On Palm Sunday, Fr. Andrew discusses Jesus' entry into Jerusalem in terms of the Roman 'triumph' ceremony and shows how we can participate in the victory of Jesus our King.

On Christmas Eve, Fr. Andrew asks how we will live at Christmas.

In Christ's telling of the parable of the vineyard and its wicked tenants, Fr. Andrew connects the story directly with our own lives in the Church.

Discussing the famous verses John 3:16-17, Fr. Andrew talks about the relationship between love and truth—which one will win?

Speaking at Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick asks the question 'Whose Bible Is It?' He presents four different paradigms for Scriptural interpretation through specific examples from multiple traditions, wrapping up with an Orthodox example and giving general principles for how the Orthodox Church reads the Bible.

On the Sunday of All Saints, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick asks the question: What does it mean to be a saint? And the answer he explores is: The saint is one who has come home. So what does that mean?

Fr. John examines how the advent season prepares us for the Nativity of Christ.

Icon Corners can be like a family scrapbook -- and, God willing, vice versa. While moving the family prayer corner, Fr. Joseph remembers prayers answered through the intercessions of the Saints.

In this episode Fr. Anthony offers ancient advice for understanding and loving others, even those with whom we are (or seem to be) at war. He concludes that until we have done the hard work of training our minds, the words that come out of our mouths are full of vanity and not to be trusted.

Elissa reminds us that good stewardship heals our relationship to money and other possessions.

It seems as though the nearer I draw to God, the farther away I realize I am. The more I realize, the less I understand. People sometimes ask me about certainty: “How can you be certain about your faith in God?” Honestly, I gave up certainty years ago. The only thing I am certain of is my utter dependence on the mercy of God.

Fr. Michael addresses what the word "talent" means (and doesn't mean) in Christ's Parable of the Talents.

Christina and Emma take on the Newberry Medal winning novel, The Girl Who Drank the Moon. They discuss sacrifice vs. loss, hope vs. sorrow, and how Christian hope in particular is not an empty promise. They close with their Top 5 Newberry Winners.

Fr. Philip remembers St. Gregory Palamas by calling us to bring our whole personhood - body, soul and spirit - into our relationship with God.

Fr. Philip LeMasters introduces the significance of the Sunday of Orthodoxy and the restoration of the Holy Icons.

The veneration of icons should prod us all to wrestle with the question of who we are and who we want to become. Too often, however, we think that iconography simply has to do with wood and paint, and we ignore the question of whether we are becoming more beautiful icons of Christ. The icons are not merely examples of religious art, but reminders that to become truly human is to become like Jesus Christ, for He has healed the corruption of the human person that began with the first Adam.

Instead of obsessing over how we measure up, we should simply focus all our energies on finding healing for our passions as we reorient our disordered desires for fulfillment in God. If we persist in doing so and call out for the Lord’s mercy whenever we stumble and fall, we will come to know the joy of those liberated from the tomb, clothed in the divine glory, and finally in our right minds.

Today we celebrate that the Lord is at hand, for He is coming into Jerusalem as the Messiah, hailed by the crowds as their Savior. He does not come to usher in an earthly reign or to serve any nationalistic or political agenda. He enters Jerusalem on a donkey, a humble beast of burden, carrying no weapons and having no army. He had no well-oiled political machine to tell the powerful people what they wanted to hear or to manipulate the masses. His Kingdom was and is not of this world.

We must remember who we are and find our true selves in Him, if we want to avoid the inevitable disintegration of personality and character that comes from slavery to our passions. Then we too will be able to obey with joy the Lord’s command to the formerly demon-possessed man: “Return to your home, and declare all that God has done for you.”

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.

Let us look to the Savior’s raising of the son of the widow of Nain as a sign that we must entrust ourselves only to the One Who has conquered the grave, for slavery to the fear of death is the reason that it is so appealing to entrust ourselves to false gods as a distraction from facing the truth about ourselves and our world.

