Fr. John Oliver helps us to understand why life can be so hard, and how to find joy in the midst of the struggle.

Fr. John Oliver explains why we need the "Four S's" to energize our lives.

Fr. John Oliver reflects on suffering.

With help from his daughter, Fr. Joseph tries to stay on pitch while singing Dan Idzikowski's "Superchristological and Homoousiosis".

Whether it was the invite to his 30-year high school reunion, or the fantasy that he was losing his hearing, one thing's for certain: Nothing clears Disco like an oil change. Fr Joseph reminisces about the dance floor—whilst lying on the floor—at Jiffy Lube®.

On this special edition of the Orthodixie Podcast, Fr. Joseph interviews the author of the new Conciliar Press book Aidan's Song: A Year in the Life of a Parish Priest. The book has been compared to the "Far Side" cartoon and the TV show Married With Children—but nothing quite compares to Fr. Aidan Wilcoxson's singing a rather surprising number on this very podcast. Aidan's Song is an insightful, moving, and often hilarious personal snapshot of a year in the life of a parish priest. Enjoy!

A sermon on the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women reveals shocking news!

FYI, this episode is a gentle rant. It's not PC, but GTGFAT.

Fr. Anthony uses metaphors to help us understand what healthy parishes should and shouldn't look like. This is the second part of a talk he gave at the 2018 Lenten Retreat in Bethlehem PA hosted by the Ukrainian Orthodox League (UOC-USA) and The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry Linsinbigler (canonist for the UOC-USA) talk about recent blessings at the parish Fr. Harry serves (Protection of the Theotokos in Dover, FL), variations on the sacrament of confession, and the ontology of the priesthood. Listen and find out how relics and myrrh-streaming icons can help a parish's culture, what the differences are between the different prayers of absolution, and whether the priest is just a fill-in for when the bishop can't be at the parish. Enjoy the show!

GGWB gave its time in this episode over to its sponsor: Anaxios Gifts! From the Tin-Foil Skufia to a book of feel-good homilies to the "Beards of Love" charity, Anaxios has it all! Tired of acrimonious debates about patriarchal show downs? So were we, so we went double-dog silly on this one. Operators are standing by; enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony reads the fifth 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 Schaffer, D.D., LL.D.), lightly edited to take out some of the archaicisms (and maybe add a modern word or two). Enjoy the show!

Fr Anthony and Fr. Gabriel Rochelle overcome myriad technical problems to talk about the confluence of poetry, story, and proclamation that take place in the Divine Liturgy (and life). Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks with the COVID-stricken Fr. Harry Linsinbigler about parish life and the implications of recent survey results from Gallup (on further declines in American church membership) and Pew (on American religion and the COVID). Enjoy the show!

In this interview, Fr. Anthony and Dn Nicholas talk about the rhythms of Lent and how a gentle asceticism may cultivate more lasting changes than the most stringent fasting and an over-packed liturgical calendar. Along the way, Dn Nicholas shares wisdom on how this same general approach builds a lasting and self-propagating harmony (even among tenors who often sing flat). We hope you enjoy this calm and gentle conversation. Enjoy the show!

Elissa explains how it is that God has no beginning and no end and what that tells us about Him.

Elissa discusses Orthodox marriage and parenting, focusing particularly on how both involve dying to self.

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

Fr. Michael concludes his two-part series on discussing the comparison between vocations: marriage, monasticism, and singleness.

Fr. Michael gives some answers to the age-old question of why life is hard.

In Homily 43, St. Isaac speaks of three areas of ‘discipline,’ or areas in which we must guide or rule our life. Proper discipline in these areas leads to purity. These three areas are bodily discipline, leading to purification of the body; discipline of the mind, leading to purification of the soul; and spiritual discipline, leading to purification of the mind.

Fr. Michael Gillis shares from St. Isaac the Syrian (homily 62), in which St. Isaac offers us the metaphor of a manuscript in rough draft to help us understand why on-going repentance is important for Christians regardless of their real or imagined state of spiritual maturity.

I write a weekly letter for our community and this week I thought I would share this letter with a broader audience. We celebrated the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos this week. Mary the Mother of God was born into a world full of oppression and confusion, yet she was able to become the Holy dwelling place of God. We too, especially at this time of government restrictions and all of the heightened rhetoric of political campaigns—all too radicalized and spun by social media, news outlets, social prophets, and advertising—we too may feel that we are living in an increasingly oppressive and confusing world. While we are not suffering under the occupation of a foreign army, as was Israel during the lifetime of the Mother of God, still many of us are angry and stressed out by the restrictions being imposed on us, whether we agree with them or not.

Fr. Michael Gillis answers the question of “how to overcome thoughts of pride in our hearts that inevitably come after labouring on good works for our families and people around us.”

Fr. Thomas has explored Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and now, the Life. What does life mean and how is Christ identified as THE life?

Jesus didn't just say he would give us our daily bread; he said he is the Bread of Life. Fr. Tom Hopko continues his study of the great "I Am" sayings of Jesus.

This week the ladies discuss one of Christina’s all-time favorite books, A Swiftly Tilting Planet. They discuss the reality that all things are connected, the healing power of the transcendent, and the habitual sticking power of every virtuous (or vicious) decision we make. They close with their Top 5 Books from Childhood.

