Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Lenten Evangelism #1: The Publican and Pharisee
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This sermon is also available as an audio recording via Ancient Faith Radio. Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, February 1, 2015 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. We now begin the pre-Lenten period with the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee. Today is the day…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Can the Virgin Mary "save" us?
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Today I read the comments on this YouTube video. I know, I know—YouTube comments generally are the lowest form of discourse on the Internet, and I wasn’t terribly surprised to see that someone thought that the musical line “Most Holy Mother of God, save us” was “blasphemous.” (He preferred to hear his blasphemy in Latin, apparently.) I must admit to being a bit baffled,…
Nearly Orthodox
8 things I wish I'd known about the Orthodox Church
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I make lists. Some days just the act of sitting down and writing out the list feels like an accomplishment. I used to try to keep track of these things on my phone, in fact I have at least three apps plus the notepad and the calendar to keep my stuff together so to speak. It works, for a little while at least. But there’s nothing like the piece of actual paper…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
That Man Might Become God
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This sermon may be heard as a recording via Ancient Faith Radio here. Twelfth Sunday of Luke / Feast of Ss. Athanasius and Cyril, January 18, 2015 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today is the feast of two great saints of the Orthodox Church—Athanasius and Cyril,…
Nearly Orthodox
Silence
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The start of 2015 has been weird and rocky. Oh, who am I kidding? My whole life is weird and rocky. After a couple of weeks like the last three my husband and I will often joke about the life we’ve built- self employed and artist types, paychecks are few and far between, the kids always need shoes or dental appointments, college is on the horizon for our oldest. Everything comes down to…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
Infant Communion, Revisited
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By Fr. Gregory Hogg Commemoration of the Holy Innocents, 29 December 2014 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. John 6:51 The young children ask for bread, But no one…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
The Problem of Authority: How Do We Know What Is True?
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By Mark Meador When formerly Protestant converts to Orthodoxy (or Roman Catholicism) recount the theological reasons for their conversion, it is not uncommon to hear among those reasons that they were persuaded by “the authority of the Church.” Once you become convinced of the Church’s authority, the telling goes, everything else falls into place. While this seems to be sufficient for the…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Your Own Personal Jesus: Christmas and Paul
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Sunday after the Nativity of Christ, December 28, 2014 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Christ is born! Today we continue to celebrate the Nativity of our Savior Jesus Christ. While the world may think that the Christmas season is over, for us it continues. And because…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Day After Christmas
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On this day after Christmas, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Synaxis of the Theotokos, remembering in a special way the Virgin Mary’s role in giving birth to our Savior. A number of our great feasts have a secondary celebration the day after focusing on what may be called the “supporting cast” in the feast. So, the day after the Annunciation, we celebrate the Synaxis…
Nearly Orthodox
There's still time!
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Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
The Moral Christian: A Response to Fr. Stephen Freeman
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In a recent post at Glory to God for All Things, “The Un-Moral Christian,” Fr. Stephen Freeman critiques what he sees as common conceptions of Christianity as moral, defined as “the rules and standards by which we guide ourselves.” These, he writes, are external and can be described and discussed. They are the rules by which we choose how to behave and…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
14 New Year's Resolutions for Orthodox Christians
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Editorial comment: This has gotten republished more times than I can count now, mostly without asking (which, while I won’t be hounding people, should still be noted as illegal in most countries). I don’t mind too much, but I do mind that in some places (like church newsletters), it’s gotten republished either without my name on it or having altered the text and still…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 27: Wool
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And now a group of random thoughts on today’s topic. The best socks I own are a rich, thick wool. They are orange with brown reinforcement at the heel and toe. They are fuzzy and snuggly and perfect in every way. I love those socks. I love them a whole lot. I’ve always had cold feet. I remember sleeping over at a friend’s house and her remarking about my habit of wearing…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 25: Swimming
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An excerpt from “Nearly Orthodox: On being a modern woman in an ancient tradition” Chapter 2 Just add Water (on baptism) Water is very forgiving. Everything lifts in water. —Sarah McLachlan When I was under the water I could hear voices. Western Hills High School had a pool, and swim lessons were free. I was six years old, waiting in the water in the back of the group, and I was bouncing.…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 24: Light
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Light of Light, True God of True God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made I like the talk of “essence” though I’ll admit that it reminds me of the film, “The Dark Crystal.” I saw it as a kid and my foggy memory has blotted out some of the finer points but I do remember that we expected more of a “Muppets” vibe…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 23: Blogger's choice (again...)
