Part one of a four-part documentary called "Transformation: Same-Sex Attraction Through the Lens of Orthodox Christianity." In this first episode, we meet four individuals who are faithful, obedient Orthodox Christians in terms of celibacy, but are attracted to members of the same sex. What are their stories, struggles, and disappointments? How have they been received in the Orthodox Church? And what do they want the Church to know about that struggle? Resource: Christian Faith and Same Sex Attraction by Fr. Thomas Hopko

⁠The story of the Orthodox Deaconess is largely unknown today. When did they exist, and what was their function? In recent decades, there has been a call for restoring the female diaconate, causing no small debate between Orthodox proponents and opponents.⁠ In the first special edition of Ancient Faith Today Live, Fr. Tom Soroka and John Maddex take a deep dive into the topic with a full-length audio documentary, which will feature scholarly experts from both sides of the issue and reflect upon the views shared and what we can conclude about the Church’s wisdom on this issue today.

Fr. Pat discusses the quotation of the prophecy of Isaiah in Matthew 4.

Fr. Pat distinguishes between "official" forgiveness and "personal" forgiveness.

Fr. Pat explains that the mandate to forgive offenses is not something we're disposed to do except by grace.

Fr. Pat examines the expression of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15 from three different angles.

Fr. Pat again addresses the "transcendentals," this time explaining how the Incarnation is the manifestation of truth, goodness, and beauty.

Fr. Pat discusses the social structure, the moral imperatives, and the discerning moral light of discipleship.

Fr. Pat discusses three periods of biblical history related to the Nativity.

Fr. Pat discusses three points related to the account of the seamstress who was resurrected in the book of Acts: the fall, the resurrection, and integration.

1 Corinthians 15 is arguable among the most important passages of the Bible. Fr. Pat examines this passage from today's reading.

In this homily from the Sunday of the Man Born Blind, Fr. Pat considers with us light and darkness, both in this story and in our lives.

At the foot of the mount of transfiguration, we find out what we’re made of.

It is imperative always to follow the light—never the darkness. The light is given to us in Christ our Lord and conveyed through the teaching of the Church.

Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will be our teacher and instructor; He will lead us into all truth. When we pray Psalm 118:66 we ask the Holy Spirit to teach us goodness, discipline, and knowledge. Fr. Pat looks a these three things.

Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon discusses three types of witness, with special focus on the witness we call “the faith once delivered to the saints.”

Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon preaches from Luke 18:35-43, the story of the blind beggar who receives his sight.

In the Bible, the designation “saint” is not restricted to those who are already in Glory. Rather, it designates all those who are in Christ, no matter how much their lives may need improvement. On the Feast of All Saints, Fr. Pat delves into this topic for our edification.

The story of Israel’s forty years wandering in the desert became a Rabbinic paradigm for the interpretation of the whole history of Israel, and carries over into the Desert Fathers of the Church. “Harden not your heart….as in the day of temptation in the wilderness” is a major motif. The story became an ascetical model for the early Christians, and is to this very day. Fr. Pat speaks to this topic.

On the Sunday of All Saints Fr. Pat looks at three aspects of Christian holiness.

Preaching on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), Fr. Pat urges us to always maintain a proper perspective.

Holiness is concrete, corporate participation in Christ's life.

Fr. Pat preaches on the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15.

Fr. Pat's homily from Forgiveness Vespers 2012.

In the Holy Communion, there is a change of substance. The bread and the wine have been transformed. We receive into our flesh the risen power of Christ.

The institution of the Twelve Apostles is the link between the Church and the Resurrection of Christ. Fr. Pat preaches from Acts 1:15-26. This homily was given April 2, 2015.

Before we start fasting during Great Lent, we start forgiving. Why do we ask forgiveness from everyone, even people we may not know?

We're answering one of your questions, about how we can overcome laziness. How can changing our perspective help?

We're answering another viewer question. Why is the Sacrament of Confession so important?

As Christians, we're called to union with each other and God. Yet we're constantly stuck in divisions, both external and internal. So how are we supposed to achieve true union? The answer is forgiveness: God's invitation to share the same space with Him.

Even though God made us in His image, sin and death can make that hard to see. The challenge of the spiritual life is to break free of the passions that pull us into sin, and instead choose God and good things. The challenge is to heal our hearts, and reveal the image of God in us, so we can become the saints God made us to be.

St. Dionysios of Zakynthos is a powerful example of forgiveness. He shows us how forgiveness can free us to be who God made us to be, rather than trapping us and defining us by our sins and shortcomings.

Many of us seek wealth, or stuff, or other temporary pleasures. Yet God wants us to seek something more. Christ chose the Cross. What do you choose?

Do we overcome the darkness by fighting against it? Or is there an easier way?

Our lives can feel empty and alone. But the Church offers us a different kind of emptiness: one that will lead us to be full of the Holy Spirit.

If we are faithful, does God reward us? Does He promise wealth and blessings? Or is true happiness so much more... Hank Hanegraaff, the Bible Answer Man, joins Steve at the start of Holy Week.

“Christ is the one who came in order to do what Adam did not do: to be the priest of creation...not just for the human being, although it was achieved through the human being. Christ came so that the whole world may live, and the human being may become that which he was meant to be when he was created by God, namely the priest of creation.” -Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon Some Christians think the world is bad: that we need to escape our bodies and physical things. But the spiritual life isn't just about the spirit. Matter matters. Our job isn't to abandon the physical world, but to save it. And this is exactly what we see in the great feast of Theophany. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn. mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee162

“Nothing makes us so like God, as our readiness to forgive the wicked and wrongdoer.” (Saint John Chrysostom) The Greek word for forgiveness means "sharing the same space." At the doorstep to Great Lent, we're given the opportunity to both seek and offer forgiveness. Forgiveness Sunday (especially Forgiveness Vespers) is our chance to overcome resentments and share the same space with both God and neighbor. So that, together, we can journey to salvation and an experience of God's Kingdom. Because right and wrong is about more than what’s right or wrong for you. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn. https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee168 .

We're called to be holy as God is holy. And we do this by participating in God’s efforts to redeem the world and bring it into the eternal life of the Holy Trinity. St Maximos the Confessor identifies 5 Divisions we need to overcome along the way. But what if the internet has created a 6th Division we need to overcome? What if the internet is alienating us from ourselves and reality?

In this episode, Kevin and his guest clinical psychologist Dr Albert Rossi address depression, an increasingly common mental health issue that men, women and children struggle with, and discuss among other aspects whether it is primarily a medical or spiritual problem.

In light of the more negative news recently about the decline of Christianity and in particular Orthodox Christianity, we present a balanced perspective which showcases three successful parishes in the Greek Archdiocese. Joining Kevin are Fr. Lou Christopulos, Fr. Theodore Dorrance, and Fr. Evan Armatas.

We are seeing eastern meditation and mind-body practices like hatha yoga, tai chi, qi gong; and mindfulness-based therapy gaining wide credibility and attracting more and more adherents. Whether we as Orthodox should adopt eastern spiritual mind-body practices is a matter of great debate in the Orthodox Church. In this edition of Ancient Faith Today, Kevin discusses with his guest Christopher Kies what “Mindfulness” meditation is in its secular and Buddhist spiritual contexts; the Orthodox Christian correlative approach of Nipsis or Watchfulness; how they differ in goals and approaches; and whether formal Mindfulness meditation practices are appropriate for Orthodox Christians.