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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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Word of the Day
The Law Cuts Two Ways (Tues. Dec.1)
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The word of the day is “law.” In our reading of 1 Timothy 1:8-14, St. Paul corrects the false understanding of the Law of the false teachers in Timothy’s flock. The Apostle writes, “But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully” (vs. 8). Paul warns about false teachers who do not know what they are talking about. To counteract the threat,  Paul clarifies his teaching of the Law. Some might have gotten the impression that Paul is against the Law or it is no longer valid for believers in Christ. But here Paul says that the Law, that is, the Mosaic Law, is still beneficial. The Orthodox Study Bible says that “the Law is good,…
The Morning Offering
Abbot Tryphon's video on the Nativity Fast
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To watch Abbot Tryphon’s video on the subject of the Nativity Fast, click above.
Faith Encouraged
#GivingTuesday and Faith Encouraged Ministries
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Every Year at this time we reach out to you to help us have a strong foundation for the new year’s ministry work of Encouraging us all to be Orthodox on Purpose! And this year is no different, except it really IS a different year! We have faced, and continue to face, a profound challenge in our society. It isn’t just the pandemic and the healthcare crisis, but it is a deeper…
Word of the Day
Pure, Good, and Sincere (Mon. Nov. 30)
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The word of the day is “purpose.” In our reading of 1 Timothy 1:1-7, St. Paul teaches the intent of his instruction about pastoral leadership in the Church. He states, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith (vs. 5). We speak of “commandments” to refer to the Ten Commandments or the entire Law of Moses. But in our reading, Paul speaks of “the commandment.” The word that Paul uses refers to the direction that a superior gives to his or her followers. This term expresses the reason for Paul’s epistle to Timothy. In tone and content, it instructs Timothy, the young Bishop of Ephesus, on the pastoral…
Faith Encouraged
The Path To Discover Your Purpose!
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I’ve been saying “Orthodox on Purpose” for so long that sometimes I wonder if I’ve grown deaf to the wisdom behind the words. After all, the danger for any minister is to keep all the words of his purpose and forgetting the meaning behind them. Terrifying! But I’ve discovered that most of us struggle to know just what our true purpose is supposed to be! Everytime I begin to forget, I try…
The Morning Offering
The Nativity Fast
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Preparing ourselves for the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ The Nativity Fast was already in progress for those on the Gregorian (New) Calendar, and started on Saturday for those who follow the Julian (Church) Calendar. During this period of prescribed fasting we are to abstain from all meats, dairy, eggs, cheeses, and all animal products. The Church does allow…
Glory to God for All Things
Thanksgiving Communion
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Whom should I thank? The question is normally a matter of polite acknowledgement. A gift was given and received. Who gave it? Whom should I thank? It is inherently the nature of giving thanks that thanks must be given to someone. I cannot give thanks to nothing or no one. As such, the giving of thanks is an act of communion on one level or another. Fr. Alexander Schmemann, in the last…
Word of the Day
Keeping the Unity of the Spirit (Sun. Nov. 29)
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The word of the Day is “unity.” In our reading of Ephesians 4:1-6, St. Paul urges the congregation in Ephesus to live in a way that preserves the oneness of the Church. The Apostle pleads with them to “walk worthy of [their] calling… endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (vs. 3). Unity is a gift of Christ. Paul states, “For He Himself [Christ] is our peace who has made both [Jew and Greek] one and has broken down the middle wall of separation. He, therefore, is the “one Lord” who reconciles us to God and one another. Unity Is “Of the Spirit” But unity is also “of the Spirit.”  The early community of…
The Morning Offering
The True Self
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The nous versus the ego Reformed theology focuses on forensic justification, whereas the mystical theology of the Orthodox Church focuses on restoration to God through healing of the darkened soul alienated from Him. These are two very different models, but not really equal, because one can have faith in Christ’s sacrifice, but still not be healed and restored. Our restorative…
Eastern Christian Insights
Preparing to Welcome the God-Man for the Healing of our Souls in the Nativity Fast: Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday of Luke in the Orthodox Church
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Luke 18:18-27             As we continue to prepare to welcome Christ at His Nativity on Christmas, we must keep squarely in mind Who He is and why He was born in the flesh. Contrary to popular opinion, we are not getting ready to celebrate the birth of merely a religious teacher or a figure of cultural significance. No, we celebrate the eternal Son of God, Who spoke the universe into existence, becoming…
Every Thought Captive
Humility and Gratitude: sine quibus non of the studious mind
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“We are not sure we are right until we have made the best case possible for those who are wrong.” Lord Acton We live in an age where people read little, but yet vehemently assert the verity of their own opinions. Debates during the Reformation were bruising affairs. Not only did they demand quick wits, a vast memory, and a comprehension of all the implications of various doctrines and the arguments attendant on them, but it took thick skin and a ready wit. The key thing, however, was…
The Morning Offering
The Repose of Archbishop David of Alaska
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Memory Eternal I just received word that His Eminence Archbishop David of Alaska has reposed. This is a photo that was taken during the annual Saint Herman of Alaska Pilgrimage a few years ago. Vladyka David is on the left, and Metropolitan Tikhon is in the middle. I got to know Archbishop David after he invited me to be the…
Word of the Day
Christ Delivered Himself to Deliver Us (Sat. Nov. 28)
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The word of the day is “deliver.” In our reading of Galatians 1:3-10, St. Paul recounts the mercy of Jesus Christ who sacrificed Himself for our sins (vs. 4). The Apostle writes about Christ, “…who gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from the present evil age according to the will of our God and Father” (vs. 4). The idea of deliverance governs this whole cryptic sentence.  Our English translations obscure the relationship between the two forms of deliverance that  Paul describes in this passage. Reduced to its basic structure, however, Paul teaches that Christ delivered Himself that we might be delivered. To Deliver as “To Hand On” The Orthodox Study Bible reads that Christ “gave Himself…
The Morning Offering
An End to Bullying
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Children must be taught kindness at an early age More and more frequently we read about children taking their own lives, having reached a place where they would rather be dead, than live another hour suffering from bullying. Too often parents and teachers have ignored the problem of bullying, dismissing it as nothing more than “kids will be kids”, and…
No Other Foundation
The Beatitudes – “Blessed are the clean of heart”
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We continue with our series on the Beatitudes. Today we examine our Lord’s words, “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God”. We note immediately that the usual rendering of this Beatitude begins, “Blessed are the pure of heart”. The word usually rendered “pure” in this version is the Greek katharos. The word katharos has a slightly different feel and nuance than the Greek word for “pure” (agnos). The…
A Lamp for Today
Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Covid-19 Land
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Ephesians 4:1-6, Genesis 37-50, Psalm 132/3 You know what happens when you do not keep a schedule? Frequently you end up with a harder task than you would have had if you hadn’t shirked a responsibility. That is my plight this week – I did not work on my blog and podcast according to schedule, and so missed last week’s wonderful passage in Ephesians, full of juicy theological themes. Instead I see…
Faith Encouraged
Are We Doing Black Friday? Really?
