Saint Constantine was born in 272, the son of Constantius Chlorus, ruler of the western part of the Roman Empire, and St Helen. When his father died in 306 he was proclaimed successor to the throne. The empire was ruled at that time by several Caesars, each with his own territory. When Constantine learned that the Caesars Maxentius and Maximinus had joined against him, he marched on Italy. It was there that, on the eve of a decisive battle outside Rome, he saw in the sky a radiant Cross with the words "In this sign conquer." He ordered that a battle-standard be made bearing the image of a cross and inscribed with the Name of Jesus Christ. The following day he and his forces attacked and won a spectacular victory. He entered Rome in triumph and in 312 was proclaimed "Emperor of the West" by the Senate. (His brother-in-law Licinius ruled in the East.) Soon thereafter he issued his "Edict of Milan," whereby Christianity was officially tolerated for the first time, and persecution of Christians ceased. (Many believe, mistakenly, that the Edict made Christianity the only legal religion; in fact, it proclaimed freedom of religion throughout the Empire).   Licinius, though he pretended to accept the Edict, soon began persecuting Christians in his domain. In response, Constantine fought and defeated him in 324, becoming sole Emperor of the entire Roman Empire. In 324 he laid the foundations of a new capital in the town of Byzantium; in 330 he inaugurated the new capital city, naming it "New Rome" and "Constantinople." In 325 he called the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea, attending its sessions himself. Shortly before his repose in 337, he received Holy Baptism; he died on Holy Pentecost, at the age of sixty-five, and was interred in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.   St Constantine's holy mother Helen, in her role as "Augusta" of the Empire, founded countless churches. She traveled to Jerusalem and found the True Cross on which the Lord was crucified. In the Holy Land she established churches at the sites of Christ's Nativity and burial, which still stand today in much-modified form. She died at about eighty years of age.

Springboarding off a blog post by Fr. Stephen De Young ('Theophany and the River Gods'), Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses what Theophany means in terms of God's defeat of false religion.

Using the images of the Exodus, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick shows how the Hebrews were freed from slavery not just to the Egyptians but to their gods. And with that freedom, they worship the one true God by using the Ark of the Covenant within the Tabernacle, prefigurations of the Holy Theotokos, whose Nativity is being celebrated.

Today, we have an interview with Dr. Al Rossi on how to find peace in college life, especially during finals time. Theme music: "Burn Out Bright" by Switchfoot from their 2006 album "Oh! Gravity." Used by permission.

Fr. John Oliver reflects on how helping others helps us fight our own battles.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks about why funerals require extra attention, some of the challenges (both expected and unexpected) that they bring, and shares some lessons on bringing grace to the experience. He also shares a (satirical) warning about the danger of preaching politics.

In this rambling episode, Fr. Anthony makes a plea for family pilgrimages (his uses Mommy and Me, Daddy and Me at All Saints Camp), talks about how he likes to teach dogmatics, and gives some advice on choosing a seminary. Enjoy the show!

Dru Johnson is an associate professor of biblical and theological studies at The King’s College in New York City, director of the Center for Hebraic Thought , editor at The Biblical Mind, host of the The Biblical Mind podcast, and co-host of the OnScript Podcast. Before that, he was a high-school dropout, skinhead, punk rock drummer, combat veteran, IT supervisor, and pastor. Dru is an ordained minister and accomplished academic, with several articles and books, to include Biblical Philosophy – A Hebraic Approach to the Old and New Testaments, Biblical Knowing: A Scriptural Epistemology of Error, Epistemology and Biblical Theology: from the Pentateuch to Mark’s Gospel, and my favorites, Human Rites: The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments, and Knowledge by Ritual: A Biblical Prolegomenon to Sacramental Theology.

Continuing in homily 42, St. Isaac gives us another warning. When you find unchanging peace, that is, when everything is going smoothly for you most of the time, then “beware: you are very far from the divine paths trodden by the weary feet of the saints. For as long as you are journeying in the way to the city of the Kingdom and are drawing nigh to the city of God, this will be a sign for you: the strength of the temptations that you encounter. And the nearer you draw nigh and progress, the more temptations will multiply against you.”

Patience, according to St. Isaac the Syrian, can cut in half the adversity and affliction one experiences in trials, regardless of the source.

This week, the guys take on the Netflix documentary, Social Animals. The documentary follows three teens and their relationship with Instagram. Conversation topics include the Age of Authenticity, the role of the true self and false self in the construction of identity, and how our words have a lasting impact on others. They close with Steve’s Top 5 Social Media Tips.

The path to eternal life runs through our neighbors, especially those we are inclined to overlook, disregard, and even despise. How we treat the hungry and thirsty, the stranger and the naked, the sick and the prisoner reveals the true state of our souls. How we serve our suffering and inconvenient neighbors, whoever they are, is how we serve our Lord.

There is simply no way around the truth that how we relate to other people reveals whether we are participating in the life of our Lord as we conform our character to His. What we do and refuse to do for neighbors who need our time, attention, and generosity in any form, we do or refuse to do for Him.

How we treat the hungry and thirsty, the stranger and the naked, the sick and the prisoner, manifests whether we serve a Kingdom not of this world in which the last shall be first or whether we have become conformed to corruption.

