Faith Encouraged
The Power of Silence
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“Hello darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping. Left it’s seeds while I was sleeping. And the vision that was planted in my brain, still remains within the sound of silence.” The opening lines from Simon and Garfunkel’s haunting hit from 1964 really capture the moment in American culture of both protest and grief. And there is a timelessness about these lyrics that…
The Morning Offering
Bishops and Priests
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A servant cannot be greater than his master The Sovereign Lord of the Universe came down to earth as a humble servant. He Who sits upon the Wings of the Seraphim, was born to us in a stable. The King of kings came as the Good Shepherd Who laid down His life for His sheep. We who serve as His…
Raising Saints
New on your To Do List: Live the Word
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The Youth and Young Adult Ministry department of the national Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (Y2AM) is lead by Steven Christoforou of the wonderful Beetreats and #BeTheBee. Sunday Schools and families have benefitted from their videos immensely. Y2AM has come out with a brand new video series that will benefit all of us. Every Sunday, there’s an epistle reading and gospel reading in church. Those readings are announced well in advance, but we don’t…
Raising Saints
Children's Book Authors Offering Free Lesson Plans
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There’s a wonderful new trend in children’s publishing that will benefit Sunday Schools, homeschoolers, and anyone who who would enjoy using a beautiful children’s book as a springboard to deeper learning: authors are creating lesson plans and suggestions for further conversation to accompany their books! Whether you are trying to find a great activity for your youth group, looking for ideas to keep Sunday School exciting, or just hoping to have great…
Glory to God for All Things
A Pilgrimage to Mt. Athos
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God willing, I leave this Thursday (September 21) for a pilgrimage to Mt. Athos. I’m with a group of ten, including a couple of other priests, and my 30 year-old son. Needless to say, I’ll be “off the grid” for much of that time and unable to respond to comments. I’ll have someone taking care of moderation. I’ve been asked what I hope to get from my time on the mountain.…
No Other Foundation
The Waters of Marah
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North American popular culture, as brought into your home and heart by the North American media, is a very powerful force, and it seems that we too easily underestimate its transforming power. How else to explain the results of a poll undertaken by the Public Religion Research Institute regarding the popularity of the view that favours allowing gays and lesbians to legally marry, and opposing policies that would give business owners the…
Time Eternal
A Simple Life, An Unfolded Soul
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Our culture and media resound with the call to live more simply. Interestingly, the desire to pare life down to the essentials is voiced by virtually every major segment of readers, from secular to new age to generally religious to specifically Christian crowds. There is something about our current societal, cultural, and digital predicament that activates the human…
Faith Encouraged
All Who Wander Aren't Lost
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Have you ever heard of the story of the donkey who saved a prophet’s life by talking to him? And you thought your dreams were strange! Seriously, this powerful story in the First Testament is worth your time! Read the whole story in Numbers 22. To make a long story short, Balaam is something of a prophet and some enemies of the Jews in the area want to hire him to curse…
The Morning Offering
The Seal of Confession
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Important for both Confessor and Penitent The Seal of Confession is a hard and fast rule throughout the history of the Orthodox Church. Since the priest, in Orthodox theology, is but a witness to the confession, since the confession is given to Christ Himself, confidentiality is an absolute must. The secrecy of this Mystery of Penance is vital, for one…
Glory to God for All Things
Raising Christian Children - St. Silouan on His Father
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Most of us would be satisfied to raise children who remain faithful believers. It is not always an easy thing and every parent who has such a child should rejoice constantly. There is no method to raise a child to be a saint, for God alone gives the grace that results in the mystery of such wonderful lives. However that may be, I am often struck in reading the writings of St.…
Faith Encouraged
Emotionally Moved But Not Changed
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You’ve seen the bumper sticker “Practice Random Acts of Kindness.” I confess I’ve seen them all over and my reaction to this altruistic admonition ranges (depending on my mood) from mild annoyance to a twinge of guilt. But rarely does this bumper sticker psychology move me to action. But, hey, that’s the weakness of a bumper sticker mindset! And yet, I click on the stories and watch the viral videos of the…
The Morning Offering
Spiritual Drought
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Encountering drought in one’s soul When most people think of Seattle, they think of rain, lots of rain. Anyone who would choose to live in the Puget Sound region better like rain, we tell our visitors. We love lush green forests, and rushing streams. We love our mountains, snow capped year round. We love the mist that rises over our…
Eastern Christian Insights
Finding Healing Through Sacrifice: Homily for the Sunday After the Exaltation of the Cross in the Orthodox Church
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Galatians 2:16-20 ; Mark 8:34-9:1 Today we continue to celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. It may seem strange that we devote certain periods of the Church year especially to the Cross because it is so characteristic of our entire life in Christ. No matter what else is going on in the Church or in our own lives, we are never done with the Cross,…
The Morning Offering
Living for the Moment
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The temptation of living only for the moment Medical science has proven that teenagers often act without forethought for the consequences of reckless behavior because their brains have not yet fully developed. They are not simply being defiant of the rules of driving, or taking chances with dangerous behavior, but have an inability to process the consequences of their actions.…
Raising Saints
Ornaments for the Nativity Fast!
