fat

My Big Fat Weak Fasting (or Speaking Wookie During Lent)

You might not be a Jedi in the Fast, but you may be speaking Wookiee and not even know it! The struggling faster Fr. Joseph calls in the big lightsabers for help: The Mamas & the Papas, The Boss, John Williams, Mississippi John Hurt, Scarlett O'Hara, and Chewbacca.




fat

Finding a Spiritual Father

Fr. Michael shares important things to think about in the quest for a spiritual father or mother.




fat

Daring To Say, “Our Father In Heaven”

The Orthodox Divine Liturgy presents an introductory phrase in the form of prayer—as is typical in Orthodox Christianity, there is the prayer before the prayer. It goes like this: "And grant, O Lord, that with boldness and without condemnation we may dare to call upon you the Heavenly God as Father and to say." Why is it a daring thing to say the Lord’s Prayer? Why is it daring to call God "Our Father in heaven"?




fat

Our Father: A Reflection on Spiritual Abuse

People sometimes flee the Church because they encounter abusive people or situations there. And yes, we need to love, minister to, care for and most of all be patient with those who flee the church because of the bad experiences they have had. But still, there are no Lone-Ranger Christians. We are not taught to pray to “My Father in heaven,” but “Our Father in heaven.” God is the God who sees. God sees our suffering. God knows what we have been through. And God wants us to find our safety in Him. But this safe place in God is not a place far away from the Church—after all, all you have to do is pick up a newspaper to realize that the Church has no monopoly on the abusive use of power. There is no place on earth to flee in order to escape the risk of being abused by people with power. There is no place on earth, but there is a place in heaven. And so Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven.”




fat

Same Sex Attraction and Three Desert Fathers

We live in a generation that has been taught to tie their personal identity to their imagined sexual preferences. Consequently, it is difficult to help people who struggle with sexual passions to find hope and repentance. However, the teaching of holy fathers such as St. Isaac the Syrian and St. Barsanuphius of Gaza provide a very helpful alternative to the world’s way of thinking about such passions. For these saints, same-sex attraction is a passion like any other. It is not part of one’s identity, but is a parasitical passion, resisted and struggled against as all other passions are.




fat

Episode 8: My Big Fat Greek Podcast

Join Steve and Christian as they discuss the recently released, highly anticipated sequel to My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The guys look at topics such as evangelism, sacramentalism, and personhood, but spoiler alert: they didn’t like the movie. Listen as they discuss how the movie fell flat, how jokes didn’t land, and even how certain tropes were at times downright offensive. As always, the guys end with a Top 5 list, this time: Top 5 Portrayals of Christian Life in Art.




fat

Sunday of the Forefathers

Are you prepared to receive the great blessing of the coming of Christ?




fat

The Forefathers of Christ

Fr. Philip LeMasters calls us to reflect upon the fulfillment of the promises to the descendants of Abraham in Jesus Christ.




fat

Returning to the Father

Fr. Philip LeMasters reminds us of the purpose of the Great Fast on the Sunday of Forgiveness.




fat

Homily for the Sunday of the Forefathers of Christ and Spyridon the Wonderworker

As “the poor and maimed and blind and lame,” we must prepare to accept the extraordinary invitation that is ours in Jesus Christ by gaining the strength to make our daily responsibilities points of entrance to the heavenly kingdom. They are not reasons to shut ourselves out of the heavenly banquet, but opportunities to unite ourselves ever more fully to Him in freedom.




fat

It is Time to Leave the Pig Pen and Return Home to the Father

The coming Lenten season calls us all to come to ourselves as we gain a clearer recognition of the ways in which we have refused to live as the beloved sons and daughters of our Father. By humbly reorienting our lives toward Him and away from slavery to our passions, we will find restoration, blessing, and joy. Now is the time to leave behind the filth and misery of the pig pen and to enter by grace into the joy of a heavenly banquet that none of us deserves.




fat

Homily for the Sunday of Forefathers (Ancestors) of Christ in the Orthodox Church