Like the men in today’s gospel reading, we all need the healing of the Lord for our eyes, our mouths, and every aspect of who we are.

"Jesus Heals a Woman on the Sabbath," from Feasts of Christ and the Theotokos and Miracles of the Lord by Spiritual Fragrance Publishing (2012)

Fr. Evan Maximiuk from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC) is the guest speaker at this year's Hallelujah Night (Halloween alternative event).

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos gives a sermon on Holy Thursday evening after the Service of Twelve Gospels.

What can Evangelicals and Orthodox learn from each other is the subject of the 2nd section of our interview with His Eminence.

Kevin and his guest, Orthodox journalist Glen Chancy, discuss the "Prosperity Gospel" and the implications of a "Gospel message" tied to material prosperity, especially in light of a failing economy.

Fr. Alexander Rentel, Orthodox canonist and Assistant Professor of Canon Law and Byzantine Studies at St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological seminary, speaks with Illumined Heart host Kevin Allen about scandals in church history, the role the canons play, and what laity can do about their resolution.

An interview with Fr. John Finley (www.sacredmeals.com)

In the heart of every prodigal son, at the time of prayer, God prepares a real place ready to offer hospitality to the one that is wounded.

Fr. Nicolaie tells how the faith of people who saw (and see) evil in the face of war is a faith that can guide those of us who live in a society tempted by the illusion of death.

Martha is back, and she recounts what she has been doing since her last episode, including experiencing a car crash, preparing mercy meals, and celebrating a wedding.

In this episode, Martha shares impressions of a memorable meal, a book about famous chefs, and Flannery O'Connor.

Fr. Apostolos Hill shares a homily from the service for the Indiction regarding the Orthodox view of of time and how it is consecrated through the prayer of the Church.

Tying together the Gospel readings from this week and the week prior, Fr. Tom lays out the reality that the One who prays, the One who walks on water, the One who gives us Himself in the Eucharist is always present . . . especially in our trials.

Dr. Rossi explores how the fire of God's healing presence can flow right through us to others.

Fr. Pat considers the Gospel message of St. Thomas Sunday through the triple lens of what classical philosophy calls "the transcendentals": the true, the good, and the beautiful.

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) What this Episode is About: The Pharisee fasted, prayed, and gave to the poor. He did all the right things we're supposed to do. So what exactly did he do wrong? The Triodion Period begins with the Parable of the Publican and Pharisee to ground us in the righteousness of God rather than our own pride and delusion. Because, like the Pharisee, we don't always see ourselves clearly. We can easily lead ourselves astray. Self-deception happens when we turn inward, trusting in ourselves and our own abilities to evaluate our own righteousness, especially against the perceived lack of righteousness (or even just rightness) in others. And the antidote to this self-deception is to turn to someone outside of us who can redirect our hearts and minds toward the One who Is. Not a false teacher, but a true teacher. Just like Saint Paul guided Saint Timothy. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn: https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee165

“We have 0% customer churn.” – said no SaaS marketer ever. Instead, what I hear all the time is: “If only we could keep growing without churn growing with us.” “If only we could get new trials to actually USE the product, they’ll see how great it is.” And even this story someone shared on […]

The post I spent 60+ hours analyzing onboarding emails for 127 SaaS trials. This is how the top SaaS retain users. appeared first on Coaching and training to scale your copywriting business, plus programs for new copywriters, startups, and marketers.

The Search Engine Experiment gives you the results from Yahoo, MSN, and Google without saying which is which. Currently, 41% of those who have taken the test picked Google (33% Yahoo, 26% MSN).

Aryna Sabalenka continues her dominance over Zheng Qinwen with victory in the first match of the season-ending WTA Finals.

Aryna Sabalenka is looking to cap a superb year with a first WTA Finals triumph. Here's everything you need to know about the event - and cast your vote for the winner.

Iga Swiatek begins her bid to regain the world number one ranking with a comeback victory over Barbora Krejcikova, while Coco Gauff also wins at the WTA Finals.

Aryna Sabalenka is the first player to secure a semi-final spot at the WTA Finals but her victory over Jasmine Paolini spells the end of the road for Elena Rybakina.

Is it right for the WTA to hold their 'crown jewels' Finals in Saudi Arabia?

Defending champion Novak Djokovic pulls out of the ATP Finals because of injury, a move which sets the eight-man field for the event.

Zheng Qinwen crushes Jasmine Paolini to reach the WTA Finals last four as the already-qualified Aryna Sabalenka loses to Elena Rybakina.

Coco Gauff confirms her semi-final spot at the WTA Finals with a rare win over defending champion Iga Swiatek.

BBC Sport looks at how the WTA Finals, which are being held in Saudi Arabia for the first time, are unfolding - and what the reaction has been.

Iga Swiatek is knocked out of the WTA Finals after group rival Barbora Krejcikova beat Coco Gauff to secure her place in the semi-finals.

Coco Gauff continues her stellar week with victory over world number one Aryna Sabalenka to set up a WTA Finals showpiece against Zheng Qinwen.

Jannik Sinner is looking to cap a superb year with a first ATP Finals triumph. Here's everything you need to know about the event - and pick your tip for the title.