Inner darkness. We all have it whether we admit or not. How do overcome it? How do we find our way to Christ the Light and master our inner darkness? Join Michael as he addresses these questions in-depth and shows we can find our way to the Light no matter what darkness we are in.

Join Michael as he discusses the complementary nature of light and darkness, how both are under God’s control, and how we can understand this to maintain hope during tough times, grow in faith, and shine the Light of Christ to others.

News got you down? How do we cope in an increasingly dark world? Fr. Nicholas and Dr. Roxanne Louh have 6 specific suggestions for you.

Fr. John examines how the advent season prepares us for the Nativity of Christ.

Fr. Michael discusses "the dark night of the soul," an expression coined by St. John of the Cross, a 16th-century Spanish mystic.

Fr. Michael addresses disappointment—what it is and how we should deal with it.

Fr. Michael shares about discernment. "We all have to begin where we are, with the limited ability and grace we have.... If we follow what we know, maybe God will reveal to us some of what we do not know."

Steven and Christian discuss being exposed to darkness through art and whether or not there is merit in pressing through things that are difficult to watch. They deal with themes of light and dark, weaker brothers and stronger brothers, and why neither of them could make it past (or in Christian’s case through) the first episode of the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad. As always, the guys end with a top 5 list.

Let us get over our pride and become living epiphanies of the salvation of the One Who was baptized by St. John the Forerunner in the Jordan.

The man in our gospel reading whose sight the Lord restored had been blind from birth, having known only darkness throughout his life. He symbolizes us all, for until the light of the Savior’s resurrection, humanity had wandered in spiritual blindness and captivity.

Let us not despair even when the darkness threatens to overwhelm us, but instead mindfully open our hearts to the light of Christ as we trust that He will minister to us at our point of greatest need and make us participants in His salvation.

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.

We remain in a period of preparation to behold Christ at His appearing. The One born at Christmas and baptized at Theophany is brought by the Theotokos and St. Joseph the Betrothed to the Temple in Jerusalem as a 40-day old Infant in fulfillment of the Old Testament law, which we will celebrate later this week at the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. 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 speaks openly of Him as the Savior. At the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, we celebrate the appearance of the Lord Who fulfills the ancient promises to Abraham and extends them to all with faith in Him. By His appearance, He has enlightened the whole creation. Christ is “the true light which gives light to everyone coming into the world.” (Jn. 1:9)

This Sunday, the fourteenth of Luke, we also commemorate the prophet Zephaniah, whose tiny book in the OT speaks eloquently both of the dark state of God’s people, and his aim to bring them into the light (Zephaniah 1:14-17; 3:9-20). Those themes help us to think more concretely, and as a community, concerning the gospel and epistle for today (Ephesians 5:8-19; Luke 18:35-43), where spiritual blindness and sight is also addressed.

This week we consider Revelation 17 in the light of Jeremiah’s words concerning historical Babylon. The dark mystery of the visionary Babylon instructs us on the unreal nature of human and demonic power when it is sought in defiance of the living God.

Fr. Ted reminds us that we can't serve two masters.

Fr. Ted explains that the purpose of our existence is to transfigure ourselves into being more like Christ.

We must choose Christ over the secular world.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos invites us to step out of the darkness and into the light of God in the Church.

Fr. Apostolos Hill reflects on the verses of the Gospel of Matthew about the eye as the light of the body and how we might dispel the darkness around us with the Light of Christ.

On the great feast of Theophany, God shines the light of the Truth, in the person of Christ, to the whole world. Fr Tom reminds us that we also are individually given the gift of this light through our renewal, by virtue of our baptism.

The feast of Theophany heralds the light which overcomes all darkness. Fr. Thomas reminds us that this darkness, which is present in many places in our life, is destroyed by the truth and life of Christ himself.

As soon as our Lord is born in Bethlehem, the Scriptures record that the evil one is working through Herod to destroy him. Fr Thomas reminds us that the darkness will always fight against the Light, but we can choose our path wisely.

On the Sunday of the Blind Man, Fr. Tom discusses what it means to walk in darkness and in the light, and how we must have the truth born in us by being made a new creation in Christ.

Fr. Gregory preaches on All Hallows Eve or Hallowe'en taking his text from the rich man and the poor beggar in the Gospel.

Fr. Gregory speaks with children and adults about Palm Sunday and the preparation of our hearts to receive the risen Christ.

Fr. Emmanuel gives the Holy Saturday homily.

Fr. Emmanuel gives the sermon on the Vesperal Divine Liturgy of Great and Holy Saturday.

Continuing his series on the "Pendulum of Asceticism", Dr. Rossi talks about "Dark Asceticism" and its dangers.

Dr. Albert Rossi reflects on how we can be a healing presence during these dark times in our world.

In light of the tragic and senseless attack at a concert in Manchester, Fr. Gregory Hallam offers this commentary. Fr. Gregory is priest at St. Aidan's Antiochian Orthodox Church in Manchester, UK.

Priest and iconographer Fr. Jerome Sanderson speaks at the Second Annual St. Herman House - FOCUS Cleveland fundraiser, held on Monday, November 10, at St. Paul Greek Orthodox Church in North Royalton, Ohio.

Fr. Pat discusses the quotation of the prophecy of Isaiah in Matthew 4.

In this homily from the Sunday of the Man Born Blind, Fr. Pat considers with us light and darkness, both in this story and in our lives.

Do we overcome the darkness by fighting against it? Or is there an easier way?

“Let us return, brethren, to ourselves...For we cannot be reconciled with God and assimilated to Him unless we first return, or rather, enter into ourselves... For the miracle consists in tearing ourselves away from the distraction and vain concerns of the world and in this way relentlessly seizing hold of the kingdom of heaven within us.” St Nikiphoros the Monk, On Watchfulness and the Guarding of the Heart, Philokalia vol. 4) What this Episode is About: A main goal of the Christian life is to keep our attention focused on Christ. We’re called to drink deeply of the Church’s wisdom so we can master our attention and see Christ at work in all things. But the internet is designed to capture that attention and focus it on things that are superficial at best or toxic at worst. Three Questions as You Watch: 1. What are the limits you’re placing on your social media use? 2. Is your life centered in real communities or artificial internet communities? 3. How does the stuff you’re watching or reading or listening to on the internet help you keep your attention on Christ?

The Lord shines into the place of greatest darkness.