As we welcome Christ into our lives and world at His Nativity, we must remain focused. There is no shortage of distractions this time of year that appeal to our passions and threaten to convince us that there are matters more important than accepting His gracious invitation to enter fully into the joy of the banquet of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Savior calls us to embrace our true vocation not only during divine services or in the eschatological future, but in every moment of our lives.




fat

Homily for the Sunday of the After-feast of the Ascension and Commemoration of the Holy Fathers

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.




fat

Homily for the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council

We live in a time when many people water down and distort the Christian faith however it pleases them. Some do so in support of their favorite political or cultural agendas, while others simply want a little spirituality to help them find greater peace of mind or success in their daily lives, which do not differ at all from those of people who do not identify themselves as Christians




fat

Homily for the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of Seventh Ecumenical Council

Many are strongly tempted today to allow the problems facing our culture and world to distract us from growing to maturity in the Christian life and bearing good fruit for the Kingdom of God. That is perfectly understandable in light of our constant access to global media and the gravity of current events.




fat

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost:  “Beloved for the sake of their forefathers”

Professor Humphrey here tackles the difficult passage of Romans 10:1-10, showing that it echoes Deuteronomy 30. Here we see the mistake of interpreting the religion of Israel as a cold and legalistic religion of laws, and are called to generosity of spirit in praying for all who do not know Christ, including the Jewish people, whom St. Paul declares to be “beloved for the sake of their forefathers.”




fat

Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council: The Apostolic, Conciliar and Concrete Church

Here the Old Testament readings for Great Vespers and the New Testament readings for Divine Liturgy are used to illuminate the importance of councils and primacy in the holy Church—a Church that is visible and concrete, with a recognizable and divinely-ordained shape, just as our Lord actually took on humanity, and did not simply visit us in an “appearance.”




fat

Sunday of Holy Fathers of Seventh Ecumenical Council: Things Sure and Shallow

What is sure and what is shallow? Our Great Vesper readings (Genesis 14:14-20, Deuteronomy 1:8-11, 15-17 and Deuteronomy 10:14-21) guide us in understanding what the fathers of the ecumenical councils have done, and in reading Titus 3:8-15 and Luke 8:5-15.




fat

“Hastening to that Fatherly Refuge:” The Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11-32; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Hosea 14:1-9; Isaiah 55:1-7




fat

Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council: The Apostolic, Conciliar and Concrete Church

Here the Old Testament readings for Great Vespers and the New Testament readings for Divine Liturgy are used to illuminate the importance of councils and primacy in the holy Church—a Church that is visible and concrete, with a recognizable and divinely-ordained shape, just as our Lord actually took on humanity, and did not simply visit us in an “appearance.” This program is a re-air from July 17, 2015.




fat

Fathers, Fools, Faith and Fragility: Tenth Sunday After Pentecost

Our readings for this Sunday, 1 Cor. 4:9-16; Matthew 17:14-23 are clarified in the Old Testament, in 1 Samuel (1 Kingdoms)16:1-13; Micah 5:2-4. Here we see the great paradox of humility that shows forth greatness: we become, as G. K. Chesterton put it. “Straighter when we bend and taller when we bow.” Authentic reliance upon God is born of such humility, and so is authentic love for others. We see the examples in the cross-bearing Jesus, and in the apostle Paul, ‘father’ to the Corinthians.




fat

The Expected and the Unexpected: Twenty-eighth after Pentecost and Sunday of the Forefathers

This week we consider God’s actions, both as they fulfill our expectations of His righteous character, and as they astonish us. We remember the faithfulness of those who saw less of God’s revelation than we have, especially the three youths in the fire, and the holy ancestors of Jesus. Our readings for this Sunday, Luke 24:36-53, Luke 14:16-24 and Colossians 3:4-11, both respond to the desires of the ages, and shock us with the vibrancy and great extent of the new creation made possible through the Incarnation, Death and Resurrection of our LORD.




fat

Is our “Heavenly Father” Archaic and Unnecessary?

