He was probably the first Bishop of Athens, ordained by the Holy Apostle Paul himself. St Dionysius (see October 3) describes St Hierotheos as his teacher and friend "after Paul." With St Dionysius, St Hierotheos was miraculously brought by the power of the Holy Spirit to be present with the Apostles at the Dormition of the Theotokos. He reposed in peace.

He was a soldier from Byzantium, one of the defenders of Smolensk when it was besieged by the Tatars in 1238. One day the Mother of God appeared to Mercurius and told him that the Tatars were preparing a surprise attack — and, further, that he must take up arms and attack the enemy singlehandedly. Placing all his trust in God, the lone soldier threw himself against the Tatar host crying 'Most Holy Mother of God, help me!' He was quickly surrounded and cut down, and it appeared that his action had been as foolhardy as it had seemed, when a woman at the head of a glorious host, all of them surrounded by light, appeared and threw back the Tatar army. The next morning the people of Smolensk found the ground covered with the bodies of their enemies. They buried Mercurius in the Cathedral, where he has been venerated as a Martyr ever since.

'Saint Antony was the son of poor Christians from Athens. In order to help his parents, he entered the service of an Albanian Muslim at the age of twelve. In 1770, during the repression which followed the Greek rising in the Peloponnese, his masters sold him to some Turks, who tried in vain to convert him. He was then sold to a succession of five harsh, fanatical masters, but he remained unshaken in the Faith, and was bought at last by a Christian coppersmith in Constantinople. Having been warned one night in a dream that he would receive God's help to obtain the glory of martyrdom, he was recognized next day in the street by one of his former masters, who began shouting to the passers-by that the young Christian was his runaway slave and an apostate from Islam. Antony was dragged to the court amid much commotion. He confessed that he was willing to die a thousand deaths for the love of Christ. "You would become a Christian more easily than you could make me deny my Christ," he told the judge. Unable to persuade the Saint to feign conversion in order to save his life and under pressure from false witnesses, the judge reluctantly committed him to prison. Antony consoled the other Christian prisoners, gave away what little money he had to the poor, and wrote to thank his master for all his kindnesses and through him asked the forgiveness of all Christians and besought the prayers of the Church.   'As the vizir delayed passing sentence, the Saint's accusers made a complaint to the Sultan Abdul Hamid who, fearing a breach of the peace, ordered his immediate execution. The valiant sixteen-year-old went joyfully to the place of martyrdom. He offered his neck to the executioner, who struck him lightly three times to see if the pain would make him yield. Then, finding that he remained steady, he cut his throat like a slaughtered lamb.' (Synaxarion)

He was probably the first Bishop of Athens, ordained by the Holy Apostle Paul himself. St Dionysius (see October 3) describes St Hierotheos as his teacher and friend "after Paul." With St Dionysius, St Hierotheos was miraculously brought by the power of the Holy Spirit to be present with the Apostles at the Dormition of the Theotokos. He reposed in peace.

In the Orthodox Church we have two fountains from which we receive our teachings and understanding of what we believe in the Church. For clarity’s sake the two founts will be extended to four. En la iglesia ortodoxa tenemos dos fuentes de la que recibimos nuestras enseñanzas y nuestro entendimiento de lo que creemos en la iglesia. Para aclarar ciertos puntos hoy voy a compartir estas dos fuentes, pero las voy a extender de dos a cuatro.

On this Sunday after the Ascension, Fr. Andrew discusses the central place the Ascension of Christ has in the life of the Christian.

Fr. Andrew uses the example of the persistence of the Canaanite Woman to show what humility and love for God look like.

Discussing the idea that the Ascension was Jesus abandoning His flock, Fr. Andrew unpacks what's really going on in the feast, what it says about Who Jesus is, about what His mission is, and about our salvation and our mission.

Join Andja and Fr. Brendan as they share their experiences with death and discuss what happens to unbaptized babies when they die.

Fr. Nick and Dr. Roxanne Louh share ways we can practice looking at the world through the lens God gives us.

Fr. Anthony and Fr. Gregory continue their discussion on personalities and the priesthood, focusing primarily on the attributes/predispositions of agreeableness and openness. Along the way they end up talking about Jung, Flannery O'Connor, and Jordan Peterson. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony and Fr. Gregory Jensen talk about some of the themes in St. John Chrysostom's On the Priesthood. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony talks with Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD, about how NOT to elicit repentance during confession, some of the differences between confession, interrogation, and therapy, and why love and trust are foundational to the process of reconciliation. Enjoy the show!

