Homily: Holiness Changes Everything (Sunday after Theophany) Ephesians 4: 7-13 St. Matthew 4: 12-17 Review/Introduction. Ontology of Beauty. Designed to provide a deeper appreciation for our faith and to demonstrate the blindness of materialism (to include the "new atheists"). When materialists describe our appreciation for beauty, they either try to show how an appreciation for beauty somehow increased evolutionary fitness, or, in a more sophisticated way, say that it is a happy coincidence. We know that there is more to beauty than these explanations allow. God is beautiful, and His infinite beauty continually flows into creation as naturally as do logic, life, and love. Beauty draws us into a … [Continue reading]
Homily – Beauty & Repentance
January 8, 2025 By
The Sunday before Theophany On Repentance and Its Relationship to Beauty and Love 2 Timothy 4: 5-8; St. Mark 1: 1-8 "Behold, I will send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight;" After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." Sandals – he knew humility (despite the many temptations he faced for pride!). The problem is that we don't: we must listen to and heed St. John's message (as found in St. Matthew 3:2); "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand". This is … [Continue reading]
Homily – Herod (and us) from temptation to possession
December 31, 2024 By
Matthew 2: 13-23 (The Slaughter of the Innocents) Herod (and us): from temptation to possession Five Steps of Sin The temptation (logismoi) occurs. We are NOT accountable for this. Interaction with the thought – what are the options? … [Continue reading]
Homily – Seeing our Ancestors in Christ
December 22, 2024 By
Sunday before the Nativity Hebrews 11:9-10,17-23,32-40 St. Matthew 1:1-25 After giving a refresher on motivated reasoning, Fr. Anthony notes how much context affects what we think about our ancestors from the genealogy of Christ. He then … [Continue reading]
Introduction to Chanting – Class 7
December 19, 2024 By
Today Fr. Anthony uses the simple theory of reading (word recognition x decoding -> reading comprehension) to talk about chanting and why it is so difficult for those new to Byzantine chant to learn it (because they do not have the equivalent of … [Continue reading]
Bible Study – Revelation Session 11
December 19, 2024 By
Revelation 11 20 November 2024 Chapter 7 Lawrence R. Farley, The Apocalypse of St. John: A Revelation of Love and Power, The Orthodox Bible Study Companion (Chesterton, IN: Ancient Faith Publishing, 2011). Patrick Henry Reardon, Revelation: A … [Continue reading]
Homily – Discerning Molehills from Mountains
December 16, 2024 By
Sunday of the Forefathers. 2 Timothy 1:8-18; St. Luke 14:16-24 In this homily (that Fr. Anthony would have preferred audibling to his deacon - if only he had one!), Fr. Anthony challenges us to be strong like the three holy youths but not to put … [Continue reading]
Homily – A Simple Theory of Reading & Theosis
December 10, 2024 By
In this homily on Ephesians 2:14-22, Fr. Anthony uses the Simple Theory of Reading to teach about why Byzantine Chant - and theosis - are so difficult, why we need a change of heart more than new words, and how the Church is the solution to our … [Continue reading]
Bible Study – Revelation Session 10
December 7, 2024 By
Revelation 10 04 December 2024 Revelation 5:1 - Andrew of Caesarea, Commentary on the Apocalypse, ed. David G. Hunter, trans. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, vol. 123, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of … [Continue reading]
Interview: Fr. Adam Roberts on Pastoral Counseling
December 3, 2024 By
Today Fr. Anthony talks with Fr. Adam Roberts about his pastoral counseling practice. Fr. Adam is the priest of St. Paul Orthodox Church in Katy TX, the Dean of St. Athansius College, a co-founder of Camp St Thekla, the author of several … [Continue reading]
