We read Hannah’s sober and joyful canticle (canticle 3), taken from 1 Samuel/1 Kingdoms 2:1–10, and consider what it means for God to “bring low” and to “exalt” us. In this we are helped by St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil and Great, and other sections of the Old Testament.

Fr. Ted argues along with the ancient Greeks that you can't philosophize back into infinity. There comes a point when you have to believe in something.

Fr. Ted addresses a current event in Winnipeg that illustrates the importance of being like St. Demetrios.

In this 200th episode of "iSermon," Fr. Ted reminds us that we can't experience the fullness of the Christian faith with our rational mind alone.

Fr. Ted delivers a lecture in Calgary at St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Orthodox Church Lenten Retreat.

Fr. Ted explains why St. Peter and St. Paul are commemorated together.

Fr. Ted encourages us to allow the story of the healing of the paralytic to move us closer into relationship with God and one another as we live in the light of the resurrection of Christ!

Fr. Ted speaks to us of the wall of faith that cannot be destroyed.

Fr. Ted shares his thoughts on the importance of summer camp for children and young adults, as well as his reflections on the Gospel reading about the healing of the demon-possessed men from the land of the Gergesenes.

Fr. Ted addresses the uncomfortable topic of how we remove ourselves from the House of God.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos calls us to humble ourselves and have faith in others.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos explains the importance of the First Ecumenical Council in maintaining the true Orthodox Christian faith.

The Orthodox Church is seeing an influx of graduates from Evangelical Christian colleges and universities, exploring traditional forms of historic Christianity. In this program Kevin Allen discusses this trend with two graduates of BIOLA University (Jesse Cone and Michael Unruh) who were recently chrismated.

Join host Kevin Allen in his interview with Ancient Faith Radio founder and Chief Operating Officer of Conciliar Media Ministries, John Maddex, about his fascinating journey to the ancient faith of Orthodoxy after 30 years as a evangelical radio executive and self-professed "classic Evangelical Protestant Christian"!

Ex-member of the hard-core Christian rock band East West (2002 Dove Award Winner!) speaks about the Christian Contemporary Music Industry, the reality of touring life on the road, the spiritual and physical exhaustion that eventually led him to examine his faith and eventually discovery of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Fr. Alexander Goussetis, priest, comparative religion professor, and interfaith dialogue participant and advocate, speaks with host Kevin Allen about his views on the purpose of interfaith dialogue with Jews, Muslims, and other non-Christians. Kevin asks: Does the Gospel call us to merely understand the faiths of non-Christians, to enter into dialogue with them with no agenda, or is the goal always to try to win those we dialogue with to Christ? Is it "Orthodox" to proselytize, or simply to be a holy witness? These and other questions will be addressed in this program.

As Great Lent begins, Illumined Heart host Kevin Allen and nutrition expert Rita Madden (MPH and RD) discuss the role of food in our Orthodox spiritual life, what the Church Fathers say about food and food quantity, and practical nutritional issues related to fasting. Can we get the protein we need from a plant-based diet? Do we need supplements? Should children fast? These and many other questions - from an Orthodox patristic perspective and Rita's expertise -are the focus of this important conversation. Be watching for Rita's new podcast on AFR about Food and Faith coming soon!!

Andrew continues from the last episode about unfaithfulness being the characteristic act of immorality by exploring how pornography is a rejection of the ultimate significance of marriage. Read a transcript HERE.

With the reading of the Gospel and the homily that often follows it, the Liturgy of the Catechumens is concluded, and we transition to the Liturgy of the Faithful - The Communion Service. The Eucharist has always been the central focus of the life and worship of the Church from the beginning. Here we try to convey, by way of the Cherubic Hymn and the priestly prayers, the meaning of the Great Entrance - the journey of the gifts from the Prothesis table to the Altar. This is the life-journey of Christ in the world on his way to His Life-Giving Death, and the faithful are eyewitnesses to this - as the lines between heaven and earth are blurred in the mysterious and sacred space of the Kingdom.

This is the first of a six-part series on "ICONS" from our KPXQ live radio program archives from 2004. In this program we introduce icons and what you will see in an Orthodox Church and look at the scriptures, especially in the Old Testament, that seem to prohibit the making of "graven images." Are all images "idols," and are ALL images and representations of the material world prohibited by God?

In part two of "Icons" we continue to discuss the Scriptures and the post-Reformation emphasis on the "intellectual" apprehension of the rational message of the Gospel as written in the Bible. But we will see that icons are a fulfillment of the Gospel and more specifically are a logical ramification of the Incarnation of God.

Archpriest Michael Oleksa speaks on Orthodox cultures at Orthodox Education Day at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.