It is difficult for some of us who were raised on a theology of substitutionary atonement, those of us Protestant converts to holy Orthodoxy, it is difficult for us to accept that our final judgement will involve anything more than the forgiveness of sins. But the Church teaches us otherwise. Parables such as the Rich Man and Lazarus, and the Separation of the Sheep and the Goats play a huge role in the hymnology of the Orthodox Church and in its understanding of what our judgement before God will look like. That is, judgement before God is not merely about forgiveness of sin. But rather, the judgement of the Age to Come is also about comfort and torment; or as Christ puts it in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Father Abraham speaking to the Rich Man who is in torment), “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.”

Many people hit a roadblock in their relationship with God when the weight of their sins catches up to them, when they realize they are trapped in a cycle of sin or habit of ungodly behaviour that they cannot control.

Every spring I muse on the weeds in my garden. A particularly demonic weed (from my perspective) is convolvulus arvensis: Bindweed. Once you’ve got it, you’ve got it. St. Isaac the Syrian speaks of sin as if it were in our bodies like bindweed.

The guys watched “Independence Day: Resurgence.” Christian enjoyed it. Steve? Not so much. They discuss what worked in the movie, as well as what didn’t, and wildly speculate about the theological implications of alien life. Plus, they wrap up with their Top 5 favorite alien characters of all time.

Christina Andresen and Emma Solak discuss the new Amazon Prime show, Good Omens. They discuss how we are all fallen, the battle between heaven and hell, and whether or not the gospel falls flat for those in comfort. They close with their Top 5 Gangs of Kids.

Fr. Philip LeMasters describes the way in which the Holy Ascension of our Lord provides the way for us to be raised up from the tomb and into heavenly glory.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects upon the significance of the ascension of Jesus into the fullness of the Kingdom of God.

As we continue to celebrate Theophany in a world that remains in “the region and shadow of death,” let us focus mindfully on living each day as those who have died to sin and risen with our Lord to a life of holiness. That is how we may wear a garment of light and become living epiphanies of the salvation of the world.

Holy Week is not a time for rational theological speculation and argument. It is, instead, a time for entering into the deep mystery of the love of our Lord, of the great “I AM” Who remains infinitely beyond our full comprehension.

Forty days after His resurrection, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ ascended in glory into heaven and sat at the right hand of God the Father. He did so as One Who is fully divine and fully human, One Person with two natures. He ascended with His glorified, resurrected body, which still bore the wounds of His crucifixion. Our Lord’s Ascension reveals that we may participate by grace in the eternal life of the Holy Trinity and share in His fulfillment of the human person in God’s image and likeness. We may experience such blessedness even now by uniting ourselves to Christ even as we live and breathe in this world with our feet on the ground.

In this anecdotal introduction to the final reflection of Part 2 of the podcast, Father John relates the extraordinary story of a Reformation-era town that declared itself the kingdom of Christ on earth, a "New Jerusalem." Expressing a profound absence of God in the world, however, the story of Reformation Muenster was in fact a sign of the fall of a Christendom centered upon the experience of paradise.

In this episode, Fr John reflects on the Scripture readings for the Divine Liturgy of the Feast of the Holy Ascension—and their impact on our mission and commission as Orthodox Christians.

Why is the Ascension of our Lord so important? Is it an event that concerns Jesus only, as Lord over all, OR is it an event that also concerns us? YES! Come explore the mystery as we look to the Old Testament for light on this!

We read Acts 11:19-30, our epistle for this Sunday, by means of a Jewish text, 2 Esdras 10:21-23, and in the light of Psalm 43 (MT 44) and Genesis 22:15-18. The Christian Diaspora is understood by Luke as used by God for the growth and maturity of his people, and not simply as an occasion for great lament. This insight contrasts with Jewish responses to the earlier Diasporas caused by Assyria and Babylon, for we know that God turns even martyrdom and dislocation to His purposes: He is the One who tramples down death by death.

We encounter the silence of heaven and the difficult warnings of the first four trumpets in Rev. 8, with the help of passages from Exodus, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Zechariah. In the presence of mystery, we wait for God to fulfill His promises, knowing that His will is for all to turn to Him.

"The Ascension of the Lord," from Feasts of Christ and the Theotokos and Miracles of the Lord by Spiritual Fragrance Publishing (2012)

"The Apostle Thomas Sees the Ascension of the Theotokos," from Feasts of Christ and the Theotokos and Miracles of the Lord by Spiritual Fragrance Publishing (2012)

6. On today's program, Chrissi reads The Ascension of Our Lord from the series The Twelve Great Feasts for Children by Sister Elayne, now Mother Melania (Conciliar Press, 2004) and Basil's Search for Miracles part 4 (chapters 9-10) by Heather Zydek (Conciliar Press, 2007).

