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Ancient Faith Blogs presents a select group of writers and thinkers who regularly post on matters of theology, culture, art, parish, and family life.
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Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Exorcism is Central to the Gospel
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Glory to God for All Things
Shadows, Icons, and the Age to Come
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What will heaven be like? It is not an unusual question. Sometimes it is asked with all the freshness of a child, other times with the anxiety of the old. It is not a question that admits of easy answers, nor a question for which language is sufficient. The cynic says, “Nobody knows.” That attitude falls short of the fullness of human experience. There are stories. There are also things that point…
No Other Foundation
The Lord’s Prayer: “Hallowed be Thy Name”
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We continue in this series with our examination of the Lord’s Prayer phrase by phrase, using Matthew’s version of the Prayer. We turn now to the next petition: “Hallowed be Thy Name”. To understand this petition we must first understand the Hebrew significance of a name. In our culture, a name is simply a verbal tag, a number of syllables by which someone is specifically identified and differentiated from others. For us,…
Faith Encouraged
The Road to Hell is Paved With...
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A quote from Virgil’s Aeneid says “the descent to hell is easy.” And no one ever expects their good intentions to turn out bad. That’s the “law of unintended consequences.” It seems we humans are better at coming up with witty quotes than we are at avoiding the mistakes of our “good intentions” gone bad. But why is that? Nobody ever thinks their intentions are actually harmful. Most of us think (and,…
The Morning Offering
Bringing Happiness to Others
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Being happy ourselves we are more likely to bring about happiness in others Gratitude is an affirmation of goodness, for in our being grateful we affirm that there are good things in the world, and good people that are part of our lives. Our being grateful does not mean that everything in life is perfect, but it does mean that…
The Whole Counsel Blog
The Rich Man, Lazarus, the Afterlife, and Asceticism
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The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) is often treated quite differently than Christ’s other parables. None of the others have the history of being taken quite so literally. This parable is often mined for details and cited authoritatively in regard to concepts of the afterlife or at least of the intermediate state of souls between the time of a person’s death and the general resurrection at the time of Christ’s glorious appearing. In some cases, this goes so far as an argument that this story may not even be a parable as it is not identified as one in the text. Arguing against this last assertion is the fact that the Parable of the Good Samaritan…
Behind the Scenes
Speakers and Topics for Fighting the Good Fight: A Conference for Orthodox Men 2020
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Fighting the Good Fight: A Conference for Orthodox Men will take place Thursday, August 20 through Sunday August 23, 2020, at The Antiochian Village Conference and Retreat Center in Bolivar, PA. Registration is open HERE. Led by Fr. Evan Armatas, Fr. Andrew Damick, Fr. Stephen Freeman, and Fr. Barnabas Powell, this first-ever conference will invite Orthodox men to reflect on the battle to tame the passions and run the race that is…
Faith Encouraged
Our Generous God
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It’s Gift Giving Season! But that can be dangerous if you don’t know WHY Giving is vital to your spiritual well being! Listen to St. Poemen. “As far as you can, do some manual work so as to be able to give alms, for it is written that alms and faith purify from sin.” Why? Why does almsgiving and faith purify from sin? By the way, this is a big deal! Look…
The Morning Offering
Fasting
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Fasting is more than simply abstaining from food Some years ago I discovered the following list of fasting suggestions. I have no idea who originally came up with this wonderful list, but I thought it was wonderful the day I discovered it, and I still do. This is a good reminder that there is much more to fasting than simply…
Growing the Church
2. Management/Administration: 2.5.3 On Beauty
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Having established the idea of sacred space, this pattern of localized divine presence, God commanded Moses to prepare a place for His abiding presence among His people. So, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying… “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” (Ex 25.8) But this was not supposed to be just any ordinary space. God gave them a specific pattern for constructing the Tabernacle and asked…
Faith Encouraged
This Little Light of Mine
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It was a favorite Sunday School song in my 1st grade class on Sundays! “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine!” We would hold up our right index finger as we sang the song. What a nice memory. But then…
The Morning Offering
Friends in High Places
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Asking the prayers of those who have won their place in Paradise The concept of Christ as the “sole mediator between God and man”, assumes that “mediator” means “intercessor”. But, there is a more profound meaning, not merely an intercessor but the reconciliation of God and man in the reality of the hypostatic union of God and man in the…
Eastern Christian Insights
Born for our Liberation from Bondage: Homily for the 25th Sunday After Pentecost and the 10th Sunday of Luke in the Orthodox Church
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Ephesians 4:1-7; Luke 13:10-17 When Jesus Christ was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, he saw a woman who was bent over and could not straighten up. She had been that way for eighteen years. Imagine how her life had changed due to her disability, how frustrating that chronic illness had to be. The Lord said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” When He laid hands on…
The Morning Offering
The Poor Among Us
