The story of the Gadarene Demoniac in Luke 8 provokes three questions which are important for us to ask today.

The account of the man born blind serves as a narrative completion of the themes introduced on the night of Pascha. Fr. Pat preaches on the darkness of blindness and the True Light, which gives light to every man coming into the world.

On the Sunday after the Theophany, Fr. Pat preaches from Matthew 4:12-17.

Fr. Pat contrasts the Prodigal Son and Esau, and offers thoughts on the mystery of repentance.

On Forgiveness Sunday and the start of Great Lent, Fr. Pat encourages us to rededicate ourselves to a serious life of prayer.

On Palm Sunday, at the beginning of this saddest of weeks, St. Paul exhorts us, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice."

Fr. Pat preaches on the Parable of the Rich Fool found in Luke 12:16-21.

Fr. Pat preaches from Luke 13:10-17, the story of Jesus healing a crippled woman on the Sabbath. This homily was given on December 4, 2014

Fr. Pat explains why the Church emphasizes Christ's multiplication of the loaves and fish.

January 30 in the Orthodox Church is the Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom. In this homily from 2011, Fr. Pat teaches us about these three Fathers of the Church and their contributions to the Faith.

This week we answer one of your questions! How do we control our thoughts and deal with the temptations we face everyday?

We don't light candles in Church. Here's why.

Being a Christian and living the Gospel isn't always easy; in fact, it's usually challenging. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., experienced that as he fought for justice. So did Archbishop Iakovos when, despite opposition, he chose to stand with Reverend King in Selma. Fifty years after the Selma marches, let's look ahead to how we can live with the same spirit of courage and love.

The Church isn't run by a single person. Instead, we come together in councils to keep the Faith and guide the Church through challenges. From the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem (in the Book of Acts) through the upcoming Great and Holy Council, this spirit of togetherness opens us to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever wanted to do something good, and stopped because of doubt? God doesn't knock us over the head: He speaks to us in whispers, the good thoughts that remind us to love God and neighbor. Instead of letting those whispers get drowned out, remember: when you have a good thought, do it immediately.

"Thoughts" are the imaginings and fantasies that can distract us from God. And they can turn into action after they enter our hearts. So how do we deal with the thoughts that bother us? Instead of fighting them, we can turn away from them.

"O Gregory the Miracle Worker, light of Orthodoxy, support and teacher of the Church, comeliness of Monastics, invincible defender of theologians, the pride of Thessalonica, and preacher of grace, intercede forever that our souls may be saved." (Apolytikion for the Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas) Is it possible to know God? How could a perfect God have anything to do with His imperfection creation? These are some of the questions Saint Gregory Palamas faced in the 14th century. And they're questions the Church faces today. We dedicate the Second Sunday of Great Lent to this important saint because he taught an important theological truth that's at the core of the Christian life: That God is both knowable in His Energies and unknowable in His Essence. And this mystery is shown to us when Jesus heals the paralytic in Mark 2. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn: https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee170

Kevin's guest is Dn. Michael Hyatt, former Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and the host of the AFR podcast "At the Intersection of East and West."

Are Humans the Centerpiece of Creation? This episode deals with "Human Exceptionalism" and its threat by the animal and nature rights movements. Kevin Allens's guests are lawyer and award-winning author (and Orthodox Christian) Wesley J. Smith ("A Rat Is a Pig is a Dog is a Boy"), and Fr Christopher of New Skete monastery.

In this two-part interview Kevin's guest is "George," who became a Sunni Muslim at age 14 and studied to become an Imam at a madrasa, studying Quran, Arabic language, Islamic theology, hadith, and jurisprudence. He left Islam and became an Orthodox Christian 20 years later. Among other things, Kevin and his guest discuss Islamic theology, common misunderstandings of Christianity by Muslims, differences between "orthodox" Islam and the Nation of Islam, the true understanding and practice in Islam of slavery and jihad, and the extraordinary journey that led "George" to Orthodox Christianity.

In this two-part interview Kevin's guest is "George," who became a Sunni Muslim at age 14 and studied to become an Imam at a madrasa, studying Quran, Arabic language, Islamic theology, hadith, and jurisprudence. He left Islam and became an Orthodox Christian 20 years later. Among other things, Kevin and his guest discuss Islamic theology, common misunderstandings of Christianity by Muslims, differences between "orthodox" Islam and the Nation of Islam, the true understanding and practice in Islam of slavery and jihad, and the extraordinary journey that led "George" to Orthodox Christianity.

One of the great evils of all times is slavery and in this time human trafficking. Unknown to many an Antiochian Orthodox Christian has dedicated his life to educating the public and ending this evil practice. In this episode host Kevin Allen speaks about human trafficking with Tony Nassif Jr, the President of the Cedars Cultural and Educational Foundation. He also produces national Preventing Abuse Conferences which focuses on preventing human trafficking and child abduction.

St. Paul called together the leaders of the Churches and warned them of the wolves to come. He reminded them that his service was at his own cost. The wolves in the Church are still there and those who make use of the Church for their own benefit are still amongst us - make sure that you are not one of them.

Let that great dark void in you be filled with Light

Just as the moon shines with the light of the sun so you should shine with the Light of the Son.

So What had the other nine apostles been getting up to?

Zaccheus does something unexpected.

Don't let your prayers be little and timid but straight from your heart. 2 Corinthians 6: 16 - 18, 7:1 Matthew 15: 21 - 28

On this special episode of American Orthodox History, recorded at the first symposium on American Orthodox History at Princeton University, Matthew interviews Scott Kenworthy, Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Religion at the University of Miami of Ohio, about St. Tikhon, Enlightener of America.

I’m pedaling my bike up a steep hill in Austin. It’s steeeeep. I look up as far as I can see–and all I can think about is how I’m going to give up early. “I can just skip the last part of my ride. I’ve ridden enough. No one will even know.” I shake my […]

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What do we do when bright week seems dim?

What do you already know about hosting WooCommerce stores? When it comes to hosting WooCommerce stores, you may have already read some of my articles on choosing a WordPress host, or how to think about WooCommerce already. But maybe you haven't. Or maybe you read the super sharp article by Carl Alexander on using a ... Read more

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