Ten Things Everyone Should Know about the Divine Liturgy: An Introduction to Orthodox Worship

Ten Things Everyone Should Know about the Divine LiturgyAn Introduction to Orthodox Worship 1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind… (St. Matthew 22:38)The most striking thing about Orthodox worship is that it is not about you; rather, it is about the one thing needful (St. Luke 10:42). For example, […]

RIOCF: Statement on Same-Sex Marriage

Rhode Island Orthodox Clergy FellowshipStatement on Same-Sex Marriage  We, the clergy of the Orthodox Churches of Rhode Island, express our disappointment over recent developments concerning the status of marriage in our country and in our state.  Specifically, we disapprove our state legislature’s vote in favor of and signing into law the practice of same-sex marriage. […]

Homily: Threading the Needle

Homily on St. Matthew 19:16-2615 September 2013 And that thou mightest learn, that not by addition but by taking away this evil is stayed; if thou hadst ever had an absurd desire to fly and to be borne through the air, how wouldest thou extinguish this unreasonable desire? By fashioning wings, and preparing other instruments, […]

Some thoughts on the priestly vocation (impediments and advice)

The following represents my own personal reflections and are not necessarily representative of anyone else’s opinions.  I focus on the UOC-USA because it is the Church I serve and the example I know best.  With some minor modifications, these probably work for other Churches and dioceses, as well.  I look forward to your comments. Requirements […]

Homily – The Blind Man, Mythology, and Tradition

The Man Born Blind – on mythology and truth (St. John 9:1-38) I love mythology. I love the stories, the heros, their virtues, their flaws, and the different messes they try to work themselves out of. From the strength of Hercules and the passion of Achilles; to the asceticism of Qui-Gon Ginn, the optimism of […]

Homily – Our Broken Moral Psychology (and how to heal it… and the world)

Memorial Day, The Raising of the Paralytic, the raising of Dorkas, What effect do you have on others? Is it like St. Peter’s? Do you walk in the midst of broken people bringing them healing? Do others, recognizing the potency of your peace, go out of their way just to be in your shadow? Have […]

Homily for the Entrance of the Theotokos: a witness on offering our best to the Lord

Homily Notes for the Feast [Tell the story of the feast]: Joachim and Anna had always wanted and worked for a child, but without success. One day, the priest at the temple refused Joachim’s offering because he had no children. He and his wife turned to the Lord in prayer, promising to offer any child […]

Homily – A History of the World

20110918St. Matthew 22:1-14 (The Wedding Feast)Saints Zachariah and Elizabeth Today is the first day of Church School, so I would like to provide a lesson of sorts.  You are familiar with the events, but perhaps not with how they fit together or how they affect us today.  It is a huge story, running from the […]

Wedding Liturgy

This is a way to fold the Crowning ceremony (back) into the Divine Liturgy.  Note that this “folding in” implies a minimization of duplication.  It also means some vestigial things (such as the common cup) may be removed entirely. Order of Wedding Liturgy This assumes that the Betrothal has already been performed and that the […]

20110617 Politics, the Paranormal, and Imagining Vain Things

Listen to the Show20110617  OrthoAnalytika ShownotesLocal News (to include consumer news):A great new product that is changing the world (it has already changed my life):  CVS Poison Ivy Cleansing Scrub.  Technu was good – it kept it from spreading as much as it might have.  Drying lotions and cooling sprays are good, but really just […]