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Word of the Day
God Shows No Favoritism Either to Jews or Gentiles (Fri. June 25)
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The word of the day is “alike.”  Justice is blind. It does not discriminate but treats all alike.  That is our ideal. But does it apply to the judgments of God? In today’s reading of Romans 2:14-24, Paul answers the Jews who “rest on the law.” They boast that they “know His will” and are “instructed out of the law”  (OSB vs. 18). Therefore, they think that the Almighty Creator of the world treats them differently. His promises are for them and not others who are outside the covenant.  If the Gentiles want a share in these promises, they must be circumcised and become Jews. Then they would be qualified to be part of God’s Chosen People to whom God…
The Morning Offering
OUR FEAR BASED WORLD
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Fear Based Communities Use Abuse to Keep Their People in Line There are a lot of fear based communities in our world. Some are religious and some are political. All are guilty of missing the mark when it comes to the message of the Church. We Christians were not programmed to be victims, living in fear. For the Christian the…
Behind the Scenes
Humans of Ancient Faith: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
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Humans of Ancient Faith is a new series of mini-interviews designed to introduce you to the many wonderful human beings who make this ministry possible. We asked the same 5 questions in each interview, and let the interviewee choose a sixth question. Today’s guest is Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, our Chief Content Officer. ++++++++++++++ If you were named for your defining characteristic, what word or phrase would be your name? Curiosity. Which…
No Other Foundation
Of Giants and Grasshoppers
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When the spies that Joshua sent out to reconnoitre the land returned to camp, they came with bad news: “The people who live in the land are strong and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” The spies were quite rattled: “There we also saw the…
Glory to God for All Things
Robed in the Glorious Garment of Salvation
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“My soul shall rejoice in the Lord, for He has clothed me with the garment of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of gladness; as a bridegroom He has set a crown on me; and as a bride adorns herself with jewels, so my God has adorned me.” With these words from Isaiah, the priest begins the ritual of dressing prior to the Liturgy. With each item of his priestly…
Faith Encouraged
You Are Meant to Be Strong. Yes, YOU!
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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…
Word of the Day
God Does not Accept Excuses: He Desires Repentance (Thurs. June 24)
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The word of the day is “repentance .” It is the nature of sin that it not only committed transgressions but excuses them. Humans have various ways of rationalizing, overlooking, and trivializing their sins even while they judge others who do the same things. But in our reading of Romans 1:28-2:9 today, Paul declares unequivocally, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself” (OSB vs. 2:1). Today we find that Paul cuts through all the ways that humans dismiss the seriousness of their sins and disregard the inevitable divine judgment against them.  We learn that if we have escaped the anger of God for our transgressions, it is…
The Morning Offering
TRANSFORMATION
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Towards a Life Transformed by Christ Saint John Chrysostom tells us that when we fail in our spiritual journey towards transformation, it is not due to “the nature of the trial, but by your own laziness”. Since we were created by God with free will, the Lord does not force salvation on us, but offers it freely to us as…
Behind the Scenes
Humans of Ancient Faith: Laura Jansson
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Humans of Ancient Faith is a new series of mini-interviews designed to introduce you to the many wonderful human beings who make this ministry possible. We asked the same 5 questions in each interview, and let the interviewee choose a sixth question. Today, we’re talking with author Laura Jansson. ++++++++++++++ If you were named for your defining characteristic, what word or phrase would be your name? It would have to be the Greek…
Walking an Ancient Path
Orthodoxy Can Never Be a Virtual Reality
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For an entire year my Colorado parish had been hosting two Divine Liturgies on Sundays in order to accommodate as many socially distanced parishioners as possible. But the statewide mask mandate was lifted a few weeks ago, and many businesses no longer require masks for those who are fully vaccinated. Social distancing is recommended but not required. We immediately returned to one service: the body of Christ once again united in…
Faith Encouraged
You Are Meant for Reality! Yes, YOU!
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American author Laird Barron once said “Mom was all about hellfire and brimstone. Her Old Testament God was a colossal, ancient brute, a maelstrom of blood and fire, of appetite and wrath.” Sounds familiar. Our society has been shaped by a narrative, both subtle and overt, about how we think of God. And, for many people (could we say the majority?), God is exactly like Barron’s mother described: A colossal and angry…
Word of the Day
Restored to the Human Vocation to Be Priests (Wed. June 23)
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The word of the day is “worship.”  What is sin? What is so wrong in God’s sight that it merits His judgment, even His wrath. Some might answer killing, stealing, sexual immorality, lying, and coveting. Others might say or hate, prejudice, and injustice. Others might answer sloth, lust, despair, and idle talk. But note what St. Paul says in our reading: of Romans 1:18-27, [They] exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. All People Are Called to Be Priests The sins that deserve the judgment of God have to do with worship. They are not sins against our neighbor but sins against what is due…
The Morning Offering
FASTING
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Fasting That is Pleasing to God “But as for me, when they (the demons) troubled me, I put on sackcloth. And I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer shall return to my bosom (Psalm 34:13).” Since the Apostles Fast begins this coming Monday for those of us who are on the Julian calendar, it is a good time…
Behind the Scenes
Humans of Ancient Faith: John Maddex
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Faith Encouraged
YOU Are Called! Yes, YOU!
