Some years, Bright Week is filled with joy, but there are other years when we are just worn out. Have we done Pascha wrong? What do we do next?

In his continuing series on the names of Jesus, Fr. Thomas looks at the meaning behind the scriptural references to God's chosen ones through whom came God's Chosen One.

"I have called you by name; you are Mine!" (Isaiah 43:1) For the series finale of "Pop Culture Coffee Hour," the guys explore season 1 of the new TV series "The Chosen." It's the first ever multi-season exploration of the life of Jesus. The guys discuss Christian art and theology, the call of the Gospel, and the transformative power of real, authentic Christianity. https://studios.vidangel.com/the-chosen

The girls discuss the Broadway-to-Silver-Screen musical, Dear Evan Hansen. They touch on themes such as the role of social media in trying to be authentic, the complexity of the human person, and the need for community in support.

We are called to bear witness of the resurrected Lord, along with St. Thomas, who sought to know Christ through a personal experience with Him.

Being set free from those things which possess us is just the beginning of the process of salvation.

Fr. Philip LeMasters preaches on the Gospel reading from Thomas Sunday.

We celebrate the Presentation of Christ forty days after His birth, in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Theotokos and St. Joseph bring the young Savior there in compliance with the Old Testament law, making the offering of a poor family, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the old man St. Simeon proclaims that this Child is the salvation “of all peoples, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel.” The aged prophetess St. Anna also recognizes Him as the fulfillment of God’s promises.

In order to follow our Risen Lord into the joy of the resurrection, we must also open our deepest personal struggles and wounds to Him for healing. Our bodies are not evil, but we have all distorted our relationship to them. Instead of pursuing a disembodied spirituality that ignores how God creates and saves us as whole persons, we must embrace the joy of His victory over death by living as those who are in a “one flesh” communion with the Risen Lord in every dimension of our existence.

In order to follow our Risen Lord into the joy of the resurrection, we must open our deepest personal struggles and wounds to Him for healing.

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.

In this episode, we join Fr. John Parker at a fundraising dinner for the OCMC sponsored by the DC Metro Area Pan-Orthodox Missions Council. Fr. John's keynote address was entitled, "Here I Am, Send Me: How Every Christian can Answer the Great Commission."

Fr. Josiah Trenham speaks about Islam at a parish retreat earlier this month at Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. This is Part 2 of his talk.

Fr. Josiah Trenham speaks about Islam at a clergy retreat for the Carolina Deanery of the Orthodox Church in America.

Fr. John returns with his newly purposed Lord, Send Me podcast. It is fitting that the return is today on March 9, the 2nd Thursday of Great Lent, with the reading from Isaiah: "Here am I, Lord. Send me."

Fr. John talks with Sister Ksenia of Saint Elisabeth Convent, Minsk, Belarus.

This feast, celebrated on February 2, is known in the Orthodox Church as The Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Dr. Humphrey takes us to the Old Testament to understand what was going on.

Our readings for the eleventh Sunday of Matthew (1 Corinthians 9:1-12, Matthew 18:23-25) happily correspond this year with our remembrance of the Holy Prophet and last of the Judges of Israel, Samuel. Parts of his story in 1 Samuel/Kingdoms 12 and 28, plus words about him in Psalm 98 (LXX)/99 and Sirach 46, help us understand more deeply God’s character of justice and forgiveness, exemplified in the prophet. We, too, are called to this pattern as we respond to the problems of our day, including the social unrest and violence of this week.

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

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

The Peddler and the Disenchanted Mirror by Stephen Muse, illustrated by Dimitra Psichogiou (Edition Parrisia, 2016) Available on Amazon

55. Book 1: Great and Holy Saturday from the Three-Day Pascha Series by Mother Melania (Conciliar Press, 2006) (duration 3.33 mins) Book 2: Pascha, The Feast of Feasts from the Three-Day Pascha Series by Mother Melania (Conciliar Press, 2006) (begins at 4:18, duration 3.32 mins) Book 3: Christ has Risen, Children! by Svetlana Visotskaya (The Publishing House of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, 2001) (begins at 8:00, duration 4.02 mins)

82. Book 1: "The Other Disciples" from The Bible for Young People by Zoe Kanavas (Narthex Press, 2005) (8.35 mins) Book 2: Extract from Father Arseny 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father, part one, translated by Vera Bouteneff (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1998) (22.10 mins)

Fr. Ted reminds us that while we may not know His essence, God is nevertheless with us in a very real and tangible sense.

In this program, Steve and Kevin conduct this fascinating interview with professor and author Dr. David Bradshaw--professor of Philosophy and the Philosophy of Religion at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Bradshaw explains for us the distinction between God’s “Essence and Energies”. Understanding this distinction is the key to a major difference between eastern and western Christianity. You should listen to this two or three times--trust us!