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Choices can be good. I like having choices. The only trouble is that some days it feels as though there are no choices. It’s all Coke or Pepsi. It’s the illusion of choice. It’s all caramel coloring and high fructose corn syrup dressed up in a different bottle, color scheme and marketing package. Now, choosing between tofu and cupcakes? That’s a choice. I don’t like tofu but I ate it anyway on…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 21: Soil
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This essay first appeared on Ruminate Magazine’s blog. Adventures in Extreme Gardening About a half hour into putting some tender green basil plants into the brand new, waist-high, raised-bed planter on my patio, I felt pretty good. I am notorious for my ability to kill plants despite my best efforts. This will be my year, I thought to myself. I sifted the cool soil through my fingers, digging out a deep hole…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 20: Trees
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The best kind of trees I can imagine right now are the ones pictured above in the chapel of my patron saint, Theodora of Vasta. The trees grew up, in, through and around the walls of the chapel. It is said that this is spot upon which Theodora gave her life fighting for her village. In some stories she is disguised as a man. The stories shift of course over…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 19: Cloak
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Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. Matthew 9:20 The word, “cloak” always brings me back to this story in the bible, this story about the bleeding woman who touches the cloak of Jesus. She believes in the healing. She wants it. She needs it. When I was on the road to chrismation there were…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 18: Staff
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For the last few months I’ve been working on a sort of daily Advent devotional for my DoxaSoma folks. I wrote one a few years ago and uploaded that, “The Daily Practice of Prayer” ran just for 30 days and was meant to help people integrate some mindfulness in their fitness practice. Prayer and Practice for people who don’t usually associate those two. Now, as an Orthodox christian I get prayer and…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Win FREE Signed Books by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick!
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Do you have a copy of Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy but wish you had a signed one? Have you gotten a chance to read An Introduction to God yet? Are you looking for hard-to-find Christmas gifts and fancy giving an author-signed book or two? Just looking to expand your library? Well, I’d like to help you do that for FREE. Enter the contest below to…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 17: Sword
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In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. Revelation 1:16 This has been a hard year. My husband and I were talking recently about how this might go down in the annuls as the hardest year we’ve had in a long while. Relationship-wise, we’ve been fine, connecting and deepening in our marriage. We’re…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 16: Reading the Scriptures
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Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
What Are We Waiting For?: Andrew, Advent and Emmanuel
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Feast of the Apostle Andrew, November 30, 2014 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. On this day, the thirtieth of November, we celebrate the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-called. As you may imagine, he is a saint who is special to me and always has been. And…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 15: Ignorance
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There are just so many places I could go with the prompt today. So many. When I hear the word, “ignorance” I think first of a kind of innocence. I think of the time my son touched the hot pan on the stove for the first time. He did not know it was hot. He didn’t know any better. Thankfully he wasn’t badly hurt. Thankfully he didn’t touch the hot pan again.…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 13: Gratitude & Day 14: Less is more
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Most of the morning yesterday I was roasting vegetables- broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers and carrots. I tossed in a handful of asparagus that was languishing in the fridge all week and an onion close to sprouting, mushrooms left lonely in that vented green box on the top shelf next to the sour cream. Orphan vegetables. I don’t cook so well. It’s not a lack of practice or know how. I believe it…
Nearly Orthodox
Day 12: The Spiritual Necessity of Tithing and Alms Giving
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I gave money to the man who appears every day on the expressway off-ramp at Armitage and I-90east. I see him there walking slowly, shuffling really. He smiles a weak and nearly toothless smile, his face brown and rugged like the sign he carries, “Need help. Please.” Generally I don’t give money to homeless people directly. I was broken of that habit years ago by a man who had no legs but…
