Fr. Matthew examines a sermon by St. Leo of Rome, normally read in the season of Pascha, yet which sheds great light on the coming of the Lord, and the pastoral message to be gleaned from the intense theological disputes about Christ's natures that raged in the early Church.

Archimandrite Irenei examines a sermon by St. Leo of Rome, normally read in the season of Pascha, yet which sheds great light on the coming of the Lord, and the pastoral message to be gleaned from the intense theological disputes about Christ’s natures that raged in the early Church.

This week, Fr. Irenei reflects on one of the "Steps" from St John Klimakos’s Ladder to Paradise, in which the saint considers the life of the Christian and the judgement of others. Have we begun to live the life of repentance? Or does our judgement of our neighbor reveal that we have yet to grasp the true nature of our sin, and make a true beginning of abandoning it in Christ?

St. John Chrysostom’s 19th homily on St. Matthew’s Gospel account addresses Christ’s promise of open rewards for secret acts—but what does this mean? In this broadcast, we explore the words of St. John on secret acts of virtue being shown forth "in the presence of the whole universe."

This is the second in Fr. Thomas Hopko's series of three lectures for CrossRoad. Fr. Tom discusses the Lord as the Messiah who saves us from ignorance, foolishness, and insanity.

The latest volume in Fr. Lawrence Farley’s Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series, Shepherding the Flock: The Pastoral Epistles of St. Paul the Apostle to Timothy and to Titus, combines a fresh, literal translation of the pastoral epistles with verse-by-verse commentary written"for the average layman, for the non-professional who feels a bit intimidated by the presence of copious footnotes, long bibliographies, and all those other things which so enrich the lives of academics" (from the series introduction).

Bobby Maddex interviews Fr. Michael Keiser, author of the new Conciliar Press book Spread the Word: Reclaiming the Apostolic Tradition of Evangelism.

Bobby Maddex interviews Ron Moore, the new owner of two online Orthodox retail outlets—Saint Romanos Records and Fullness of the Faith.

Bobby Maddex interviews Dr. James Taylor and Adam Lockridge of St. Raphael Orthodox Online Homeschool. Dr. Taylor is stepping down as director of the school after founding it and running it the past two years. Adam Lockridge will be taking his place and explains his vision for the school.

Joel Smith and Fr. Moses Berry join us to talk about a video documentary planned to tell the remarkable story of Fr. Moses Berry and his coming to Orthodoxy. Also mentioned was the Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black conference coming up in October. Learn more about A Hard Promise to Keep and stay connected with progress.

Bobby Maddex interviews April French, the editor of a new book titled An Inner Step Toward God: Writing and Teachings on Prayer by Father Alexander Men, published by Paraclete Press.

Bobby Maddex interviews Valerie Yova, the Music Director at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Santa Barbara, California, about a new CD by the St. Athanasius Orthodox Church Choir.

We talk with Coptic monk Fr. Anastasi Saint Antony about the Christians in Egypt who are being martyred for their faith in Christ. Find out more about the Coptic Church by visiting the Diocese of Los Angeles web site. The charity Fr. Anastasi mentioned is the Santa Verena Charity.

Bobby Maddex interviews Rebecca Pagani, the Board Chair of the Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative, about the upcoming Third Annual Orthodox Advanced Leadership Conference.

Bobby Maddex interviews Fr. Gregory Mathewes-Green, pastor emeritus at Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, about his role in the Ancient Faith Ministries Conference "Facing Forward: An Ancient Faith Conference for the Second Half of Life."

Bobby Maddex interviews Bill Marianes, host of the live call-in show Stewardship Calling, about his role in the Ancient Faith Ministries Conference "Facing Forward: An Ancient Faith Conference for the Second Half of Life."

Bobby Maddex interviews Konstantine Pandolfi, Archimandrite Maximos Weimar, and The Reverend Deacon Dr. Pavlos Siewers about The Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr. The Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr is an international, religious, pan-Orthodox, confraternal order of Christian chivalry. Its mission is to help peacefully defend, sustain and preserve the continued existence and wellbeing of the Orthodox Christian Faith within the Holy Land, the Middle East, and wherever the Orthodox Church and her faithful are either persecuted or in need. Learn more about the order and how to get involved here!

Bobby Maddox, the Director of Digital Media for Ancient Faith Ministries, interviews Dr. Philip Mamalakis, author of the Ancient Faith publishing book Parenting Toward the Kingdom: Orthodox Christian Principles of Child Rearing, about the book's new Companion Guide.

Bobby Maddex interviews Kendra Hunter, Kristina Tartara, and Stephanie Petrides, the authors of the new companion guide to Dr. Philip Mamalakis's book Parenting Toward the Kingdom: Orthodox Christian Principles of Child Rearing, publishing by Ancient Faith Publishing.

