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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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The Morning Offering
Knowledge
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Simplicity and humility lead to true knowledge The Apostle Paul tells us that it is better to be ignorant in speech rather than in spiritual knowledge (2 Cor. 11:6). Being skilled in speaking is a matter of human learning, as are the other forms of worldly education, but they do not contribute to the salvation of the soul. Even if…
Faith Encouraged
A Prayer and An Encouraging Word
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Faith Encouraged
How To Have a Sound Eye
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Faith Encouraged
Are You A Generous Person?
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Most people want to believe the best of themselves. We have an idealized image of ourselves in our brain, and sometimes this “image” is so different from reality that it is actually a danger to our spiritual maturity. But the struggle to embrace reality is filled with difficulties and dead ends. We were meant to be set free from delusion. And this freedom was also meant to be shared with those around…
The Morning Offering
The Orthodox Temple
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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…
No Other Foundation
Unveiling the Scriptures (entire text)
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Some months ago it was arranged by the good people of the Russian Orthodox diocese of Souroz in Britain that I would give a talk at their diocesan conference this May entitled Unveiling the Scriptures. That plan came to grief with the coming of the Covid virus which resulted in our government cancelling flights to Britain and the probable cancellation of the conference itself. But the talk has long since been written,…
Faith Encouraged
Following the Wrong Gods
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OK, I’m a bit of an Eagles fan, and when they released their first CD after years of being apart, I jumped at it! The CD was called “Hell Freezes over” and was named that because one of the guys said that would be the time the Eagles all got back together again to do another project. Well, guess what… There’s a song on that album that I have loved since the…
The Morning Offering
Acquiring a Grateful Heart
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We must give thanks to God for everything that comes our way Whatever circumstances in which we find ourselves, God is giving us the opportunity to gain a freedom that comes only when we acquire humility. Whatever our job, whichever task we are asked to perform, whatever life places before us, all is an opportunity to give thanks to God.…
The Whole Counsel Blog
War, Famine, Disease, Death, and Hades
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The Apocalypse of St. John contains countless evocative images and creatures demonic and bestial. One group of figures who have become well-known even outside of religious circles, entering into popular culture in a variety of ways, are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as described in the sixth chapter of Revelation. This chapter is structured around one of several cyclical depictions within the text of Christ, here the Lamb, executing judgment to retake the creation and reestablish justice. In St. John’s vision of the divine throne, Christ has taken the scroll which is the title of ownership for the whole creation, being the only one found worthy to do so. This scroll is sealed with seven seals (Rev 5:1, 5-7). …
Glory to God for All Things
And Justice for All - The Heart's True Desire
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The scene was clear: three men were beating another man who had been handcuffed. The injustice of the situation was clear. No danger could possibly be seen coming from the handcuffed man, and no reason could be discerned for the beating. The man with the handcuffs was black, though he need not have been. The officers were white, though they need not have been. It made me feel sick. I recall a…
Faith Encouraged
A Firm Foundation for Life
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We were talking in Bible study recently about “First Principles.” It seems this is something we so rarely consider, but if we miss fundamental truths, we always end up in places we never intended to go. For instance, if you don’t build your life on the fundamental truth that when you say “God” you mean the Holy Trinity, you mean the Father, and you mean the UNCREATED, you will wind up with a basic…
The Morning Offering
Estrangement
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When we responded to God’s love, all estrangement is cast aside When we feel estranged from God it is a true sign we are in need of working more diligently on building up our faith. Faith is a gift from God that requires our cooperation and when we are feeling dry we must quickly turn our eyes to Christ, asking…
The Morning Offering
Arrow Prayers
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Short prayers used in personal devotion Many Church Fathers taught the use of the “arrow prayer”, deliberately short prayers for personal devotion that were easily remembered, and could communicate one’s love for God, while seeking His help. They were like arrows being shot into the air, wholeheartedly demonstrating our sincerity in asking God’s help. One of my personal favorites is…
No Other Foundation
Unveiling the Scriptures – 6
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We conclude this series by examining the role of the Fathers in Christian Scriptural interpretation and by offering a threefold summary of our study. The Role of the Fathers The Church Fathers were a varied lot. They lived in a number of different centuries, had very different personalities and gifts, spoke different languages, and wrote to answer different questions, in different contexts. There is, in fact, a tremendous diversity among them, including…
Eastern Christian Insights
Offering Our Blessings and Sufferings in Hope: Homily for the Third Sunday After Pentecost and the Third Sunday of Matthew in the Orthodox Church
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Romans 5:1-10; Matthew 6:22-33 We often take for granted the benefits of living when and where we do. From modern medicine to running water and computer technology, we enjoy benefits and conveniences that make our lives very different from those of past generations. Despite the obvious imperfections of our society, we have freedoms and resources that far exceed those of most people throughout history and around the…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
The Mustering of the Apostles
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Shepherding our Little Flock
God is bigger...
