember that whatever good we may have done is also a mercy. We could have just as easily done wrong, just as easily gone the wrong way, just as easily said the wrong thing. It is God’s mercy that has saved us, and it is God’s mercy that will save us again, not our ability to figure it out.

Repentance is a matter of saying, that’s not me, that’s not who I am—even while all I can see is my failure and darkness. This is because who I am, who I am becoming, is hidden in Christ. When I turn my attention to my failure and darkness, all seems to become failure and darkness because guilt makes me want to hide from God, driving me back to sin. In turning to Christ (rather than hiding behind the fig leaves of the knowledge of good and evil–the guilt and sin dynamic), the Light cleanses me from all darkness. We only turn to sin when we turn from the Light, and it is only in turning to the Light that we start to experience real victory over sin.

Fr. Michael Gillis talks about how part of our problem with overcoming temptation is that we don’t understand what temptations are for, what they are meant to accomplish in our lives. We wrongly think that temptations exist to test us to see if we will be “good.” We still haven’t believed the words of Jesus who said: “There is no one good but God.” Temptations come not to test us to see if we will be good; rather, temptations come to show us that we are not good and that we need to flee in humility to God for refuge. Temptations come because we think we can make it through the day without God’s constant help. Temptations come because we think a comfortable life is normal, rather than a gift from God. This is what the saints call self-esteem.

Holy Scripture tells us there is "One Mediator between God and men" (I Timothy 2:5). Fr. Tom Hopko teaches on Christ as our Mediator and Intercessor.

Do you understand the Gospel as being good news for all, even for those whom you hate?

Fr. Philip calls us to become vessels of the shocking love of God that is the salvation of the world.

There is simply no way around the basic truth that how we relate to our neighbors reveals how we relate to our Lord. What we do for even the most miserable and difficult people we encounter in life, we do for Christ. And what we refuse to do for them, we refuse to do for our Savior. Our salvation is in becoming more like Him as we find the healing of our souls by cooperating with His grace. While we do not save ourselves any more than we can rise up by our own power from the grave, we must obey His commandments in order to open our souls to receive His healing mercy and participate in His eternal life.

Joachim, Anna, and the Theotokos were the complete opposites of the rich man in today’s gospel reading. His only concern was to eat, drink, and enjoy himself because he had become so wealthy. He was addicted to earthly pleasure, power, and success, and saw the meaning and purpose of his life only in those terms. In stark contrast, the Theotokos followed the righteous example of her parents. She was prepared by a life of holiness to agree freely to become our Lord’s mother.

Across the centuries, the Lord has raised up such unusual saints in order to shock us out of our complacency about the alleged harmony between the narrow way leading to the Kingdom and what passes for a conventionally respectable life in any time or place.

If we have received the Lord’s mercy, we must extend that mercy to our neighbors, especially those we are inclined to hate, condemn, or otherwise disregard.

There is simply no way around the truth that how we relate to other people reveals whether we participate in the life our Lord. What we do and refuse to do for neighbors who need our time, attention, and generosity in any form, we do or refuse to do for Him.

Even as we recall the Three Hierarchs’ shining example of holiness, we remember today also someone whose life changed dramatically when he turned away from corruption in order to follow Christ. Luke’s gospel portrays the story of Zacchaeus in memorable and distinctive ways.

Entering into the holy joy of Pascha is truly an eternal journey of sharing ever more fully in the healing mercy of Christ as we become more like Him in holiness. The only way to do that is to rise, take up our beds, and walk each day of our lives in obedience as best we can.

In light of what such atrocities reveal about the human condition, it is obviously not enough to affirm religious beliefs, to perform certain acts of outward piety, or merely to identify ourselves as Orthodox Christians. Indeed, it is entirely possible to do all those things while remaining blind, embracing the darkness, and becoming all too comfortable with the forces of death and destruction.

To rise up, take up our beds, and walk home requires obedience to Christ’s commands, but not a legalistic obedience in the sense of following a code for its own sake. Instead, this obedience is like following the guidance of a physician or therapist who makes clear to us what we must do in order to regain health and function for our bodies.

