On this Sunday, Fr. Andrew tells us that there is no opposition between faith and good works in the writings of St. Paul.

On this Sunday, Fr. Andrew asks if we can use our feelings as a test of the authenticity of our Faith?

Chatter about the Orthodox Faith abounds in social media but not all of it is true. How should Orthodox Christians approach Facebook, Twitter, etc., both in terms of their own posts but also in reading posts by others? Fr. Andrew Damick shares some reflections as well as his own guidelines for using social media.

On this First Sunday of Luke, Fr. Andrew explores what Jesus uses to get into the lives of His first disciples.

With the coincidence of the commemorations of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and Symeon the New Theologian, Fr. Andrew reflects on how these two feasts together reveal a crucial component of spiritual life.

On this Sunday of the Forefathers of Christ, Fr. Andrew preaches on the parable of the banquet and those who made excuses not to come.

In looking at the Gospel from Matthew 17 where the disciples could not cast out a demon, Fr. Andrew discusses what it means when Jesus says that they have no faith.

Fr. Andrew discusses justification, faith, the Gospel and the New Covenant, and how they all relate to one another.

Fr. Andrew contrasts the healing of the woman with the flow of blood with the raising of the daughter of Jairus and discusses what that contrast means for us.

Using the example of the centurion, who believes that Jesus will heal his servant with just a word, Fr. Andrew asks if that kind of faith is even possible in our own age.

February's All-Stars feature is Quinn Marquardt, the OCF Mountain Student Leader. Tasya and Quinn discuss how taking a leap of faith and getting involved with OCF--both at the chapter level and by joining the Student Leadership Board--has transformed their college experience.

Today, we start a 3-part series entitled The Ancient Christian Faith in the Modern World. Theme music: "Burn Out Bright" by Switchfoot from their 2006 album "Oh! Gravity." Used by permission.

Today, we continue our 3-part series entitled "The Ancient Christian Faith in the Modern World." (25:43) Theme music: "Burn Out Bright" by Switchfoot from their 2006 album "Oh! Gravity." Used by permission."

Today, we wrap up our 3-part series entitled The Ancient Christian Faith in the Modern World. We also take time to chat with Stephanie Mardigian, chapter president at VCU in Richmond, VA. Theme music: "Burn Out Bright" by Switchfoot from their 2006 album "Oh! Gravity." Used by permission.

Matthew is sick this week so we will take a break from his series on sacraments to present a short feature from our archives.

As we begin the new liturgical and school year, Fr. Nick and Dr. Roxanne help us to think about renewing our walk and addressing those "weapons of mass distraction."

This week on Healthy Minds, Healthy Souls, join Fr. Nick and Pres. Roxanne Louh as they talk with Orthodox director Robert Krantz about his new movie, FAITH, HOPE, & LOVE.

Join Fr. Nick and Dr. Roxanne with special guest Melinda Johnson for a new episode of Healthy Minds Healthy Souls titled "Women of Faith." They'll talk about the recent book Seven Holy Women: Conversations with Saints and Friends, which was written by a group of Orthodox women writers.

Metropolitan Gregory joins the Louh's to talk about Faith and Science. His Eminence is a trained scientist as well as an Orthodox bishop. Learn more about Metropolitan Gregory HERE.

Fr. John tells us that faith is an active expression where we offer, fill, untie, explain, rise, walk, and follow.

Fr. John Oliver considers whether blessings can be found in the midst of the unexpected suffering of mental illness.

The Ancient Faith Men's Retreat runs August 22-25, 2024.

Listen as Fr. Anthony talks with Dn. Nicholas Denysenko, the Emil and Elfriede Jochum Professor and Chair at Valparaiso University, about his 2018 book The People's Faith; the liturgy of the faithful in Orthodoxy. Among other things, they discuss why it is important to listen to - and not just teach - the people and what can be learned when we do so (hint: it's more than an opportunity to figure out how to improve our catechesis). Enjoy the show!

How will we help our children find a respectful and good way to offer Orthodoxy to this world? Elissa emphasizes the importance of being able to articulate the Orthodox faith in emulation of the twelve Holy Apostles.

Some of us may be facing death at this time—just as Lazarus did. Some of us may have a loved one who has or will soon die—as Mary and Martha did. And some of us, most of us probably, are just largely inconvenienced. And with the Churches closed, all of us may be wondering with Mary and Martha where Jesus is, for if Jesus were here, surely He would not let this happen. But Jesus is here. The same Jesus who raised Lazarus from the tomb, also first allowed him to ‘fall asleep’ in the tomb.

Just as surely as there is a time of sowing, there is a time of reaping. God changes us and touches the hearts of others through our prayers, our giving and our service to others. Seeds become trees and trees change the environment. Sowing is hard. Trees grow slowly, almost imperceptibly. It requires faith and often tears.

What is the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ as described in the Book of Revelation? Fr. Tom Hopko explores this with us in his next episode of The Names of Jesus.

Fr. Philip calls us to actively engage in the journey towards the Kingdom of God through the Dormition Fast.