If you missed it the first time, here is another opportunity to hear this very frank and open conversation with Charles Ajalat, the Chancellor of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in North America. It is about an hour long but worth the investment of your time!

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen! This is the anthem of Pascha, and since it was in fact Holy Week and Pascha last week, we have decided to "go lite" this program hour and air a 20-minute interview segment we did last month with local Phoenix evangelical drive-time radio program host Andrew Tallman in lieu of a full study hour. So enjoy, and next week we'll tackle another topic. A blessed Bright Week to all.

In this program, we revisit Orthodox Holy Week with selected passages from the Holy Tradition - in the hope of trying to convey the richness of the "conversation" between God and the Church. For Christ invites us to go with Him to the Holy Cross, and we find ourselves both willing and unwilling, like the repentant harlot and the betrayer Judas, like the good thief and the blind and unbelieving crowd. Glory to God in Christ! He overcomes the wrath and sins of mankind through love and humility in His Suffering and tramples down Death by Death.

We continue the discussion of essence and energy and give a very broad overview of the influence of the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle on Augustine and Aquinas and how philosophy has influenced the views of God in the West. We also discuss how the East and West's views of God manifest themselves in how we view creation and the human being's relationship to God.

In the sixth and final program on the series on "Relics," Steve and Bill discuss issues that face the Western theological concepts of nature, person, will and their relationships to one another before and after the fall. How one views the nature of God and the human being determines one's view of the meaning of salvation and the impact of "salvation" on the human being in this life. Relics are the evidence of the progressive nature of the human participation in the divine energies of God and a foretaste of the life to come in eternity. In the second half of the program Steve and Bill examine the New Testament and many passages that point us to the concept of "synergy," the working of the human person with God toward the goal of union with God.

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.

After a two-month disappearance, Steve and Bill resurface and finally record part three of the series on "Relics." In this program they discuss the Orthodox view of God and how the creation can literally "participate in God," or, as St. Peter says, be a "partaker of the divine nature." How can the infinite God who says, "You cannot see my face and live," also promise that "the pure in heart shall see God"? The distinction between the essence and energies of God is one of the fundamental dogmas of the Orthodox faith and gives us a vision of our union with God which is ultimately our salvation.

In part four of our discussion of relics, we tackle the nature of God and the nature of the human being and how we can "know" a person. What is the relationship of "nature" to a "person"? What is an "energy"? How are a nature's energies expressed? The proper definition of nature, energy and personhood form the cornerstone for a proper definition of salvation and the goal of our existence in God.

Father Ivan Moody—prolific composer, sought after conductor, editor of sacred music, and author and lecturer—speaks on "The Past, Present, and Future of Orthodox Music" in this public conversation. He touches upon everything from deciphering early musical notation written on papyri to creating fresh repertoire in sacred music, and from the “monophony and polyphony wars” in church history to the therapeutic function of music in contemporary church and society.

Dn. Michael Hyatt returns to his Sunday school class and begins teaching through Time and Despondency: Regaining the Present in Faith and Life..

We hear it often. "Live in the present not the past or future," but what does that mean? In lesson four, Dn. Michael Hyatt covers the next two chapters in Dr. Nicole Roccas' book, Time and Despondency.

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, explains that the real work of the mission comes from sitting and talking.

Fr. Apostolos addresses parents' responsibility to rear their children in Church.

Fr. Apostolos Hill shares a homily centered on the Epistle reading and St. Paul's admonition that we exercise the spiritual gifts given to us for the building up of the Body of Christ.

Leading into the feast of Theophany, Fr. Tom calls to remembrance the Forerunner and how he points us to repentance in order to see clearly our Savior in the Holy Trinity.

Unpacking the Sunday epistle reading, Fr. Tom helps us to enter into the cosmic mystery that is Christ and the New Covenant. The Divine Liturgy is not a dead work; it is a provision to allow us to enter into the eternal sacrifice of God every time we gather.

Fr. Christopher sets the record straight on the celebration of Christmas.

Deacon Emmanuel gives the sermon on the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple.

Fr. Christopher asks, when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus, is Church Tradition honest? Could the whole story have been made up? Surely anything less than honesty in the Church is not acceptable.

Dn. Emmanuel tells us whether you are at school or at home, working or unemployed, whether you have responsibilities at home or outside home, whatever your age, there is a special Christmas present waiting for each of us, wrapped up, ready to open, but each present can only be opened by the person to whom that present has been addressed.

Fr. Emmanuel gives the 2nd sermon on Pascha. The first one of course, was read by Fr. Gregory and it was the Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom.

We love and respect God first. Then we love and respect ourselves because we are each made in the image of God.