This third week of Pentecost we consider the language of “Father” and “Son” in our gospel and epistle readings, and reflect upon certain trends in Protestant groups to supplant, supplement, or obscure the Trinitarian Name. We look to the Scriptures and the Fathers to explain why our Christian language for God is essential, and not merely “window dressing.”




fat

Not Tempted by Hades? The Sunday of the Ecumenical Fathers and the Resurrectional Hymns - Sixth Tone

What is meant by the phrase “He was not tempted by Hades”, and is it the case that Jesus appeared first to the Theotokos? We look to the Scriptural teaching on the despoiling of Hades, to the cultural associations of Hades in the Greek and Roman mind, and to the prophet Isaiah for help in understanding the joy of Holy Saturday’s conquest.




fat

“It Is More Blessed To Give Than To Receive:” Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumeni

This week we consider our reading from Acts 20: 16-18; 28-36, filling in the ten missing verses, and concentrating on the extra “beatitude” from Jesus that we learn from St. Paul as he speaks to the Ephesian elders. We are especially helped by thinking about the journey of Abraham, and what he both received and gave, blessed by God, and becoming a blessing to others.




fat

The Other Disciples / Extract from Father Arseny

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)




fat

The Parable of the Loving Father

"The Parable of the Loving Father" from The Bible for Young People by Zoe Kanavas (Narthex Press, 2005)




fat

Being a Good Father

Fr. Theodore celebrates fathers and reminds them of their importance. He encourages fathers to take a leadership role in the spiritual lives of their children, as their example will be imitated.




fat

Becoming the Father: The Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Fr. Ted calls us to become like the Father who was ready and willing to welcome those who return to the life of the Church, rather than the big brother who was judgmental towards his returning brother.




fat

Father Seraphim Rose - Spiritual Father

Join Illumined Heart co-host Kevin Allen on his pilgrimage to Saint Herman of Alaska Monastery, Platina, California to talk with its Abbot Fr. Gerasim and Fr. Seraphim Rose legacy-keeper and biographer Monk Damascene. September 2nd marks the 25th anniversary of the repose of Fr. Seraphim Rose. In part 1 of this 3 part series, Kevin is in the cell constructed by Fr. Seraphim and now occupied by Monk Damascene where he talks with the monk about his spiritual father. For more information about the books published and distributed by the monastery, visit their website.




fat

An Hour With Father Peter Gillquist




fat

Story Time for Father's Day




fat

Father Jonah on the Healing of the Human Person, Part 1

We continue the series of interviews with Fr. Jonah. In part one of this interview we discuss a variety of topics that relate to the Orthodox view of the healing of the human person. Monasticism is but one of the ways that we are healed, but all of the spiritual disciplines and "methods" boil down to life within a community, whether it is a monastery, a marriage, a family or a parish. We are also trying some new sound file formats to attempt to fix the 49 minute podcast cut off problem. So, if our podcast listeners can let us know if THIS program plays all the way through we'd appreciate it!




fat

Father Jonah on the Healing of the Human Person, Part 2

In part two of the conversation with Father Jonah we discuss the relationship of monasticism to the "normal" Christian life. The life lived in the Gospel is universally applied to all Christians, has the same goal and foundation, but is lived out in various ways.




fat

Reading the Fathers Today

The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, Dean of St. Vladimir'’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, delivers the annual Father Georges Florovsky Lecture, Friday, September 21, 2012, on the seminary campus. Father John's presentation, titled "“Reading the Fathers Today,"” addresses the meaning of “theology” and its study within an academic context.




fat

Third Annual Father John Meyendorff Memorial Lecture

Dr. Predrag Matejić, the curator of the Hilandar Collection at Ohio State University, delivers the third annual Fr. John Meyendorff Memorial Lecture. Metropolitan Tikhon of the OCA and Metropolitan Joseph of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese were also given honorary doctor of divinity degrees at the convocation.