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This is the name of a very simple game that my daughter made up and loves to play. She just turned 4. It’s really an amazingly simple concept, but given that she asks to play it almost every day, and that my soon-to-be 6 year old enjoy it tremendously as well, there is clearly a power to it that is beyond my comprehension. Rather than try and explain it I’ll just give…
The Morning Offering
The Garden
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Tending the Garden of the Heart Both my maternal grandfather and my mother were avid gardeners, so I grew up surrounded by the beauty of plants and flowers. The cottage garden is a distinct style of garden that is certainly my favorite. The use of traditional materials, in an informal design, together with dense plantings, and a mixture of ornamental…
Glory to God for All Things
Beauty and Iconoclasm - Where We Find God
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Every human being is an icon of God…so iconoclasm is a much larger matter than smashing statues and such. It also includes the hatred of others and the injustice that grinds them into the dust. The quiet iconoclasm of poverty and the like are insidious in that they’re so quiet they look like an act of nature. Iconoclasm can only be overcome through love, the love of the beauty of the image…
Father Bill's Blog
204. Apostolicity
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This post will have three parts: 1 We will venerate the Apostles online. 2 What is Apostolicity? 3 How I found the Apostolic Church after I thought it had vanished from the face of the earth. The Apostles I’m sure you all know that next Monday June 29 is the feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, because you are eagerly anticipating the end of the “Apostles’ Fast” which concludes on that day. For who wants to fast in the summer?…
Faith Encouraged
Is God "Unfair?" As A Matter of Fact...
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If you could know the future, would you want to? I mean, really; if you could know the exact moment of your death, would you want that information? Knowing the future has been a preoccupation for we humans forever! I remember riding in the backseat of a car with a friend and passing one of those little houses on the side of the road with the big sign out front: “Madam So and…
The Morning Offering
Accepting Christ's Forgiveness
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Christ’s absolution requires us to accept forgiveness, and be quick to forgive others Psychologists have often made the observation that the one thing they lack, when it comes to their profession as psychological healers, is the ability to pronounce absolution. Yet many Orthodox Christians, making a good confession and receiving absolution, remain in a state as though they were still…
Remembering Sion
Of Wrath and Righteousness
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America is a nation in crisis. We have been facing a political crisis of ever-deepening division and widespread distrust in our own leaders for many, many years now. With the emergence of the COVID-19, we are being confronted with a public health crisis of a magnitude unparalleled in living memory. This in turn has precipitated an economic crisis of massive proportions, one which will almost certainly rival (if not exceed) the Great…
Faith Encouraged
Formation Causes Groaning!
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Being in the room when my daughters were born was an unforgettable experience. Of course, I was a spectator. It was my wife that was doing all the work! And it wasn’t always a “fun” experience. In fact, I was “invited” to experience some of that pain while holding the hand of my bride during labor. The woman has a very strong grip! Pregnancy is such a powerful icon of the Christian…
The Morning Offering
The Image of Christ
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And the modern iconoclastic movement that would destroy it Growing up in Northern Idaho, I clearly remember the Lutheran church in my hometown having a painting above their altar depicting Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, with obvious Norwegian features, while the Catholic church in the same town had Christ represented above their altar with clearly Italian features. That the…
Faith Encouraged
Are You "Weak?"
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Weakness is something that I have a particular fear of experiencing. In fact, the older I get, the more I see my fear of appearing “weak” has shaped my choices, usually in an unhealthy way. When you fear being “weak” you find yourself hiding from real weaknesses that never get confronted and subsequently never get stronger! But what if you were strongest only WHEN you acknowledged your weakness? WHat if God made…
The Morning Offering
The Foundation of Holiness
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Humility can transform that which was rotten into a beautiful flower We all struggle with our passions, and like Saint Paul we can say that we do that which we do not want to do and do not do what we want to do. The passions hold us down to the ground in our sin and fallen nature, and we…