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Loving the poor and homeless among us This past week, following a doctor’s appointment in Seattle, I drove past a homeless camp. My mind was immediately drawn to the memory of the day a homeless man attacked me, and with an unexpected “sucker punch”, knocked me to the ground while I was pumping gas. At that moment I realized I…
The Morning Offering
The Nativity Fast
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Can we be a Christian without fasting? The Nativity Fast is already in progress for those on the Gregorian (New) Calendar, and the Julian (Church) Calendar. During this period of prescribed fasting we are to abstain from all meat, dairy, eggs, cheeses, and all animal products. The Church does allow for fish on the weekends during the Nativity Fast. Fasting…
A Light So Lovely
How to Achieve Artistic Perfection
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People are drawn to beauty. There’s no denying it. The Greeks believed in perfection of form, a kind of harmony that had the power to objectively draw the eye and inspire people toward virtue. And yet… Have you noticed that what attracts you to your significant other is often some kind of unique imperfection? Do you love your favorite book because it is ideally structured, with perfect characters, and impeccable style? Maybe.…
Father Bill's Blog
156. Saint Spyridon, a Much-Traveled Saint
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Today December 6 is Saint Nicholas Day. So, why no Post about our beloved saint? Well, we’ve said quite a lot about him already (see Posts 2, 3, 43, 44, 63, 64, 65, 124) and there will be more to come. Here’s an icon of him, just to make him happy. So I hope he won’t object if today we tell the story of one of his contemporaries, Saint Spyridon whose feast…
Faith Encouraged
3 Powerful Principles of True Leadership
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“I’m their leader! Which way did they go?” I have a cap with two bills on it, one in the front and one in the back with that slogan on it. It’s funny because it’s so often true. Leadership is always such a rewarding and challenging calling. In fact, if you could get most leaders to share their deepest and most honest feelings, you would find that most leaders feel quite inadequate…
The Morning Offering
The Holy of Holies
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The link between the Old and New Testament Temples Orthodox temples have kept to the same form and function since ancient times. Using the Old Testament Temple model, Orthodox churches are divided into several courts or spaces peculiar to their function. The Holy Table, upon which is celebrated the Eucharist, is situated at the east end of the building behind…
Faith Encouraged
Bless Your Heart
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As a “son of the South” I’ve heard people say “Bless your heart” all my life. And the irony is that this phrase that almost sounds like a prayer, is really a versatile phrase American Southerners use to both bless AND curse. And it all depends on how it’s used. It can be a genuine expression of concern or it can be used to cover with a thin layer of religiosity actual…
The Morning Offering
Joyful Living
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Don’t ignore the little things that bring you joy If we pay attention to our health, family and spiritual life, everything else will take care of itself. We shouldn’t let life be so full of work that we don’t have time to focus on the things that bring us joy. We must pay attention when the Lord is calling us…
No Other Foundation
The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father who art in heaven”
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We continue this series examining the Lord’s Prayer phrase by phrase, using Matthew’s version of the Prayer rather than Luke’s. We will begin by working from the archaic version of the text as commonly prayed in our liturgical tradition (e.g. “Our Father who art in heaven”, rather than “Our Father in heaven”) because this is the version familiar to most people. But differences found in the original Greek text will be noted…
Walking an Ancient Path
By Twinkle Lights We Shall See Light
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As Christmas looms on the calendar I indulge in my annual pre-season rant, grumbling about mindless consumerism, cheap sentimentality, and society-driven busyness. Bah, humbug. But when the first Christmas lights sparkle in the winter darkness, my cynicism vanishes. Colored lights, white lights, C9s and C7s, blinking or steady, thousands upon thousands of twinkle lights. Oh, the magic of it all. Especially on a dark and bitterly cold December night, the glowing trees…
Faith Encouraged
Kept Under Restraint
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One of the most difficult realities I’ve had to face as an adult, as a priest, as a husband, and as a father is waking up to the reality of the complexity of each human person I encounter, including myself. This continuous process of discovery has me regularly seeing places of spiritual progress and immaturity in my heart first of all. All leading to the unmistakable conclusion that the taming of the…
The Morning Offering
Mary the Mother of God
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The place of the Holy Virgin in our lives The Holy Virgin is a stumbling block for many protestants looking into Orthodoxy. The idea that this woman described in the Gospels in such humble terms could be called the Mother of God seems unbiblical to them. She was never called Mother of God in the Bible, they say, so why…
Raising Saints
I said YES because...
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Today is Giving Tuesday (or should I say, today is #GivingTuesday?), and as an Advisory Board Member and tremendous fan of a non-profit organization, naturally it’s a good day for me to talk to people about giving to our ministry. Youth Equipped to Serve’s director, Katrina Bitar, suggested that we offer up social media posts beginning, “I said YES because…” and as I considered why I love YES so much, I started…
Faith Encouraged
People Talking Without Speaking…
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At a recent spiritual retreat, I was asked to conduct, I was asked how one should prepare to deal with questions about the faith when others ask about it. Usually, many of our Orthodox brothers and sisters get very nervous when somebody asks them about our Orthodox Faith. It’s a good question, but it points to a deeper challenge – like most good questions do! While it may be satisfying to get some basic…