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The dictionary defines the word “obligation” as “an act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment.” When I was growing up, my mother taught me that I wasn’t free to do what I wanted until I did what I must. In other words, I had obligations to my family, my home, and myself! “Brush your teeth” wasn’t a suggestion; it was an…
Word of the Day
The Difference Between Preaching with Weakness and Proclaiming with Power (Tues. June 22)
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The word of the day is “ashamed.” In this time of cynicism, we are tempted to stifle our witness to our faith because we fear it would not be understood or even ridiculed.  If we face such a temptation, we should pay attention to St. Paul’s words in our reading of Romans 1:1-7; 13-17. Paul begins his epistle with the bold statement, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel” (OSB vs. 16). Today, as we start reading Romans, we find that if the Gospel is proclaimed with boldness, it has power. But if it is preached with conformity to the world, it is weak. Glorying in the Gospel St. Paul’s letter to the Romans is the nearest thing in…
The Morning Offering
MONASTERIES
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Centers for Spiritual Healing Monastics are an integral part of the Church and should not be seen as independent of the Church Universal. Monks are bound by the same Gospel as other Christians and need to avail themselves to the missionary and pastoral needs of the Church, as needed. Although a primary role of monasticism is to be found in…
Beyond the Bars
She Tried Prison Ministry, Then She Got Hooked
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Mary-Jo Dukas is an Orthodox Christian who is serious about whether she is fulfilling the Lord’s commandments. She went through Matthew 25:35-36 like it was a checklist and saw that the one thing that was missing was that she hadn’t visited someone in prison. “I really felt called to prison ministry, but I was afraid,” confesses Dukas, who lives in North Carolina. “But I called up the local women’s minimum-security prison and became a…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Does the Book of Joshua Justify Abortion?
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Glory to God for All Things
Pentecost and the Liturgy of Hades
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Pascha (Easter) comes with a great note of joy in the Christian world. Christ is risen from the dead and our hearts rejoice. That joy begins to wane as the days pass. Our lives settle back down to the mundane tasks at hand. After 40 days, the Church marks the Feast of the Ascension, often attended by only a handful of the faithful (Rome has more-or-less moved the Ascension to a Sunday…
Faith Encouraged
Be FILLED With The Spirit! Yes, YOU!
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When I was growing up in the Pentecostal church of my youth, a regular theme of sermons I heard was about being “spirit-filled.” Our emphasis on the Holy Spirit had everything to do with “living a holy life” and experiencing an intimate relationship with God. By the way, both of those are really important! Of course, the problem came from being disconnected from the continuity of wisdom from the centuries. That meant…
Word of the Day
Making Good Out of Evil Days (Mon. June 21)
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The word of the day is “days.”  As our world staggers from one crisis to another, we are tempted to despair. We might say to ourselves that there is nothing that we can do about the turmoil of our times. Yet, our reading of Ephesians 5:9-19 encourages us that we can respond faithfully to the chaos surrounding us. Thus, Paul exhorts us “to walk circumspectly… redeeming the time because the days are evil” (vs. 15). Today we consider what it means to “redeem” what otherwise is an evil time. The Day is Not Evil by Nature Why does Paul call the day in which we live “evil”? Are things that bad? The Greek term evil refers to the effect or…
The Morning Offering
SILENCE
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Entering into the Silence All Orthodox Christians are aware of the importance of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, in our journey to God. These three practices are at the heart of the Great Lenten Fast for all practicing Orthodox Christians, but we all should make these the heart of our everyday life throughout the year. Prayer is our way of communicating…
Word of the Day
The Holy Spirit Is Given to All but Received by Each (Sun. June 20)
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The word of the day is “each.” As we celebrate the  Day of Pentecost, we might ask who received the gift of the  Holy Spirit at that festival? Just the twelve disciples? And we might ask who is given the Holy Spirit today? Only those whom we call the saints? Today in our reading of Acts 2:1-11, Luke records that when a mighty wind blew, “there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them” (OSB vs. 3). Today we emphasize that all who are baptized are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. He does not belong to selected believers as their possession while the rest of us must do without the “power…
The Morning Offering
DADS
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On Being a Good Father I’ll forever be grateful for the love and support I received from my father. My dad never let a day pass without assuring his two sons of his love and acceptance. Albert Parsons always imaged to his sons the importance of living an honest life, and being kind to everyone. Generous almost to a fault,…
Eastern Christian Insights
Restoring Our True Unity in God: Homily for the Great Feast of Pentecost in the Orthodox Church
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Acts 2:1-11; John 7:37-52; 8:12      People look for unity in many different places. By identifying ourselves as fans of athletic teams or members of ethnic groups or political factions, we can gain a sense that we are part of something powerful, substantial, and fulfilling. That is more appealing than feeling weak, anonymous, and alone in the world.  No wonder, then, that there is so much division between…
The Morning Offering
Latest Youtube video (click here to watch)
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