the appeals court ruled that, despite being a nonprofit and no evidence of market harm, its implementation of Controlled Digital Lending isn't fair use #

the ruling is "a knife in the back of libraries," claiming that authors won't write new books if libraries lend digital books for free #

there's a nice companion piece for Dave Winer's milestone in The Guardian #

research and short essays about cultural loss and the critical importance of preservation and access #

in some cases, Meta is automatically creating the pages #

How the concept of punishment in the world to come was understood at the time of Christ.

Fr. Lawrence Farley talks about his new book A Song in the Furnace, the message of the book of Daniel.

The feast whose season we now in is called “Theophany” or (in many places) “Epiphany”. This latter is not so much an English word as it is a transliteration of a Greek word, epiphaneia. It is often rendered “appearance” in the English versions, though this rendering can be misleading. One can have a small or insignificant appearance. For example, a person can have a brief cameo appearance in a movie (such as Alfred Hitchcock famously did in his movies), appearances so brief and insignificant as to be missed by inattentive eyes.

It is a wonderful thing to know the Scriptures well, but there is a drawback: since we know how all the stories end, we can miss the drama inherent in the narrative. For example, In Luke 7:11f we can read about the grief of the widow of Nain, but since we know that her son’s death will end in his resurrection before he can be buried, we can skip too quickly from her sorrow to the happy ending and miss how terrible that grief must have been for her.

Fr. Apostolos asks the most important question that each of us must answer in this life: What comes next?

Fr. Apostolos talks about the importance of the Cross.

Sermon on the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Cor 11:31-12:9; Luke 16:16-31)

Sermon on the Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Colossians 3:4-11; Luke 14:16-24)

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

A temptation for some Orthodox Christians is to take in the beauty of the church services while remaining somewhat mentally disengaged. Fr Tom reminds us that Christ's command to "launch out into the deep" is given to everyone to plumb the depths of the wisdom and word of God. (Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

In order to further prepare our thoughts for the coming of Great Lent, the Church presents us with our Lord's description of His return in glory. Fr Thomas reminds us that the Last and Final Day is both terrifying and awesome, dread and joyful, as we prepare now in this life for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Sunday of the Last Judgment)

While discerning the will of God for us is an important aspect of our life, Fr Thomas reminds us that becoming a humble servant of all in every situation will ensure that we are always doing His will. (Fifth Sunday of Great Lent)

As cultural changes rapidly sweep across the Western world, the question of who we are as individuals becomes a persistent theme. Fr Thomas reminds us that one of the central doctrines of our faith, growing in the likeness of God, reveals who we truly are in Christ. (19th Sunday after Pentecost)

On the Sunday after Pascha, we commemorate the Lord's appearance to His disciples and St Thomas's proclamation, "My Lord and My God!" In this practical and helpful message, Fr Thomas teaches us three important points from this story to help us turn unbelief into belief.

Using the stories of the healing of the woman with the flow of blood and the raising of Jairus's daughter, Fr Thomas points out that the only answer to the empty promises of the world and its false philosophies is faith in Christ. (Lk 8:41-56)

The question, "What must I do to be saved?" is usually interpreted of as, "How can I get to heaven?" Fr Thomas teaches us that eternal life is defined by Jesus as something we can have here and now and He teaches us what we need to do to experience it.

Fr Thomas reminds us of the value of learning to deepen our faith.

On the Pre-Lenten Sunday of the Final Judgment, Fr Thomas speaks out against the false teachings of universalism, millenarianism, and the doubted return of Christ.

On the eighth day of Pascha, Fr. Tom reminds us to heed the signs which point us to the Eternal Day.

Unpacking the Sunday epistle reading, Fr. Tom helps us to enter into the cosmic mystery that is Christ and the New Covenant. The Divine Liturgy is not a dead work; it is a provision to allow us to enter into the eternal sacrifice of God every time we gather.

Listen as Fr. Tom unpacks the overflowing implications of Pascha - the eternal eighth day, the resurrected body, and St. Thomas.

When we discuss Eternal Life, do we think primarily of being a good enough person so that we can get to Heaven? When does Eternal Life begin? Listen as Fr. Tom calls us to focus on becoming like Christ here and now.

Fr. Gregory reads a sermon by St. Gregory the Theologian on the Incarnation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Fr. Gregory asks how we can protect ourselves and the poor, who are our brothers and sisters, from those tendencies within ourselves toward greed and the denial of both death and judgement?

The dialogue between St. Philip and his friend St. Nathanael in the Gospel concerning Jesus is instructive. Both of them are making good progress spiritually but both still have misunderstandings or difficulties with question of Jesus’s identity.

Fr. Emmanuel Kahn teaches that the challenge which the Father gave to Christ and to his disciples and to us is to learn and to achieve the work on earth that the Father wishes each of us to accomplish.

The Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles at Pentecost as a roaring wind and in tongues of fire from Heaven. The river of fire for them meant no danger at all but rather a personal powerful presence of God in their hearts and lives, the promised Holy Spirit.

Fr. Gregory gives the sermon on the Nativity of the Theotokos as we celebrate this first great feast of the new Church year.

Fr. Deacon Emmanuel asks "What was Christ waiting for when he delayed coming to see Lazarus? What is Christ waiting for when He does not answer our prayers immediately?"

At the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts, Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives a reflection on what the Nicene Creed means in each of our lives.

When we fast we are confronted with an important decision: Am I living primarily for self or for service to God and service to others?

So, let’s seek to understand what the birth of Christ means for our lives now and in the years to come. Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the sermon for Christmas Day.