Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Choosing Orthodoxy
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There is a critique in Orthodox convert circles, especially in what one reads on the Internet, of the “problem” of converting to Orthodox Christianity. Part of the problem, the argument goes, with American culture is its emphasis on conscious choice, that is, consumerism. We are bombarded nearly non-stop by our advertisement culture to make various selections which will be sure to enrich our lives…
Praying in the Rain
Forgive Us Our Trespasses As...
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We forgive those who trespass against us, don’t we? I have been wondering about this as I have discussed the topic of church community life over the past few days with several people with similar frustrations but in different communities. Fr. Boris Bobrinskoy in his essay, “The Mystery of Forgiveness,” points out that in the Lord’s Prayer, Our Father’s forgiving us is contingent on our forgiving those who trespass against us. However…
Glory to God for All Things
Sloshing Our Way into the Kingdom
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A dear friend of mine serves as an Orthodox priest in one of our coastal cities. He told me about a visit to his port of a Russian “sailing ship.” It was a wonderful visit, as he related. The ship had a small chapel on board and a Russian Orthodox chaplain. Together they celebrated a small prayer service in the chapel, which was packed with visitors and sailors. The service including the…
Nearly Orthodox
watching...
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At this point when I attend services I sit in the back, next to  my favorite icon of the Theotokos and I watch, a lot. I love watching. It might be the writer in me or maybe it’s the introvert. Introverts and writers are watchers, after all. It’s fascinating the see the various levels of interaction and action. When entering,  some people move quickly to a seat, others make a quick run…
Praying in the Rain
Response to Christopher
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(Please first read Christopher’s comment on “A Journey To The Ancient Church” in which he comments on some problems in most Orthodox Churches he has been a part of.) Dear Christopher, You are right, and I believe Fr. John alludes to this too, there are lots of struggles within the Orthodox Church. In my own experience, after an almost idillic journey into the Church, after a brief honeymoon period, I experienced the…
Praying in the Rain
A Journey to the Ancient Church (part 1 of 4)
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I found this four part youtube video and was very blessed watching it. It chronicles one group’s journey to Holy Orthodoxy. Although their journey is unique–every journey is unique–it has elements that are similar to my journey and I think the journeys of all who have come to Holy Orthodoxy as adults. I recommend that you share these videos with anyone you know who is inquiring into the ancient Christian faith. After…
Nearly Orthodox
entering in...
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I know what it is that gives me such pause whenever I attend Orthodox services. I feel so much like an outsider and at the same time, I cling to my identity as outsider.  Being an outsider has some value in that I’m not committed, not given the heavy responsibility of showing up and being engaged. If I have a misstep it’s easily forgiven, because I’m an outsider, because I don’t know…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Make His paths straight
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In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. amen. More than 400 years ago in Tudor England, there was a custom of celebrating a holiday called “Twelfth Night,” which took place on January 5th. Twelfth Night was so named because it was the twelfth day of Christmas, beginning with December 25th as the first day.…
Praying in the Rain
Emma: Gratitude
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I am reading Emma again. It is my favorite of the three Jane Austen novels I have read. I started Sense and Sensibility, but was overrun early on by too much femininity. I think I had to break something to recover. Early on in Emma, Austen describes Captain Weston’s probability of a happy life after his second marriage. His first wife, who died after three years of marriage, was of a higher…
Praying in the Rain
Punishment vs. Discipline
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Discipline and punishment are not the same thing. Discipline is a kind of teaching, it has as its goal the training of the person under discipline. Punishment is a mater of retribution, it has as its goal the carrying out of a sanction or penalty based on the transgression of a moral, legal or social code. Discipline is an essential part of Christian life, punishment is not. For the one…
Glory to God for All Things
The Mystery of Theophany
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This week, the Church moves from the feast of Christmas to the feast of the Theophany – the celebration of the Baptism of Christ. The intent of this feast is not to celebrate a succession of historical events (the Baptism of Christ is at least 30 years later than His birth). Rather this feast takes us into the depths of the mystery of Christ and His salvation of the world. Many Christians,…
Praying in the Rain
Why Is Theophany Important?
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The feast of Theophany (also called Epiphany) is the second greatest feast (after Pascha) in the Christian Calendar. Theophany is even more important than Nativity. In fact, Theophany is the fulfillment of the Nativity. At Christ’s birth, his revelation as the God-man begins. However, this revelation begins slowly, quietly (it had actually begun silently nine months earlier at the Annunciation). At Christ’s birth, only a few shepherds know what is going on–and…
Nearly Orthodox
fasting...
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I’m fasting this week. I’m probably not supposed to tell you that. I think I’m supposed to suffer in silence when I do things like this. I’m fairly sure the withholding of that information has something to do with gaining humility but fasting makes me cranky and so I’m telling you about it. It’s a blood sugar issue on a physical level and a deprivation issue on the spiritual side. Why the…
Glory to God for All Things
Awakening
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The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). This fear descends on us from on High. It is a spiritual feeling, firstly of God and then of us ourselves. We live in a state of awe by virtue of the presence of the Living God together with awareness of our own impurity. This fear places us before the Face of God to be judged by Him. We have…
Nearly Orthodox
circle...
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I am slowly expanding my circle of Orthodox friends. It’s a slow process and especially difficult for me. I’m so conditioned to move away from people, sit in a corner and watch from a distance. I’m challenged in this now though, I feel I have some imaginary deadline to meet. I feel that I don’t have the luxury of time. Perhaps it’s not a bad thing to move out of my normal,…
Glory to God for All Things
Between Christmas And...
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The Feast of Christmas has, for many, come and gone. The eagerness of children for the day of their presents has now passed and, with it, some of their anxieties. Far from marking Christmas as “Twelve Days” (as the old English Christmas carol notes) many parts of the culture hurry forward, eager to put Christmas in the past. In my childhood, it was generally held within the surrounding Protestant culture that a…
Nearly Orthodox
chotki...
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My sister in law saw my prayer rope on my wrist the day before yesterday. I had just put it back on moments earlier. I had lost track of it in all the cooking and dish washing and for a moment I thought I had tossed it out by accident.  I found it deep in my pocket when I was alone in my room. I sighed audibly in relief and then I…
Praying in the Rain
A Christmas Prayer
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This Christmas night bestowed peace on the whole world; So let no one threaten; This is the night of the Most Gentle One – Let no one be cruel; This is the night of the Humble One – Let no one be proud. Now is the day of joy – Let us not revenge; Now is the day of Good Will – Let us not be mean. In this Day of Peace…
Glory to God for All Things
Christmas Time
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The feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, draws near and the anxiety of the world increases. There are those who worry that the feast is surrounded by too much commercialism. Others fear that religion will once again invade their safely guarded secular spaces. These are only the most vocalized anxieties – busyness consumes our lives. I think of the words from the Dr. Seuss character, the…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
For the Solstice
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O dark dark dark. They all go into the dark, The vacant interstellar spaces, the vacant into the vacant, The captains, merchant bankers, eminent men of letters, The generous patrons of art, the statesmen and the rulers, Distinguished civil servants, chairmen of many committees, Industrial lords and petty contractors, all go into the dark, And dark the Sun and Moon, and the Almanach de…
Praying in the Rain
Joseph Shows Mercy
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According to the Proto-Gospel of James, Righteous Joseph was away for the summer doing construction work while the infant Christ was growing in the womb of Mary. In the autumn, Joseph returned home to find his espoused wife seven months pregnant. The details of this encounter between Joseph and Mary are not recorded in the Scripture. A few of the Fathers of the Church have attempted to construct a possible dialog between…
Glory to God for All Things
The God Who Became Small
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An annual December posting: Whom have we, Lord, like you The Great One who became small, the Wakeful who slept, The Pure One who was baptized, the Living One who died, The King who abased himself to ensure honor for all. Blessed is your honor! St. Ephrem the Syrian +++ We draw near to the Feast of our Lord’s Nativity, and I cannot fathom the smallness of God. Things in my life…
Nearly Orthodox
restoration and repair....
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Orthodoxy is taking me apart it seems. I feel as though all the pieces of me are being removed, examined, cleaned up and ready for restoration and repair. That is my hope, at any rate. Right now, I only feel as though I’m being taken apart. I can feel each piece when it’s removed. This empty space holds air and time. The framework of me keeps the empty space, ready to be…
Glory to God for All Things
The Presence in the Absence
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There is a strange aspect to the presence of God in the world around us. That aspect is His apparent absence. I read with fascination (because I am no philosopher, much less a scientist) the discussions surrounding “intelligent design” and the like. I gather that everybody agrees that the universe is just marvelous and wonderfully put together (I can’t think of a better universe). But then begins the parting of ways as…
Glory to God for All Things
Personal Issues
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From 2009 The title of this post is quite misleading – for in proper theological language – there are no “personal issues.” Our culture is quite fond of issues – both the politico-entertainment industry – and many individuals. It is a word and a phenomenon that has been baptized by the culture such that “being concerned with the issues” makes someone sound as if things matter to them in a significant way. The…
Glory to God for All Things
Formed in the Tradition
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Thinking of raising Christian children (in the light of St. Silouan’s family experience), I offer these few thoughts. The Nativity season offers many opportunities for families to be guided by Holy Tradition – just as we are also swamped by the distorting demands of commercial culture. May God guard our children and keep us all by His grace. +++ Sometime back, I watched a group of linguistic-psychologists (of varying sorts) in a…
Praying in the Rain
Bearing Fruit in Good Works
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In Colossians chapter one, St. Paul prays for the Colossians that they would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will and live (“walk”) in a manner worthy of and pleasing to the Lord, bearing fruit in good works and increasing in their knowledge of God. In order to do this the Colossians are to be “empowered with the strength that is according to God’s glorious might.” But then comes the surprising…