fat

Our Common Father: Saint Cyril

The Very Rev. Dr. John Anthony McGuckin, renowned author of 25 books, several of which are published by SVS Press, presented the keynote address at this year's Education Day at St. Vladimir's Seminary. Fr. John outlined a brief history of St. Cyril, highlighting the point that the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox traditions agree with much of the saint's theology.




fat

35th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Lecture

On the Feast of the Three Hierarchs Tuesday, January 30, 2017, St. Vladimir's Seminary hosted a marvelous evening program featuring the 35th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Lecture. Seminary alumnus Dr. Scott Kenworthy presented the Schmemann Lecture, entitled, “St. Tikhon of Moscow (1865–1925) and the Orthodox Church in North America and Revolutionary Russia.” Dr. Kenworthy described St. Tikhon’s pastoral responsibilities both in North America and Russia, and noted how 21st-century Orthodox Christians could benefit from the well-documented spiritual struggles and challenges that the saint experienced. Dr. Kenworthy is Associate Professor of Comparative Religion and Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies at Miami University (Oxford, OH). He is currently writing a new, comprehensive biography of St. Tikhon.




fat

The Apostolic Fathers - Introduction

Dn. Michael Hyatt begins a new series on the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, those second-generation Christian writers who learned at the feet of the Apostles themselves. Dn. Michael is using The Apostolic Fathers in English by Michael W. Holmes.




fat

The Apostolic Fathers - First Clement

Dn. Michael Hyatt continues his series on the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, those 2nd generation Christian writers who learned at the feet of the Apostles themselves. Dn. Michael is using The Apostolic Fathers in English by Michael W. Holmes. This episode looks at the First Epistle of St. Clement. You will be amazed at how contemporary it is.




fat

The Apostolic Fathers - The Letters of St. Ignatius

Ignored by much of Western Christendom, these letters give us insight into how the very early Church viewed the role of the bishop as well as the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.




fat

The Apostolic Fathers - Martyrdom of Polycarp

Continuing his series on the Apostolic Fathers, Dn. Michael Hyatt looks at the Martyrdom of Polycarp, one of the most inspiring and instructional accounts of martyrdom in Church history.




fat

The Apostolic Fathers - The Didache

If there was a catechism manual you could read that dates back to the time of the Apostle John or very soon thereafter, would you be interested? Believe it or not there is! Learn about The Didache as Dn. Michael Hyatt continues his series on the Apostolic Fathers.




fat

The Apostolic Fathers - Letter to Diognetus

What was different about those early Christians. The little known Letter to Diognetus gives us a glimpse as Dn. Michael Hyatt continues his class on the Apostolic Fathers.




fat

Thinking Orthodox - The Shaping of Phronema - The Fathers

An Orthodox Phronema sits on a three-legged stool: Tradition, Scripture, and the Fathers. In this episode, we consider the role of the Fathers. Specifically, we answer several questions about them: Who are they, why are they important, and how do they relate to Scripture and Tradition.




fat

Fr. Meletios Webber on Priesthood and Spiritual Fathers, Part One

Steve interviews Fr. Meletios Webber, the Abbot of St. John's Monastery, on what the "grace of the priesthood" bestows on a man and what the priest's authority and role is in the life of the parish and in his relationship with his parishoners as his spiritual children.




fat

Fr. Meletios Webber on Priesthood and Spiritual Fathers, Part Two

Steve continues his interview with Fr. Meletios Webber and they discuss the role of the parish priest as a Father/confessor, confession and counseling, penances, clairvoyance and much more.




fat

Fr. Meletios Webber on Priesthood and Spiritual Fathers, Part Three

Steve finishes his interview with Fr. Meletios and discusses spiritual directors, accountability groups and obedience.




fat

Flowers from the Hedges: Father Tom

Meet Father Tom, one of the treasures who is part of the Mission. Taken from Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor, by St. John the Compassionate Mission.




fat

The Fathers of Nicea

On the seventh Sunday of Pascha, we commemorate the holy God-bearing Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.