150. The Ravens of Farne: A Tale of Saint Cuthbert by Donna Farley (Conciliar Press, 2009).

Fr. Ted explains how parishioners are icons of Christ.

In part three on this series on the end times Steve and Bill discuss the Father's ancient wisdom of being silent on things that are difficult to interpret in the Bible then go on to discuss difficult topics about the end times. In this program they discuss the Rapture, dispensationalism and the place of the Church in God's plan of salvation, and Christian Zionism, all hinges on the door of many Protestant end time theories. They summarize how the Creed addresses all of these interpretations.

Steve interviews Fr. Gregory Jensen, an Orthodox priest and psychologist. Fr. Gregory discusses the place of clinical psychology within Orthodox spirituality, particularly as it relates to pastoral care and confession.

The second hour of an interview with Fr. Gregory Jensen on the use of psychology and the Orthodox spiritual life.

Dn. Michael begins a new series on living "in, but not of" the world. He is using four texts from the St. Vladimir's Popular Patristics series. This week he covers C.S. Lewis's introduction to the St. Athanasius work On the Incarnation.

Dn. Michael continues his series on reconciliation. This week he discusses how to conduct ourselves when we are wronged.

Domingo 14 de Septiembre Pd. Nicolás predicó sobre como el acto de evangleizar puede salvar uno. Sí la vida es dificil pero por el mensaje de la Cruz podemos receibir la paz de la verdad. 1 Cor. 1:18-24 Sunday September 7 Fr. Nicholas preached about how the act of evangelizing can save a person. Yes life is difficult but through the message of the Cross we can attain true peace. 1 Cor. 1:18-24

Padre Nicolás predicó sobre los premios que Dios nos da cuando aguantamos las dificultades. En nuestra fe Dios nos recompensa. Él compartió la historia de San Jacob el santo Ortodoxo indígena de Alaska. (Gálata 3:23-4:5) Fr. Nicholas preached about the prizes that God gives us when we endure the difficulties. In our faith the Lord truly rewards us. He shared the story about San Jacob the Orthodox indigenous saint of Alaska. (Galatians 3:23-4:5)

Padre Nicholas predica que todos somos pecadores, pero Tenemos a una Dios, que nos perdona. Y por eso, somos dichosos. Mateo 18:23-35 Fr. Nicholas preaches that we all are sinners, but we have a God, that forgives us. And we are lucky because of this. Matthew 18:23-35

Padre Nicholas predice que nos debemos prepararnos para el reino, para el rey, y para el cielo. Galatas 2;16-20 Fr. Nicholas preaches that we must prepare ourselves for the kingdom, for the King, and for heaven. Galatians 2:16-20

Padre Nicolás predicó sobre la oración en momentos difíciles clamando a Dios sin desesperarnos. (Hechos 16:16-34) Fr. Nicholas preached about prayer in the difficult times calling on God without losing hoping. (Acts 16:16-34)

Steve returns to podcasting after five years of silence. He reflects on "the will of God for your life" in light of his recent life events.

the course of medication that cures Hepatitis C costs $84,000 at $1,000/pill, but can be produced for only $700 or $0.83/pill #

I am told on good authority that it is offensive to invite people of other religions to convert to Christianity. Thus it is offensive to say to a Jew, “Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God and so you should be baptized and become a Christian”. It is similarly offensive to say to a Muslim, “Jesus is the divine Son of God and Muhammad was not a true prophet, nor is Qur’an His Word, and so you should be baptized and become a Christian”. It is also offensive to say to a Hindu, “Those whom you worship as Gods such as Vishnu, Shiva, and Krishna are not true Gods, but idols, and so you should be baptized and become a Christian”.

I remember once when a friend was sharing with me his distress at the liberalism afflicting his Protestant denomination, and the fact that many of their clergy were denying such things as the virgin birth and the divinity of Christ. While murmuring sympathetically, I mentioned that such denials were not the same problem in the Orthodox Church. He then asked me what sort of things we did argue about. When I replied, “Well, things like whether or not a woman can receive Holy Communion while she is menstruating,” he looked at me funny. He didn’t ask, “What planet are you guys on?” but I could tell he was thinking it. Loudly.

The feast of the Ascension is a feast of comfort and consolation for the people of God. But it can for some people represent a stumbling block. Looking at the ascension of Christ as it is narrated in Scriptures, does the Church then really believe that accepting the Ascension also involves accepting a literal three-storey universe?

Fr. Apostolos Hill's homily talks about citizenship in the Heavenly Kingdom and how repentance is the entrance exam.