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The day after Thanksgiving in the US is often called “Black Friday.” It use to be the day that merchants were “in the black” for the year and they saw the rest of the year up to Christmas as their time to make a profit for the year. But marketers learned many years ago that they can drive a lot of us to stores for the busy holiday season by putting on…
Word of the Day
Idleness and Well-Doing (Nov. 27)
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The word of the day is “well-doing.” In our reading of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18, St. Paul warns against idleness and encourages all members of the congregation in Thessalonica to work for their living.  The Apostle commands the loafers in the congregation to “work in quietness and eat their own bread” (vs. 12). Conversely, he directs the workers in the church “not to grow weary in well-doing” (vs. 11). In this passage, Paul contrasts an undisciplined with a productive life. When he charges some church members with “walking in a disorderly manner,” “walking” is a metaphor for one’s conduct of life (Strong’s #4043, 199). The “disorderly” way of life concerns Paul because in Greek, “disorderly” is a military term for being…
The Morning Offering
The Institution of Marriage
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The essential element for the salvific union of two people The western world has seen a terrible downward trend in the number of couples choosing to get married. Of those couples who do, almost fifty percent of their marriages end in divorce. Those marriages that do last, see only a tiny fraction produce more than one or two children. Many…
Faith Encouraged
Giving Thanks!
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It’s Thanksgiving Day in The US. The tradition of Thanksgiving started early in our nation’s history as a way for us to set aside one day to be grateful to God for the blessings we receive through the year. Of course, this is a common theme throughout human history when a society wakes up from the destruction of selfishness to the absolute necessity of gratitude. This year’s Thanksgiving may look a little…
Word of the Day
Chosen as God’s Own (Thurs. Nov. 26)
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The word of the day is “chose.” Yesterday’s reading ended with Paul’s warning that the “man of lawlessness” (the Antichrist) who will appear at the end of time. But he should not deceive them (vs. 9). However, now Paul reassures the believers in Thessalonica that they are not among those who will perish in delusion and unbelief. The Apostle writes, “…God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (13). The Greek term for “chose” is rooted in the thought of “taking something for oneself’” (#138, 8). The emphasis is not on favoring one thing over the other. The focus is on making something one’s own. This thought appears first in…
The Morning Offering
Thanksgiving
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“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Thanksgiving has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on the last Thursday of November. The “First Thanksgiving” was celebrated by the Pilgrims, together…
Word of the Day
The Love of the Truth (Wed. Nov. 25)
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The word of the day is “truth.” In our reading of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, St. Paul cautions his congregation in Thessalonica about false prophecies of the Lord’s Second Coming.  The Apostle advises them not to be “soon shaken in mind or troubled” when they hear that the Second Coming of Christ has already happened (vs. 2). “The Man of Lawlessness” Paul reminds his congregation of his teaching of certain signs of the imminent return of Christ. These signals of the end time will include a period of apostasy or faithlessness. Then a mysterious character,  the “man of lawlessness,” will appear (vs. 3). The Greek word refers to one who sets himself against the law (Strong’s #458, 28).  He is the…
Faith Encouraged
Ready For the Bridegroom!
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The notice I received had this heading: Attention as a Cultural Problem and the Possibilities of Education. It was a notice of a lecture being held at a major university and it certainly caught my attention. One of the most consisted messages in all the writings of the Fathers is the absolute need for attentiveness to central truths. And one of the key weapons used against us in our spiritual growth is…
The Morning Offering
Community in Dark Times
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And the light of Christ, the True Light on the horizon Times like ours call for us to become spiritually fit, so we can be beacons of light among those who have lost all hope. The challenges that face all of us during this pandemic are not for the faint of heart. The spiritually fit can triumph over anything, and…
Shepherding our Little Flock
Entering into Advent
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In our home we celebrate by the Old Calendar and so aren’t quite in Advent season yet – but seeing so many of you begin the celebratory season of the Nativity Fast in posts and pictures I couldn’t resist getting in on the good cheer. We need some good cheer right now. I even heard from one of our young Old Calendar matushka’s that she’s put the Christmas tree already up though…
Beyond the Bars
A Thanksgiving Message from Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry
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“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We would like to wish you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving! Amidst this difficult and challenging year, we still have so much for us to be grateful for this Thanksgiving season. Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry is forever thankful to all of our supporters, especially during this pandemic, ensuring that those…