Russia has suffered catastrophic losses during its invasion of Ukraine, but its policies suggest the end justifies the means. / The Guardian

Mara Karlin: An era of limited war has ended; an age of comprehensive conflict has begun. / Foreign Affairs

A new rideshare company in South Africa is reportedly using intimidation to coerce drivers and passengers. / rest of world

In the past two years, Donald Trump has called for every major American TV news network to be punished. / Reliable Sources

An ethicist says making presidents and candidates share their medical history is a bad idea. / STAT

Street psychiatrists in Los Angeles offer a solution for mentally ill people—basically, "DoorDash for meds." / The New York Times [+]

Related: Observations from an hour spent last week in an LA coffeeshop. / Meditations in an Emergency

The WNBA players union opts out of its collective bargaining agreement, two years before its expiration. / The Associated Press

Unrelated: Multiply the number two by itself 136,279,841 times, minus one, and you get the new largest known prime number. / The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search

The late-in-life partner of Oliver Sacks movingly recalls the neurologist's search to build a cohesive life. / The New York Times [+]

Anthony Bourdain's french fries recipe. "If you don't blanch your fries first, you'll get a scandalously bad result." / The Melt

See also: Remembering Ka, the "quiet sage" of underground rap (and firefighter). / Pitchfork

"A group of woodcocks is a fall. A flock of seagulls is annoying." Some ruminations on words connected to wood. / Harper's

View Post →

In this special documentary, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick goes on pilgrimage to encounter Fr. Nicola Yanney, an early 20th century Orthodox missionary in America and the first priest ordained by St. Raphael of Brooklyn, whose missionary territory included most of the Great Plains. Join Fr. Andrew as he explores the life of this holy man through interviews, research and prayer in Kearney, Nebraska, asking the question: Is Fr. Nicola a saint? Included with this documentary are 9 bonus tracks of extra interviews and other material that was not included in the main documentary.

Fr. Pat addresses the Word of God, the enemies of the Word, and the qualities of the heart.

Fr. Pat examines the primitive proclamation and theological premise of the Christian faith: the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Fr. Pat discusses St. Paul's warnings regarding the influence of evil forces in Corinth.

Fr. Pat introduces three Greek words that shed light on the mystery of the Incarnation.

Fr. Pat introduces three Latin words that shed light on the mystery of the Incarnation.

Fr. Pat examines the lay practice of Orthodoxy through the lens of the final chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

St. Paul sees the interpretation of the Old Testament as central to his responsibility in the apostolic ministry. So should we.

St. Paul says, "It is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:21). In a certain sense, every verse in the Bible is telling us to stand firm. In this homily Fr. Pat encourages us to do just that.

In this homily from St. Thomas Sunday, Fr. Pat considers a person with a Stoic personality facing the great puzzle presented in the books of Job and Ecclesiastes.

The tensile integrity of a three-stranded cord is far greater than the sum of each of the strands within it. In rhetoric and in literature, there’s something about three-ness that suggests strength, stability, and finality. Fr. Pat looks at a very famous tripodic construction from the Bible.

Discussion of the care of the human soul is of special necessity in the age and atmosphere in which we live. Fr. Pat turns once again to this very important topic.

The Samaritan Woman whom Jesus meets at the well has, like many people today, a disordered life. Fr. Pat offers reflections on how this disorder afflicts the soul.

The very fact that God designed the Bible for the purpose of penetrating the human conscience indicates an intentional affinity between the two. Preaching from Romans 2:10-16 and Matthew 4:18-23, Fr. Pat instructs us on man's conscience.

Mark’s account of the Lord’s questions about baptism and the cup (Mark 10:32-45) are especially poignant for the Christians at Rome, who are thereby instructed about an important dimension of their own participation in the sacraments.

Putting on the panoply, the full armor of God.

Fr. Pat considers three aspects of what St. Paul calls "the mind of Christ"; three ways in which Christ thought of himself with respect to us.

Fr. Pat focuses his attention on that which Saint Paul calls “of primary importance” for us to learn both from the saint’s words and from his life experience.

In this homily from 2006, Fr. Pat reflects upon the Body of Christ, the Sacraments, and our own transfiguration in Christ.

In this homily given on the Feast of the Dormition in 2010, Fr. Pat reflects upon the revelation of the Gospel disclosed in the human face

Preaching from Luke 6:31-26, Fr. Pat discusses the Golden Rule.

God has appointed us all to be stewards in His Kingdom. What does that mean for our lives?

Christ tells us that faith like a mustard seed is enough to move mountains. But how can something so small do something so huge?

Giving thanks isn't just for Thanksgiving. As Christians, it's an important part of our daily lives. It's the way to see God even in the midst of difficult times, to receive the blessed happiness that only comes when we open ourselves to God's grace.

Hierarchy isn't about status or being important. In the Church, hierarchy is our sacred order, the way we fit together as One Body.

On the most recent "Ancient Faith Today," The V. Rev. Fr Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus of St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, helped us understand how Orthodox Holy Tradition interprets and applies the prophetic texts of Scripture in light of the many modern-day "end times" interpretations, including the rapture (pre-Tribulation), the antichrist (the beast), millennialism, and much, much more.

Guest: Joel Miller, author of the recently published Lifted by Angels: The Presence and Power of Our Heavenly Guides and Guardians discusses with Kevin Allen and the callers the reality and role of angels within the Christian salvation context.

Guest: The V. Rev. Patrick Henry Reardon, pastor of All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church, Senior Editor of Touchstone magazine, AFR podcaster, and author of the newly released The Jesus We Missed: The Surprising Truth About the Humanity of Christ, speaks about the often misunderstood human nature of Christ just two days before His Advent celebration!

Let it go... 1 Corinthians 9: 2 - 12, Matthew 18: 23 - 35.