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As my kids have grown up, I’ve been adapting ‘Jesse Trees’ to prepare us for Christmas. There is something wonderful about the idea of an Advent Calendar that moves through the Old Testament stories, carrying us toward the birth of Christ. Without an Orthodox Jesse Tree, most of us adapt Western models — which is tricky, and not just because our Advent is 40 days long while theirs is only 25. Our…
No Other Foundation
Another Coffee, Anyone?
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After a break of many months, I am happy to announce that the Coffee Cup Commentaries podcast is starting again. There will be some changes, to which the new visual logo attests. It will still be found at Ancient Faith (of course) and will still offer every weekday a five to six minute casual exegesis of the Scriptures as we look at the text verse-by-verse and phrase-by-phrase. But the field has been…
The Morning Offering
The Sanctity of Life
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Cruel and depraved is the killing of the unborn child We are living in a period of history that has seen the cause of human rights take the forefront as never before. We champion the cause of equality under the law for minorities, and continue the struggle for equal rights and equal pay for women, but ignore the rights of…
Growing the Church
External Threats to the Growth of the Church
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Much of the work I have published recently has been focused on various aspects of Church Growth as seen from a perspective within the Church itself. I have appealed to its theology, its tradition, its practices, and its God-given purpose to define the nature of Church and to ask what it might mean for a Church to succeed. I have asked what there is about the Church that could or should grow…
Father Bill's Blog
30. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: Orthodoxy and the Environment
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The Way We Were As I recall it was in 1969 when Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River caught fire that protecting the environment became a popular cause in America, supported by almost everyone. Today many of our lakes, rivers and streams are cleaner. (I think. Cedarburg’s picturesque Cedar Creek is just now being dredged so that people can again eat fish from it. And Lake Michigan has an ongoing problem with smelly algae.) When…
A Lamp for Today
Ashamed of God? Sunday after the Elevation of the Holy Cross
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1 Samuel (Kingdoms) 21; Psalm 33/34; Gal. 2: 16-20; Mark 8:34-9:1 King David was not a stranger to shame. His times were wild and wooly—and most particularly, the times before he actually became king of Israel. Everyone remembers how Saul turned against David, and sought his life, even though David had been loyal to him. Though once favored by the king, David had to run for his life, with his band of…
Faith Encouraged
Taste Suffering SO THAT You Can Taste Glory
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Sometimes, the scriptures say things that really unsettle me. But I’ve learned when that happens, that’s a clue that I am approaching a place in my own heart that needs attention. And it’s beginning to dawn on me that most of the time I am unsettled by the wisdom of the Faith it’s because this wisdom is touching on suffering. Take, for example, this quote from St. Isaac the Syrian: If you would…
The Morning Offering
The Spiritual Life
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The spiritual life is full of pitfalls, and great heights The spiritual life is an adventure, full of pitfalls and great heights. If we take this journey as the prime reason for living, the reward will be great. If we try living our life with the Church placed in a secondary roll, we will end our lives as losers, having…
Glory to God for All Things
The Tree Heals the Tree
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Readers of the New Testament are familiar with St. Paul’s description of Christ as the “Second Adam.” It is an example of the frequent Apostolic use of an allegoric reading of the Old Testament (I am using “allegory” in its broadest sense – including typology and other forms). Christ Himself had stated that He was the meaning of the Old Testament (John 5:39). Within the Gospels Christ identifies His own death and…
Byzantine Frontier
Worshipping God
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Why do we go to church on Sunday and feast days? The answer we give to that question is very important and reveals a great deal about us and our real faith. Before I give the Church’s answer to that, I’ll give several of the reasons people commonly give — whether they are brave enough to voice them or not: (1) Because that is what my family has always done. (2) To feel…
Time Eternal
Show notes for "'Making' Time"
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In this episode of Time Eternal, I’m with Fr. Robert Holet, host of the podcast “First Fruits of Christian Living.” We’re talking about our volition to make time in a fast-paced world of distractions. Part two of this episode will air on Fr. Robert’s podcast, so check it out! *** Did you like this podcast episode? Help Time Eternal out…
No Other Foundation
The Feast of Byzantium
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The Feast of the Elevation of the Cross does not primarily commemorate the crucifixion of Christ. That saving event is commemorated every year on Great and Holy Friday. Our feast of September 14 commemorates the finding of the Cross in the fourth century, when the bishop of Jerusalem took it in his hands, lifted it up (i.e. elevated it), crying out over and over again with joy, “Lord have mercy!” Until that…
Faith Encouraged
Folly Or the Power of God
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“Father, give us a word.” The young men sat in the cell of the holy elder and longed to hear his wisdom for their lives. As the elder spoke, the men’s hearts burned with joy and revelation. The elder then turned and asked each one of the young men what they thought about what he had said. And, in turn, they all spoke about what they thought the elder meant when he…