The plight of the paralyzed man shows us the common condition of fallen humanity. None of us took the initiative in bringing salvation to the world and this fellow did not ask Christ to help him or even know His name. The Lord graciously reached out to him, nonetheless, asking the seemingly obvious question, “Do you want to be healed?” The Savior’s words should challenge each of us because we often become so comfortable with our weaknesses, desires, and habits that we do not think that we need healing at all.

Christ said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” No one else would have looked at Photini and seen a future saint who would shine with the light of holiness.

It is terribly tragic when people fall into the delusion of thinking that they love God and neighbor, when in reality they are using religion to serve only themselves and the false gods of this world. One symptom of doing so is to narrow down the list of people who count as our neighbors to the point that we excuse ourselves from serving Christ in all who bear His image and likeness. When we do so, we disregard not only them, but our Lord Himself, the God-Man born for the salvation of all. Our actions then reveal that we are not truly united with Him because we seek to justify ourselves by serving nothing but our own vain imaginations.

We read this stunning sixth censing prayer of Matins, looking to help from wise Church fathers, and the clarification of multiple passages in the Bible: Psalm 142 (143 MT); Romans 4:8; Philippian 3:12; 2 Samuel/2 Kingdoms 15-18, Rev 20:11, and Luke 21:17-18. God’s mercy towards us is always surprising, and is impressed upon us as we begin the Lord’s Day.

This week we read the “Polyleos” Psalms 134 and 135 (MT 135 and 136), rejoicing in the mercy of God. WE seek to plumb their depths by reference to Numbers 21:21-35, Isaiah 44:9-21, Jeremiah 10:1-16, Romans 1:18-23, and several helpful commentators, both ancient and contemporary.

"The Parable of the Merciless Servant from The Parables of Christ by Spiritual Fragrance Publishing (2012)

Fr. Ted reminds us that more important than our sinfulness is the mercy of God.

Fr. Ted continues his reflections upon a Lenten hymn and how it applies to the call to show mercy to others during our journey through Great Lent.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos explains the connection between anxiety and striving after the things of this world, rather than the Kingdom of Heaven.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos reflects on the meaning of being a servant of God in the parable of the Prodigal Son.

In episode 5, Andrew continues to explore the transformation of our desires and how that relates to addiction. Click HERE for a transcript.

In this program we deal with the concept of prayer and intercession. What is prayer in the scriptures? Is "prayer" worship to be given only to God? What is intercession? Why are we commanded to intercede for each other? More importantly, who can intercede for us?

Using personal experiences, the Bible and teachings of the Church, Dn. Michael discusses the importance of handling our anger appropriately.

What is the difference between mercy and grace? Dn. Michael Hyatt continues going through the book How to Be a Sinner by Dr. Peter Bouteneff.

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie.

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

In this Sunday's gospel, Jesus provides an abundance of life out of the abyss. The plentiful fish are a testimony of the authority that He has over the living and the dead, revealing that His mercy is deeper than the heart of the sea.

Martha is back, and she recounts what she has been doing since her last episode, including experiencing a car crash, preparing mercy meals, and celebrating a wedding.

Fr. Apostolos shares on the Sunday of the Paralytic. "Once healed and loosed from his paralysis, the paralytic took up his mat and started walking. So too must we shake off whatever form of spiritual paralysis has us in its grip and start walking actively, energetically, and intentionally in the Holy Orthodox faith God has given us."

Fr. Apostolos talks about God's mercy.

Fr. Maxym Lysack addresses a question about the Jesus Prayer.

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Asking for mercy from God is at the heart of the Church's prayer. Fr Tom teaches us that that two seeminly opposing attitudes, humility and boldness, are necessary to continually approach the throne of God. (Thirty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost - The Canaanite Woman)

The parable of the Good Samaritan is among the most beloved of all stories in scripture. Fr Tom reminds us that showing mercy to those who have fallen into the ravages of sin is essential to their healing. (Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost)