Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
The Springtime of Repentance
·
Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt, April 21, 2013 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today we remember a woman who walked out into the desert and repented there for more than forty years. On this fifth Sunday of the Great Fast, the Church celebrates St. Mary…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
It Can't Be Helped: Atheism and the Problem of Determinism
·
There is a certain term in Japanese whose history I very much dislike: shikataganai – “It can’t be helped.” Now such a concept is not completely alien to Western thought, we often remark how there is “nothing one can do” in certain situations, but the difference is that shikataganai reflects the fatalistic ethos of Japan that the modern West has never quite…
Nearly Orthodox
take and eat...
·
“Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways.” Prov 8:32 When I was a kid I used to play Mass in my backyard. I found the Mass so beautiful I wanted it to touch every part of my life and I did not know how else to incorporate what I saw there except to mimic it myself. I used Wonder bread, smashed and cut into…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
Is Jesus coming back in the next 40 years?
·
It seems that nearly half of Christians in America think that Jesus is coming back by the time we could be swearing in an occupant for the 67th term for a President of the United States: (Pew Forum) According to a 2010 Pew Research Center survey, roughly half (48%) of Christians in the U.S. say they believe that Christ will definitely (27%)…
Nearly Orthodox
the last supper...
·
Reposted from Mrs Metaphor… the last supper…. via the last supper….
Nearly Orthodox
the clay...
·
He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.” John 9:11 “You’re going to have a hard time being Orthodox and being a liberal” he told me, and I did not disagree. I knew that he was right. I had just witnessed some political observations on Facebook, where…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
The Top 20 "Orthodoxy & Heterodoxy" Posts
·
Just for kicks, we thought you might be interested in knowing what the current top 20 posts (based on total hits) here at O&H are. They are listed here in descending order: Using the Bible Against Christians: Sola Scriptura Atheism Orthodox Worship Versus Contemporary Worship The Eminem Ethic “Giving Up Something” for Lent Who’s Not a Christian? Two Chairs of Peter: Reform,…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
Should I want everyone to become Orthodox?
·
I recently ran across on Facebook a group named “Catholic & Orthodox: Steps Towards a Reunited Church,” which naturally interested me since I am, among other things, keen to understand how Orthodoxy compares and relates with Rome and vice versa. It’s always hard to figure out exactly what the character of these groups is at first blush, even from reading their official…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
"Who is a Christian?": Ancient Faith Today with Kevin Allen (May 12)
·
Update: The recording of the discussion is here. On May 12, 2013, at 8-9:30pm EDT / 5-6:30pm PDT, I’ll be appearing on the live call-in show “Ancient Faith Today with Kevin Allen.” The topic: “Who is a Christian?” “Ancient Faith Today” (AFT) is Ancient Faith Radio‘s live call-in show streaming via the Internet, covering multiple topics, from pop culture to politics, from an Orthodox…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
Pope Francis: One Patriarch Among Many?
·
(RealClearReligion: Reading the Franciscan Tea Leaves) In his inaugural address from the loggia, he never once used the words “pope” or “pontiff” or their cognates. (There is nothing wrong with either term: pope comes from the Greek for “father” and “pontiff” in Latin means bridge-builder.) Instead he consistently referred to Rome now having a bishop again. This is extremely significant because of…
Nearly Orthodox
Great Lent...
·
Great Lent is breathing down my neck. It flashes on my calendar each morning, bold and ready, announcing the start of the new season, this vital bit of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Without Pascha what reason do we have to engage in this constant struggle? Great Lent offers a keen reminder of this. I welcome it even as I shrink away from the calendar each morning as…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
Two Chairs of Peter: Reform, Orthodoxy and the Papacy
·
Update: At the request of Ancient Faith Radio, this post has been recorded for your listening edification. In the anticipation preceding yesterday’s election of the new Roman pontiff, especially what with the American media’s constant chatter about reform for the Roman Catholic Church, I could not help but be reminded of a somewhat less-anticipated primatial election that is still fresh in the…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
On Deaconesses and Women's Ordination: Fr. David Bissias replies to Valerie Karras
·
My thoughts below are in response to this fine review article by Fr. David Bissias directed at a recent screed article by Valerie Karras ostensibly seemingly to justify some form of women’s ordination. I’ve read through Fr. David’s article, and now wish I had Karras’s as well. But in reality I don’t need it, for my thoughts are actually in response to…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
Media Discovers Episcopus Vagans at Vatican, Film at 11
·
Imagine trying to explain to your average reporter—even a religion reporter—what an episcopus vagans is. Those of us who work in “the religion biz” are frequently reminded that the press just doesn’t get religion, and in the case of the “prankster” “fake bishop” who recently made an amusing appearance at the Vatican, the press did not fail to live up to its…
Nearly Orthodox
high ground...
·
So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Mark 13:14 Liturgy is the mountain for me. It is the higher ground to the rising water of my everyday life. This quiet place, so heavily scented with incense that I can see it hanging there in the…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
"God is much bigger than... your style [of worship] or mine."
·
I recently posted the image above from my professional page on Facebook, and it drew this response: I guess King David worshipped incorrectly then. You know, the whole leaping and dancing and shouts of joy thing? Totally got it wrong. Tambourines? Lyres? If you know anything of Israeli culture, liturgical worship was not the norm until much later. My response: King David’s…
Nearly Orthodox
offerings...
·
And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. Mark 12:33 I lose track of the days. I lose track of the hours. It may be that parenting does this but if it wasn’t parenting, it’d be career or something else. Time always seems…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
"Giving Up Something" for Lent
·
The original version of this post from February of 2012 first appeared on the Roads From Emmaus weblog. It is also available as an audio recording at Ancient Faith Radio. In February of 2012, Mark Galli posted an article entitled Giving Up Self-Discipline for Lent which is actually a fairly fascinating look into what Lenten ascetical effort looks like from within a…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
Converting from Westboro Baptist
·
(KWCH Eyewitness News) They’re known worldwide as the group from Kansas that protests at soldiers’ funerals, and says God hates America because it allows homosexuality. Now, Westboro Baptist Church is reacting to the defection of a key member. “She just decided she did not want to obey God,” spokesman Steve Drain says. “She did not want to obey scripture.” She is Megan…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
"The hidden hand behind bad music" - could it happen here?: American Catholic worship and Orthodoxy in America
·
Some years ago, Catholic church musician Jeffrey Tucker published a piece for Crisis Magazine titled “The Hidden Hand behind Bad Catholic Music”. It was first run in 2002 but recently was recirculated through social media circles, and it caught my eye. I’d read the piece before, and am a regular reader of Mr. Tucker’s work in excellent group efforts such as The New Liturgical Movement.…
Nearly Orthodox
taste and see...
·
“Someone who has tasted the truth is not contentious for truth. Someone who is considered among men to be zealous for truth has not yet learned what truth is really like: once he has learns it he will cease from zealousness on its behalf.” St. Isaak of Syria I have this vision of myself and I am calm, untroubled, slow to anger and quick to offer love and compassion. I have this…
Nearly Orthodox
be grateful...
·
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe…” Hebrews 12:28 I don’t often have nightmares but when I do they usually revolve around some insecurity or another and for the most part they involve my children. They address my fears, my doubts, my shortcomings. Last night I dreamt I was sitting in a comfortable chair in…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
"Orthodoxy & Heterodoxy" in Houston, Feb. 9, 2013
·
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
The Tolkien Legacy
·
It’s a rare, if not exceptional, case. In an era where most people would sell their souls to be talked about, Christopher Tolkien has not expressed himself in the media for 40 years. No interviews, no announcements, no meetings — nothing. It was a decision he made at the death of his father, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973), British author of the hugely famous…
Nearly Orthodox
by the teeth...
·
But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 2 Timothy 2:3 Because of the rise of social media I now have the chance to argue politics and religion with people most any day, any hour. That being said, I love social media. I love it a lot. For an introvert it’s like heaven on earth. I can engage or not engage. I can watch. I can listen. I can…
Nearly Orthodox
considering hate...
·
Beloved, we love God because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. -1 Jn 4:19 Miles says he hates his brother but I know this isn’t…
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy
What Should Christians Think About "Lost Gospels"?
·
The following guest piece by Joel J. Miller originally ran under the title “Why apostolic tradition matters, part 2.” It is republished here with permission. It seems that every time a supposedly “lost gospel” is unearthed the media hypes it as if it were the Second Coming. Invariably, these texts contradict the received understanding of the church. The most recent example is…
