Fr. John shares his homily on Matthew 1:1-17.

Saturday's Sermon, by the assistant priest, Fr. David Companik, speaking about building a strong foundation in God to withstand the earthly struggles and cares of life.

The Sunday of the Holy Cross.

In celebration of Mother’s Day, join Michael as he explores the language of the Genesis creation stories and what they teach us about the value of women and the feminine and motherly nature of God. He then reflects on the Theotokos and how her life and Christ’s demonstrate the value of women established in Genesis, and how they restore women to the place God intended for them. This podcast is based on a Zoom class Michael gave to a Church community and also includes responses from the question and answer period of the class.

The story of a miracle: how God healed me and then poured a mountain of grace over us was recorded by Fr Seraphim (Aldea) at Mull Monastery (The Orthodox Monastery of All Celtic Saints), on the Isle of Mull.

Fr. Steven continues to discuss the Supreme Court ruling on "Same Sex Marriage" in light of our own personhood and what it means to be human.

St Joachim was of the tribe of Judah and a descendant of King David. St Anna was of the tribe of Levi, the daughter of a priest named Matthan. Matthan's three daughters were Mary, Zoia and Anna. Mary became the mother of Salome the Myrrhbearer; Zoia bore Elizabeth, mother of St John the Baptist; and Anna married Joachim in Nazareth. Joachim and Anna, to their great sorrow, were barren for fifty years. They lived prayerfully and kept only a third of their income for themselves, giving a third to the poor and a third to the Temple. Once when they had come to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice at the Temple, Joachim was publicly scorned by the High Priest Issachar for his childlessness. Joachim and Anna, greatly grieved, prayed fervently that God would grant them the miracle that he had wrought for Abraham and Sarah, and give them a child in their old age. Once, as each was praying separately in a secluded place, angels appeared to each of them and revealed to them that they would be given a blessed daughter, `by whom all nations will be blessed, and through whom will come the salvation of the world.' They both rushed home to tell one another the joyous news, and embraced when they met. (This is the moment depicted in their icon.) Anna conceived and gave birth to the Most Holy Theotokos. Both reposed in peace, not long after they had sent her to live in the Temple.

In part two of his introduction to the new series, Fr. Andrew goes into the history of the Church and the various heresies it condemned.

Fr. Adrian and Chaplain Sarah begin their discussion of the differences between "social" visits and "pastoral" visits. See the attached worksheet titled "Pastoral Visits and Social Visits."

Chaplain Sarah and Fr. Adrian continue their discussion about the differences between "social" visits and "pastoral" visits. Please see the attached document pertaining to their conversation.

Fr. Antonio interviews an ex Evangelical Pastor about his concerns in the spiritual life. At some point in his life he yearned to come to a deeper understanding about God and his Church. This search led him to the Orthodox Church. Listen to this very interesting interview about his journey to Holy Orthodoxy. Padre Antonio entrevista un ex pastor Evangélico sobre su inquietudes en la vida espiritual. En algún punto de su vida comenzó ansiar por un entendimiento más profundo sobre Dios y su iglesia. Esta búsqueda lo llevo a la iglesia ortodoxa. Escuchen está muy interesante entrevista sobre su camino hacia la Santa Ortodoxia.

On this Sunday before the Nativity, Fr. Andrew reflects on the place of the prostitute Rahab in salvation history and what it means for us.

Fr. Andrew urges us not to 'put Christ back into Christmas,' but to see the true story.

Using Jesus' observation to the Samaritan woman at the well that 'salvation is from the Jews,' Fr. Andrew discusses the historical particularity of the Christian faith.

With his Christmas Eve sermon, Fr. Andrew emphasizes that history is not just an aspect of the Church but key to the whole Christian Gospel. In his additional commentary, he shares a meditation titled 'Who Shall I Be at Christmas?'

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.

Kassiani Mamalakis interviews Caroline Retzios on her OCF Story and journey as an Orthodox Christian.

Matthew compares the role of an Evangelical Protestant pastor with that of an Orthodox priest.

Our Lord's desire is for each of us to have experiences with Him, to be able to say, "My Lord and my God," and to share that experience openly and freely with others.

Fr. John Oliver interviews Kurt and Nancy Harris who share their story of how God brought them into the Orthodox Church. The Harris' will in turn interview others in this new series titled "Stories Toward the Sacred" on the Hearts and Minds podcast.

Kurt Harris interviews Charles Chusuei about his story of how God brought him into the Orthodox Church, in this new series titled "Stories Toward the Sacred" on the Hearts and Minds podcast.

Kurt Harris interviews Dan Naes about his story of how God brought him into the Orthodox Church, in this series titled "Stories Toward the Sacred" on the Hearts and Minds podcast.

Kurt Harris interviews his oldest daughter, Anna Harris, about her story of how God brought her into the Orthodox Church, in this series titled "Stories Toward the Sacred" on the Hearts and Minds podcast.

Fr. John Oliver reflects on the writing of St. John Chrysostom titled "No One Can Harm the Man Who Does not Harm Himself."

Fr Joseph reminisces about Metropolitan Philip prior to the Trisagion for the Departed at St Joseph Church, Houston, on the Sunday of the Cross, March 23, 2014.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony begins by talking about things you can learn about priests from the way the keep the altar. Then, after a commercial break for a cool new liturgical gadget, he talks about the trade-offs between the pastoral and prophetic ministries and how they are made one in love.