Antwian (Anthony) Davis has been experiencing and witnessing God's miraculous grace from a time beyond his own memories as a small child, and seemingly at every turn since: through the profound faith of his parents; in his journey from serious illness and near death in childhood to health and adulthood; from ordained Baptist minister to seminarian at St Vladimir's Seminary; and during his encounters with the sick, suffering, and incarcerated. In this episode of Voices from St Vladimir's Seminary, Antwian shares powerful stories from his life and conversion to Orthodox Christianity—including why he's thankful to his Baptist parents, who he says "actually raised me to be Orthodox." Antwian, who currently serves as SVS Press Bookstore manager, also reveals his favorite Press books and announces the next stop in his grace-filled journey, this time away from St Vladimir's Seminary.

Listen to reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie for the Fifth Sunday of Luke.

Members of the community interact with the story of the Canaanite woman's faith, sharing their crumbs of wisdom.

Fr. Nicolaie tells how the faith of people who saw (and see) evil in the face of war is a faith that can guide those of us who live in a society tempted by the illusion of death.

Fr. Apostolos speaks from the Gospel of St. John, chapter 3, "For God so loved the world...," exhorting us that "love alone is the surety of our doctrinal purity."

Fr. Apostolos shares about the miracle of the feeding of the multitudes with the five loaves and two fish, and encourages us to offer our best unto the Lord.

In this homily, Fr. Apostolos deals with focusing on the positive goal of our faith in Jesus Christ as opposed to getting bogged down in a negative view of merely keeping the "rules."

Fr. Apostolos continues the series on Divine Worship, discussing the beginning of the Synaxis of the Faithful and of the prayers leading up to the Great Entrance.

Fr. Apostolos Hill reviews the life of St. Haralambos and the threat his faith, as a 113 year-old man, represented to an Empire.

Fr. Apostolos Hill talks about the parable of the sower and how we must grow in our faith.

Fr. Apostolos Hill gives a "book report" on the Ladder of Divine Ascent of St. John Climacus and the expectation of progress in our Life in Christ.

"I'm no longer content for our faith to be stuck in a mason jar. Our faith is food, and hungry, starving people need to eat what we uniquely can give them."

Fr. Apostolos Hill challenges us with reflections on the Gospel reading of St. Peter's impetuous faith on the Sea of Galilee.

Sermon on the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Romans 6:18-23; Matthew 8:5-13)

Sermon on the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (I Corinthians 4:9-16; Matthew 17:14-23)

Sermon on the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Galatians 2:16-20; Luke 8:41-56)

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

On Friday, October 29, 2010, St Nicholas Church in McKees Rocks/Pittsburgh was vandalized. The assailants smashed through a stained glass window, ripped down a royal door, and overturned a candle stand. Fr Tom reminded his flock that though these trials may come, no one can take away the gift of our faith in God. (Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost)

Anyone can do a good deed, but Fr. Tom reminds us that truly godly works are motivated by a faith in Christ which leads to salvation. (Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost)

On the Sunday before the Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, the Church presents readings to prepare us to celebrate the feast. Fr Thomas reminds us that the Cross is lifted up in our midst to encourage us and to show us how to become more faithful and loving.

The parable of the talents can sometimes seem unfair. Why have some been given more than others? Fr Thomas relates this parable to the contemporary decline in religious faith and reminds us that, today, our cross is to take up the gift of faith and grow it. (Sunday after the Elevation of the Precious Cross)

The gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent is about the healing of the demon-possessed boy. In it, we can all relate to the pleading of the boy's father: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!" To help us in our Lenten journey, Father Thomas gives us three practical ways to strengthen and deepen our faith, taken directly from this Sunday's readings.

In a spirited presentation about growing the Church, Fr Thomas gives us practical advice about sharing our faith taken from the example of Jesus's conversion of the Samaritan Woman.

Cutting through the din of religious pluralism, Fr Thomas reminds us that the Orthodox Faith uniquely gives us everything for life, faith, and spiritual understanding.

Recent news has reported that, in the US, church attendance is down, in direct relation to the social changes sweeping the country. Fr Thomas teaches us that when the winds of change blow, the most important thing we can do is assess our own commitment to faith in Christ by checking for spiritual blindness.

The scriptural readings for the eighth Sunday after Pentecost reveal a clear picture of who we are to be in Christ. St Paul teaches us that we are to be of the same mind, while St Matthew records the miracle of feeding the 5,000. Fr Thomas teaches us that we must consciously reject the choices the world presents to us, but rather fully immerse ourselves into the Church's life, which is transforming us into the likeness of God.