The girls take on the popular podcast This American Life. They discuss how a culture of confession brings people together, the need to empathize with our larger society, and the ways we're all torn between belief and doubt. They close with their Top 5 Podcasts.

The guys watched the new Steve Martin and Martin Short comedy special on Netflix. They discuss how the age of authenticity impacts our sense of humor, the nature of the cult of celebrity, and the God-given role of humanity’s priesthood. They close with their Top 5 Performers of All Time.

You asked for it, so the guys did it. They finally took on The Office. They discuss the beauty of the ordinary, the centrality of relationship, and the dynamics of human personality. They close with their Top 5 Bosses.

The girls discuss Aaron Mahnke's podcast, Lore. They discuss the story-telling instinct of humans, how the world used to be filled with wonder, and how folklore stories have helped us protect ourselves from fear. They close with their Top 5 Mischievous Spirits.

Steve and Christian discuss Parallel Love, a documentary that follows the trajectory of the rock band, Luxury. One cool thing about this band: 3 members are Orthodox priests. The guys discuss the disruptive nature of art, the ongoing process of conversion, and how all of us are called to be priests of creation. They close with their Top 5 Christian Artists and Musicians.

A couple months ago, the guys watched a documentary following the band, Luxury. They were so impressed by the band and their music, they decided to focus this week on Luxury's album, Trophies. The guys discuss how the world is in decay, how we still need to be affirming of life, and how grace and repentance mean we actually have to change our lives. They close with their Top 5 Things They Are Thankful to God For.

The guys revisit the NBC hit, The Good Place, after the Series Finale, and they were...a little disappointed. They discuss images of the afterlife, how love is other people, and visions of "the good." They close with their Top 5 Season Finales.

The girls discuss Taylor Swift's newest album, touching on themes such as how growing up changes your perspective, how we grow aware of our own failings, and how love fills the background of much of our lives.

"Buongiorno, principessa!" Steve, Christian, Emma, and Christina watched the classic Italian film, "Life is Beautiful." This is our season finale. We'll be back later in the year!

Christina and Emma discuss The Time Traveler's Wife. They touch on themes such as trusting in God's providence, absence and waiting, and sticking with the present moment. And, of course, what they're cooking. Leave your comments for the 200th episode at 917-524-7483 (call or text) by July 1, 2022.

The dormition of the Theotokos is an icon of our hope for eternal life.

The point of the Christian life is a participation in the healing of the human person, struggling against the forces of evil in our own souls.

Fr. Philip LeMasters preaches on the Gospel reading of the healing of the Blind Man.

It is sobering how easily we can corrupt any good thing, including faith in Jesus Christ. Some people fall into the delusion of thinking that they love God and neighbor, when in reality they serve only themselves. One symptom of doing so is to narrow down the kind of people who count as our neighbors such that we excuse ourselves from seeing and serving Christ in all who bear His image and likeness. When we do so, we disregard not only them, but our Lord Himself. Our actions then reveal that we do not truly have faith in Him because we are only seeking to justify ourselves.

There is simply no way around the basic truth that how we relate to our neighbors reveals how we relate to our Lord. What we do for even the most miserable and difficult people we encounter in life, we do for Christ. And what we refuse to do for them, we refuse to do for our Savior. Our salvation is in becoming more like Him as we find the healing of our souls by cooperating with His grace. While we do not save ourselves any more than we can rise up by our own power from the grave, we must obey His commandments in order to open our souls to receive His healing mercy and participate in His eternal life.

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.

The Cross is truly the Tree of Life through which we return to the blessedness of Paradise.

Icons certainly beautify the church, but not simply in the conventional sense of being aesthetically pleasing. Instead, they manifest visually that the Son of God has called and enabled us to become His beautiful living icons. They show that the Savior has made us participants by grace in His deified humanity so that we may shine brightly with the divine glory.

Thanks be to God, Our Lord’s Nativity is not a momentary escape from reality, but an invitation to enter into reality itself and find the healing of our humanity in Him.

In order to take up our crosses, we must choose to embrace the struggle of dying to our vain illusions about ourselves and our world. Our hope is not in spiritual or moral perfection acquired merely by our own willpower, but in the gracious mercy of the One Who offered up Himself for our salvation purely out of love.

It is terribly tragic when people fall into the delusion of thinking that they love God and neighbor, when in reality they are using religion to serve only themselves and the false gods of this world. One symptom of doing so is to narrow down the list of people who count as our neighbors to the point that we excuse ourselves from serving Christ in all who bear His image and likeness. When we do so, we disregard not only them, but our Lord Himself, the God-Man born for the salvation of all. Our actions then reveal that we are not truly united with Him because we seek to justify ourselves by serving nothing but our own vain imaginations.

It is easy to overlook how often the Lord used money and possessions to convey a spiritual message. Perhaps that is because almost everyone struggles with being overly attached to material things, for they can meet our basic physical needs and provide comfort and a sense of security. Due to our self-centered desires, however, they so easily become false gods as we make them the measure of our lives. As Christ taught, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also….You cannot serve both God and mammon.” (Matt. 6: 21, 24)