St. Basil the Great, who gave away his great wealth to found philanthropic ministries for the sick and needy, taught that the Lord’s strict words to this man revealed his lack of love for his neighbors. Basil wrote that “Those who love their neighbors as themselves possess nothing more than their neighbor; yet surely, you seem to have great possessions! How else can this be, but that you have preferred your own enjoyment to the consolation of the many…For the more you abound in wealth, the more you lack in love.” The young ruler had laid up treasures for himself on earth and had given his heart to them. (Matt. 6: 19-21)

It is terribly tragic when people fall into the delusion of thinking that they love God and neighbor, when in reality they are using religion to serve only themselves and the false gods of this world. One symptom of doing so is to narrow down the list of people who count as our neighbors to the point that we excuse ourselves from serving Christ in all who bear His image and likeness. When we do so, we disregard not only them, but our Lord Himself, the God-Man born for the salvation of all. Our actions then reveal that we are not truly united with Him because we seek to justify ourselves by serving nothing but our own vain imaginations.

In this episode, Fr. John begins an account of Friedrich Nietzsche by discussing Richard Wagner, a direct influence on the philosopher whose infidelity with women and famous operatic work, The Ring of the Nibelung, helped inspire the coming age of nihilism.

Fr. John Parker speaks on the Orthodox view on who goes to Hell, through the perspective of Fr. Lawrence Farley.

The prophet Jeremiah helps us to consider, along with this Sunday’s gospels and epistle, the different ways in which God makes himself intimately known to each of us, and to all of us together, in the Church. (Luke 8:26-39; Gal 1:11-19; Luke 16:19-31; Jeremiah 31:31-34)

This week we unpack the reading from Hebrews 11-12 for the Sunday of Orthodoxy. Looking to Exodus, Judges, 1 Kings 17, and Daniel, we fill in the stories of Moses, Barak, Gideon, Sampson, Jephthah, Daniel, and Elijah with the woman whose son was resurrected. We see that, though exemplifying weakness and sin, they show us the importance of dependence upon God and hope in His promises. For this faith and hope, they are rightly celebrated as righteous, and are part of God’s covenant family.

This week we read Revelation 19:1-10 in the light of Isaiah 61:10, Genesis 3:21, Matthew 16:27, and 1 Peter 5:5, noting that the praises of God are undergirded by substantial reasons, that we are called to cooperate in our salvation, and that we have been blessed in a way that confers unimaginable dignity upon human beings.

2. Chrissi reads The Man and the Vine by Jane G. Meyer (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press), The Monk Who Grew Prayer by Claire Brandenburg (Conciliar Press), and the conclusion of The Boy, a Kitchen, and His Cave by Catherine Contopoulos (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press).

Fr. Ted discusses the Gospel reading, John 9:1-38.

Fr. Ted explains why the Incarnation is necessary for salvation.

Fr. Ted discusses the two natures of Christ.

Fr. Ted explains that unlike the rest of creation, human beings are made in God's likeness, capable of free will. He urges us to utilize this gift as we begin our lenten journey.

Fr. Ted argues that Saints are those who have their priorities properly organized.

Fr. Ted inquires into who is really being judged in the story of the Last Judgment.

In this edition meet post-modern John Ma'ae, who looked for truth in Theravada Buddhism and eventually found the fullness of Christ as the head and body of the Orthodox Church.

The fathers tell us it is important to know ourselves, but how many of us can really say that we do? Read the transcript HERE.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to stories and reflections from Fr. Nicolaie at St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto,

Listen to reflections by Fr. Nicolaie about those on the mission's "Hall of Fame" and the value of each person.

A handful of stories demonstrating how the repentance of the poor and downtrodden offers everyone a glimpse at the doors that lead to peace and life.

The community welcomes a friend who reminds them of the woman "bent over for eighteen years" in St. Luke's Gospel. The ones who are unnoticed are a priority for God.

When someone is in need, they seek to be listened to, to be heard by a heart that cares about their story and about the injustice done.

A question recently posed at the mission caused Fr. Nicolaie to recall an experience he had when he was a teacher in Romania; and to reflect on how we each have our very own occasional "Emmaus" roads.

A community member and Father Nicolaie each reflect on their experience with an aspect of the Gospel story of the young man who was possessed.

Healing happens within the community in different ways, and at times it is given to us to witness little miracles. In the end it heals us all, in our heart. And this is the real miracle.

The Pudding's deep analysis of 10 years of fanfic ships on AO3 #

Fr. Lawrence suggests there are problems involved in declaring that only Orthodox may be commemorated if no further details are provided, for this sets up the liturgist to be a judge over the souls of men. But who then can be included?

Fr. Lawrence Farley speaks at Daniel Chapel at Furman University on February 6, 2018. Fr. Farley explores the nature and end of humankind from an Eastern Orthodox Christian perspective.