Tim explains how to fast while in college and shares a number of easy fasting recipes. See the PDF below for the recipes discussed in today's show.

Today, we continue our Lenten programming with tips on how to survive the Fast if you live on campus.

Mathew Monos once again interviews Fr. Brendan Pelphrey—this time about how to explain fasting.

So what is the monastic life all about? Legalism? Works based salvation? Matthew explores this topic in today's episode.

Matthew talks about what all Christians can learn from monastics, and encourages us to develop a relationship with a monastery.

What role do our thoughts play in being the people God wants us to be? Fr. Nicholas and Dr. Roxanne give some practical advise on controlling our thoughts and submitting them to Christ.

Continuing the theme during Great Lent, Fr. Nick and Dr. Roxanne talk about our deeds and unhealthy patterns of living. Several calls and a busy chatroom make this a great episode to listen to!

Melissa Naasko is the author of Fasting as a Family and she is the guest tonight of Fr. Nicholas and Dr. Roxanne Louh.

You might not be a Jedi in the Fast, but you may be speaking Wookiee and not even know it! The struggling faster Fr. Joseph calls in the big lightsabers for help: The Mamas & the Papas, The Boss, John Williams, Mississippi John Hurt, Scarlett O'Hara, and Chewbacca.

Today Fr. Joseph answers the questions sent in by listeners on the subject of fasting.

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourself, it’s almost that time; time to cue your favorite theme song for the upcoming Lenten Fast! Perhaps the theme song from Star Wars? Or maybe we could sing a fasting song, during this election year, to the tune of "Hail to the Chief?" Then again, there’s always the Beverly Hillbillies ...

Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD and Fr. Anthony Perkins talk about Orthodox sexuality, chastity, celibacy, and abstinence. Along the way they also discuss the negative effects the culture wars have had on Orthodox pastoral care. They hope to make this part of a series. Warning: it's hard to talk about this euphemistically. Some graphic terms were used. Enjoy the show!

How do you make fasting a beautiful and natural part of your home?

Fr. Michael begins a two-part series on discussing the comparison between vocations: marriage, monasticism, and singleness.

I had a conversation recently in which I couldn’t explain very clearly a comment I made several times, and as a result there was a certain amount of misunderstanding. I realize that perhaps many people have this same misunderstanding, and since it has to do with the Kingdom of Heaven, and how it “comes” or how we actually enter and live the life of the Kingdom of Heaven while we are still on earth, I thought that discussing this misunderstanding and how to overcome might be a good way to begin our discussion of “Let Your Kingdom come (as in heaven, so also on earth).”

I feel a little crazy sometimes, like an idiot—not a godly, holy idiot, just a plain, old-fashioned idiot: the kind that boasts of humility and speaks about the virtue of silence.

"And even in this not particularly flattering light, you are without a doubt the five and a half most wonderful wild animals I've ever met in my life. So let's raise our boxes - to our survival.” – Mr. Fox The guys explore the Wes Anderson film: "Fantastic Mr Fox." They discuss art, what our "real" nature is, and the way we can only be truly united in our diversity.

Fr. Philip LeMasters calls us to enter the fast of Great Lent in order to find the fulfillment of our deep desires in God!

Fr. Philip LeMasters shares from Luke 4:16-22, reminding us that earthly distinctions between different groups of people have no significance in the Kingdom of God.

If we want to approach Lent in a spiritually healthy way that will enable us to participate already in life eternal, we too must offer up ourselves.

During Great Lent, we will follow the path that leads back to Paradise.

Through the many struggles of this season of Lent, we all have the opportunity to grow in the faith necessary to entrust ourselves more fully to Christ.

The spiritual disciplines of the Apostles Fast provide us all with opportunities to clarify our spiritual vision and gain the strength to see all the blessings of this life as gifts to be offered to God.

Today we conclude our commemoration of the Lord’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, when the spiritual eyes of Peter, James, and John were opened to behold His divine glory and they heard the voice of the Father say, “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Mk. 9:7)

Think for a moment about how we mark the passage of time in our lives. We all know how old we are. Students know what grade they are in. Workers know how long they have been employed. Married people count their anniversaries. Some of us remember America’s bicentennial. Perhaps we pay attention to such markers to try to make sense of the meaning of our lives as those caught up in the inevitable cycle of birth and death, of one generation passing away as another arises. As we read in Ecclesiastes, “That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” (Eccles. 1:9)

Fr. John explores what exactly monasticim was in the days of St. Macarius.