This year I (Fr. Anthony) decided to take a unit of "Clinical Pastoral Education" at a local hospital as part of my professional development. While the scheduling has been difficult, it has been well rewarded. In this episode I talk with my CPE supervisor, Mary Catherine Cole (M.Div. Candler School of Theology; Network Director of Pastoral Care and Library Services at St. Luke's University Health Network) about why CPE is so effective and how it can make help make all of us better at whatever we are called to do.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony reads the second chapter of St. John Chrysostom's On the Priesthood. The translation is by Rev. W. R. W. Stephens, M.A., (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church Volume IX, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D.), lightly edited to take out some of the archaicisms (the mispronunciations are all Fr. Anthony, though!). Enjoy the show!

In this, the first section of the book, St. Gregory talks about the qualities that make for good and bad pastors. The version read is from The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.). It is available for free here (https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf212/npnf212.iii.iv.ii.i.html). Enjoy the show!

In this, the second section of the book, St. Gregory talks about what sort of internal and external life the pastor should lead. The version read is from The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.). The mispronunciations are all Fr. Anthony, though. The text is available for free here. Enjoy the show!

This episode shares the first ten "Admonitions" of Part Three section of St. Gregory's Book of Pastoral Rule. In it, St. Gregory gives advice on how to pastor people based on their varying personalities. Going beyond the basic, "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable," he explains how to adjust the medicine to the exact needs of each type of patient. This is good and useful stuff! The version read is from The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.). It is available for free here. Enjoy the show!

This episode shares the "Admonitions" eleven to twenty of Part Three of St. Gregory's Book of Pastoral Rule. In it, St. Gregory gives advice on how to pastor people based on their varying personalities. Going beyond the basic, "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable," he explains how to adjust the medicine to the exact needs of each type of patient. This is good and useful stuff! The version read is from The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.). Enjoy the show!

This episode shares the "Admonitions" twenty-one to twenty-nine of Part Three of St. Gregory's Book of Pastoral Rule. In it, St. Gregory gives advice on how to pastor people based on their varying personalities. Going beyond the basic, "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable," he explains how to adjust the medicine to the exact needs of each type of patient. This is good and useful stuff! The version read is from The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.). Enjoy the show!

This episode shares the the final admonitions and advice from (including advice on preaching!) Part Three and gives the entirety of Part IV (on preaching) of St. Gregory's Book of Pastoral Rule. How are preachers like roosters? Listen and find out! The version read is from The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 12. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.). It is available for free here. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony, drawing on the work of St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory the Great, uses the example of the calling of the publican Matthew to elucidate Christ's pastoral approach of gentleness and makes the case that he reserved beatings with the metaphorical sin-stick/shepherd's staff for protecting the weak against attacks from the Pharisees. Enjoy the show!

Applying St. Gregory the Great to modern times, Fr. Gregory Jensen PhD and Fr. Anthony Perkins encourage us to turn isolation into solitude and solitude into peace; and to speak and listen to God in that peaceful silence. After a brief discourse into risk management under uncertainty, they share practical tips, learned from experience and holy tradition, on how to grow in Christ in the midst of the coronavirus. This podcast is the audio from Fr. Anthony's daily YouTube lifestream. (https://www.youtube.com/user/74snipe) Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony as he talks with Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD, to get some advice on the role of the priest/pastor in crazy times. It's a difficult conversation, but it's important for us to have trusted friends in our lives who will tell us things we don't want to hear. Fr. Gregory is wise, experienced, and courageous enough to say things that will satisfy precisely no one. Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony as he talks with Dn. Timothy Kelleher about his roles on Independence Day and Star Trek: The Next Generation (he was also on Voyager and Enterprise) and how good storytelling is always evangelical. Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony and Amon Sul co-host Richard Rohlin as Richard shares his origin story (the spider bite was a bilingual household!), some thoughts on kata, and his love of language. This edition serves as a warmup for their upcoming conversation on the need to get the stories of ourselves, our nation, and the cosmos right. Enjoy the show!

On the Sunday after Theophany (Ephesians 4:7-13; Matthew 4:12-17), Fr. Anthony offers a meditation on Christ's command to "repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," focusing primarily on the fundamental role of repentance in discernment and pastoral care. Enjoy the show!

Elissa shares with us how to get our kids to the place where their worldview is totally dependent on the Christian story.

Is there a way to approach the Old Testament with our children in a fascinating and dimensional way? Elissa encourages us to teach Old Testament stories on three different levels.

Fr. Stephen De Young sets the stage for discussions on St. Paul's Epistles to Timothy and Titus (plus Philemon).

As Fr. Tom comes close to the end of this series, he explores with us the name of Jesus as Pastor and Bishop.

The girls watched the new adaption of the classic musical West Side Story. They explore how time can change your perspective, the tension between hope and the reality of hurt, and the tragedy of rejecting Love.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on the genealogy of Jesus, and healing work of redemption that comes through Christ.

Today we commemorate a distinctive person who bore witness in his own life to the healing power of Christ. St. Nicholas lived in the 4th century in what is now Turkey and had a sizeable inheritance from his family, which he gave away in secret to the poor.

Today we celebrate the restoration of our true unity in God.