Bishops, Health Care, and a Missionary

OrthoAnalyika Shownotes: 16 August 2009 Note: be sure to subscribe to the podcast. Homily1 Corinthians 4: 9-16 ; St. Matthew 17: 14 – 23 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to […]

Temples, the Three Little Pigs, and Birthers

OrthoAnalyika Shownotes: 09 August 2009 Note: be sure to subscribe to the podcast. For the last few weeks, St. Paul has been using the image of the Body to help us understand our relationship with Christ and one another. When we imagine the Church as a body, we understand that working together with those around […]

More Thoughts on American Orthodox Church Unity

I have gone back and edited the most recent podcast (20090405_Mary.mp3) to take out the commentary on His Beatitude Mp Jonah’s talk. Unfortunately, I should have edited it beforehand. I was trying to make the point that many Ukrainians would be tempted to schism by the possibility of unification with the OCA, but I fear […]

Saint Petro Mohyla – a defense of his confession

St. Petro Mohila gets attacked by folks who think he used too many Roman Catholic ideas. Some defend him against this because his blend of theology is uniquely Ukrainian. I defend him because he is an icon of general Christian evangelism. =========== Few people outside of Ukraine know much about St. Petro Mohyla. Most who […]

Of Mother Earth and the Invisible Hand

It’s been a real blessing to teach a course at seminary this semester. It’s not just that I love teaching no matter what the context (I do); it is just much more satisfying to work with people who share the same assumptions and goals I do, and to do so in a forum where we […]

Soviet atheism and American secularism

Introduction: thinking about the radical atheism of the Soviet Communists The Soviet Communists were atheist totalitarians. They tried to create a system that would make both faith and the religious institutions that foster it seem silly and superfluous. Given the strength of Orthodoxy in the pre-revolutionary Russian Empire, they had to be very intentional about […]

The Holodomor – not just bureaucratic excess

A letter to the editor entitled “Stalin didn’t purposely starve Ukrainians” recently appeared in the local paper. The author attempts to dispel the “myth”, “tall tale”, and “legend” of the Ukrainian Holodomor in 1932-33. Sifting through his hyperbole, his argument relies on the following “facts”; I will briefly address each in turn: The Holodomor serves […]

The Orthodox Witness of Peace and the Repose of +Ihumen Gregory

It is with a “profound depth of sadness and prayer” that I share the news that the servant of God, Ihumen (abbot) Gregory fell asleep in the Lord this past Thursday evening. You will remember that I have asked all of you to pray for him: please continue to do so. Those of us with […]

Remembering the Holodomor

It was another busy week here at St. Michael’s. Here are some highlights: Monday While I spent most of Monday on administrivia, the highlight came in the evening with the opening of the Holodomor exhibit at the Rhode Island Community College (Knight Campus) Art Gallery. As part of the commemoration, Professor Cheryl Madden (who teaches […]

Thoughts on a Busy Week

This was another busy week here at St. Michael’s, culminating with the visit of our archpastor, His Eminence Archbishop Antony. While much of the business was pretty mundane, there were some things you might be interested in. Tuesday was election day, one of my favorite times. I love election day not just because it means […]