Jesus Christ gives us back our true identities, making us into faithful witnesses of His redeeming work.

Are we coming to Christ with a humble and sincere faith? If so, then we too will experience the gracious mercy which Jesus gives to all who reach out to Him in faith.

Fr. Philip LeMasters calls us to a life of humility, that goes beyond a prideful legalism, leading to the healing of our souls.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on the struggle to believe when the circumstances we face seem overwhelming, growing in faith into the image of Christ.

Given what we do know about the divine mercy we have received, gratitude must become an abiding characteristic of our lives. That means that we must become like the Samaritan leper in today’s gospel reading.

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” The father of the young man in today’s gospel lesson cried out these words with tears in response to the Lord’s statement that “all things are possible to him who believes.” The father in this passage provides a good example of how we should respond to the spiritual challenges posed by our current public health crisis.

The only true response to the challenges we face today is to believe in and confess Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. If we cultivate the humility necessary to entrust ourselves to Him, then we will gain the spiritual strength not to fall into self-centeredness, fear, resentment, hatred, or other sinful states of soul that are such appealing distractions to facing the truth about ourselves.

If we are to complete our Lenten journey to our Lord’s Cross and glorious resurrection, we must learn to entrust ourselves to Him as honestly and fully as we possibly can.

It is easy to assume that we have strong faith when it seems like everything is going our way. All too often, that means that we have come to trust in ourselves for following a religion that we imagine will give us what we want. When difficult struggles come, however, the truth about our weak souls is revealed. Then we come to see that real faith in God is not about serving or congratulating ourselves, but something entirely different.

Let us live as those who have tasted the living water of the Holy Spirit and know that nothing can truly satisfy us—in this life or in that which is to come—other than uniting ourselves to Christ in holiness.

There is no point in pretending that all is well when it obviously is not; that was true for the bleeding woman and for Jairus, and it is also true for us. We must face the reality of our own brokenness with brutal honesty, if we are ever to acquire the humble faith necessary to enter into the joy of those who hear the Lord say, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace” and “Do not fear; only believe, and she shall be well.” The question is not whether the Savior wants to fulfill His gracious purposes for us, but whether we will open ourselves to receive His healing mercy.

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” These words from the brokenhearted father in today’s gospel lesson resonate with all of us who are honest about what the deep challenges of our lives reveal about our spiritual state.

People think of religion in many different ways today, but usually not in a way that requires our hearts to be broken.

Through the many struggles of this season of Lent, we all have the opportunity to grow in the faith necessary to entrust ourselves more fully to Christ.

Though it was commonly overlooked at the time, God’s promises to Abraham were for the blessing of all the nations. They have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ such that all with faith in Him are now rightful heirs. (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:8-9)

Today we conclude our commemoration of the Lord’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, when the spiritual eyes of Peter, James, and John were opened to behold His divine glory and they heard the voice of the Father say, “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Mk. 9:7)

It is worth asking what we want to achieve by practicing our faith. Why do we come to church, pray, fast, give to the needy, forgive our enemies, confess our sins, and otherwise struggle to reorient our lives toward God? Perhaps we do these things because we want to put God in our debt so that He will do our will. Maybe we want to become socially respectable, making ourselves look virtuous in our own eyes and in those of our neighbors. It could also be the case that we want to distinguish ourselves from our neighbors, especially those we do not like, presenting ourselves as more pious and moral than we think they are. Of course, these are all distortions of true Christian faith, but the real test of our faith is not simply in what we generally want from religion, but especially in how we relate to the Lord when we face deep challenges that break our hearts and threaten to lead us into despair.

Our Lord’s ministry violated many of the religious and cultural sensibilities of first-century Palestine in shocking ways. Contrary to all expectations for the Jewish Messiah, He asked for a drink of water from a Samaritan woman with a broken personal history, engaged in an extended spiritual conversation with her, and then spent two days in a Samaritan village. He invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus, a corrupt tax-collector for the Roman army of occupation. And as we read today, He not only healed the servant of a Roman centurion, but said of this man, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” This encounter is truly astounding because the Jews expected a Messiah to defeat the Romans by military force, not to praise the faith of their officers.

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.

Today, on what has unfortunately become a merely “secular” festival, we recover a deeper Valentine’s message by considering what our faith has to say about romance and true love. We look at the life of the third century St. Valentine, and consider Hebrews 13:4, Genesis 1 and 2, Ephesians 5; and the book of Tobit (especially 8:4-8).

On this first Sunday after Pentecost, we clarify and amplify the readings from Matthew and Hebrews by looking to the story of Solomonia and her seven brave sons (2 Maccabees 7). This woman, known in the early Church as a prophetess, spoke clearly of God’s creating and resurrecting power, and so inspires us, in our challenges today, to follow Christ to glory.

We read 1 Cor. 8:8-9:2 in the context of St. Paul’s larger discussion of our One LORD God, while looking back to Deuteronomy 6:4, the food regulations of Leviticus, and the words of Amos and Isaiah on formalism and idolatry. We also consider how this passage prepares us for a Holy Lent.