The Way of Ascetics – Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two: ON THE USE OF MATERIAL THINGS WE are made up of soul and body; the two cannot be separated in our conduct. Let the physical therefore come to your aid: Christ knew our weakness and for our sake used words and gestures, spittle and earth as media. For our sake He let His power flow from the fringe of His garment (Matthew 9:20; 14:36), from the handkerchiefs or aprons that were carried away from the apostle Paul's body (Acts I9:I2), yes, from the shadow of the apostle Peter (Acts 5:I5). Therefore use all that is of earth as a staff of remembrance on your troublesome wandering along the narrow way. May the whiteness of the snow and the blue of the heavens, the jewelled eye of the fly and the scorching of the flame, and all … [Continue reading]

Homily – Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14-21 Romans 13:11-14:4 In today's Gospel, the Lord tells us to lay up treasures in heaven, how do we do that? It's not hard. And it's, it's actually a lot easier than fully investing in your 401k. Because the amount of love that is available to your heart, to share with others, that will then compound back into your own heart has no limit – its source is unending. The problem is that we are so often closing our hearts. One of the things that I study as a political scientist is polarization. And there is no doubt – the data are clear – that our society is plagued by polarization. We have lost the ability to see the good in people who do not think, look, or move like we do. This is a problem. It's not just a problem when we're … [Continue reading]

Bible Study – Job:8 to the End

Bible Study – Job Class Six: Job 8:1-11:1; 11:1-42:22  From the Orthodox Study Bible.  JOB 8: [Bildad's nonsense] TO THE EARS OF BILDAD, JOB'S SECOND RESPONDENT, a man even less tolerant than Eliphaz, the foregoing lament seems to be an … [Continue reading]

Homily – Prejudice, Objectivity, and Perseverance

Homily – Prejudice, Objectivity, and Grit St. Matthew 15.21-28 Gospel: Then Jesus left and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried; "have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; … [Continue reading]

Bible Study – Job 2:16-7:14

Bible Study – Job Class Five: Job 2:16-7:14The trial of ideas begins.  Check out this episode! … [Continue reading]

Homily – Spiritual Investing?

Homily on the Talents Main point: What do we with the riches God has given us? Multiply them! How? By investing all those riches in spiritual activities that provide a strong return on investment and having enough self-discipline not to waste … [Continue reading]

FSAW – Falling Short of the Glory of God

In this episode of "Father, Speak a Word," Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD and Fr. Anthony talk about why we should celebrate our shortcomings (as we repent of our sin).  The conversation is based on Fr. Gregory's substack article "It's Complicated; … [Continue reading]

Bible Study – Job 1:13-2:15

Bible Study – Job Class Four: Job 1:13 – 2:15 From the Orthodox Study Bible. Job Loses His Children and Property 13.  Now there was a day when Job's sons and daughters were drinking wine in the house of their elder brother, 14.  and … [Continue reading]

Homily – What is a Home?

Homily Notes on Zacchaeus Sunday: What makes a home? Walk in – can you tell (that a place is a home)? The feeling? ·       Feelings and intuition are unreliable; generally, they are the way the subconscious mind … [Continue reading]

Bible Study – Job 2:6-12 [

Bible Study – Job Class Two: Job 1: 6-12 From the Orthodox Study Bible. Satan is Permitted to Test Job 6.  Then as it so happened one day that behold, the angels of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the devil also came with … [Continue reading]