Consider how the prophet Isaiah and the sage ben Sirach help us to understand more about the gospel’s teaching on forgiveness, and St. Paul’s words on living the attentive life of ascesis. Why should we ask forgiveness of those whom we think we haven’t even hurt—because our sins hurt everyone in the body of Christ!

"Saint Mary of Egypt," "Saint Scholastica," and "Saint Benedict" from Saints: Lives and Illuminations, written and illustrated by Ruth Sanderson, read with permission by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2007.

Fr. Ted urges encourages us to stay the course, as the feast of Pascha draws near.

Fr. Ted discusses the history and importance of monasticism.

Fr. Ted calls us to put to use one of the most powerful tools that we have in fighting the passions—fasting!

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos encourages all of us to participate as fully as we can in the Nativity Fast as we prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ, saving our feasting for after our fasting.

How old is monasticism in the west? Are there historic connections between eastern and western monasticism? What does the western monk strive to achieve? Is the praxis similar for the western (Roman Catholic) and eastern (Orthodox) monk? These are questions Kevin asks Fr. Simon O'Donnell (OSB), a Benedictine monk (and former novice master) of 42 years at Saint Andrew Abbey, Valyermo, California.

Steve McMeans talks to Fr. Josiah about St. John Chrysostom and his views on the relationship between marriage and monasticism. This show will suprise you...!

An Interview with Hieromonk Damascene

We continue the series of interviews with Fr. Jonah Paffhausen. In this program Fr. Jonah discusses monasticism as a response to the Gospel. While monasticism is a specific calling, there is also a foundation of universal principles that all Christians are called to. Steve and Fr. Jonah also discuss the process of becoming a monk, some of the pitfalls of monasticism and some common misconceptions about monks and monasteries.

What accounts for the differences between the Eastern and Western churches? Many things of course, but primarily the development in the West - through those such as Anselm and Aquinas - of an emphasis on human reason and intellect in the pursuit of theological understanding. Returning briefly to our discussion of Rome and the Eastern Church, we contrast rationalism with the Eastern tradition that bows to the Mystery of the Incomprehensible, that proclaims that "theologians" are pure in heart through love of God (the eastern Church grants the title of Theologian to only three Saints in all of Church History), and we begin to see how steeped our modern culture and we ourselves are in scholastic thinking.

St. Ephraim begins the second half of his great prayer "Give rather a spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Thy servant." Asking God to take our sinful passions away is followed by a petition to give us virtue, chastity being first in the order. In the Fathers, and especially St. John Climacus, we find that the virtues (which are in truth the energies of the Holy Spirit) act in our heart and are active through us through the deeds of the body surrendered to Christ. And chastity, rather than being limited to some quaint notion of sexual purity (true enough), is the virtue of wholeness in Christ which enables us to fight the passions fervently.

It can seem sometimes that if we are not fasting, we are preparing to fast in the Orthodox Church. In part 1, Dn. Michael helps understand why we fast.

Dn. Michael continues his study on fasting in an age of self-gratification and excess.

There is today in the Orthodox Church a cult of personality—or, more precisely, of personalities, in the plural. That is, there are a number of men, mostly monastics and wearing the badge of “elder” who have set themselves up as judges and arbiters of Orthodox praxis. Most of the hubbub is over matters of ecumenism. Drawing upon the Fathers (often ripped from their historical context) these men declare that outside the Orthodox Church there is little or no grace and salvation. Accordingly, everyone who comes to Orthodoxy from another Christian confession must—not should, but must—be received by baptism, so that those who were received by chrismation must “correct” this “error” and be again baptized.

Fr. Apostolos talks about the history and importance of fasting.

Is the Kingdom of God some far away concept of heaven? Dn. Luke shares with us the tools the Church has provided to live as citizens in the Kingdom of God here and now as well as how to joyfully prepare for the fullness of the Kingdom at Christ's second coming.

Leading into the Great Fast, Fr. Tom urgently calls us to remember that all of the fasting in the world is useless if we neglect the weightier matters.

Fr. Gregory gives the sermon on Cheesefare Sunday as we enter into Great Lent.

Fr. Gregory Hallam presents a small selection of the Holy Fathers on the discipline of fasting.

Fr. Gregory Hallam gives the sermon on Cheesefare Sunday, 2018.

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?