Time Eternal
Conversion as Paradigm Shift: Why Conversion is So Hard to Explain
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Lately, one of the dominant themes to surface during my parish’s post-Liturgy coffee hour is the complicated nature of conversion. Newcomers ask me and other “converts” (of course, we’re all converts! But you know what I mean…) why we became Orthodox, and many of us find it’s simply too difficult to explain our reasons. As one friend has pointed…
Faith Encouraged
Who CAN Be Saved? You, That’s Who!
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As uncomfortable as it may sound it’s just impossible for me to be saved. Of course, that begs the question “What do you mean by ‘saved’?” And that is the question, isn’t it? In my old way of thinking being saved meant not going to hell when I died. Or, to put a more positive spin on it, going to heaven when I died. But the more I learn about the fullness…
The Morning Offering
Hypocritical Christianity
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Avoiding hypocrisy in our journey to God It is very easy to live our lives in hypocrisy if we are not mindful of the pitfalls of the spiritual life. We can become Pharisees without even noticing, if we let our Christianity be artificially lived. Living our lives as though we have been rehearsed by a stage director, we will have…
Time Eternal
"Wrought in the Stillness of God": St. Ignatius of Antioch on the Unexpected Jesus (Guest Post)
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I asked Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to stop by the Time Eternal blogathon and share something with us about St. Ignatius. Why? Because today (December 20) is St. Ignatius’ feast day–AND because Fr. Andrew’s most recent book is about him, and because I wanted to know what St. Ignatius had to say about the birth of Christ. Why…
Faith Encouraged
He's Not One of Us!
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I remember as a boy dreading recess at school. You see, I was a bit of a bookworm and not very athletic, and so when it came to be picked for teams, I was usually the kid who got picked last. Ugh! I hated that. It was embarrassing and it made me feel like a loser! Of course, when report card time came, all the jocks wished they were me! We humans…
The Morning Offering
On Being a Godparent
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The role of godparent is an awesome responsibility It is always a good idea to revisit the important role godparents play in the life of the newly baptized child. Godparents are also expected to play an important role in the religious and spiritual life of adult converts who’ve been received into the Orthodox Church through the Mystery of Baptism. The…
Walking an Ancient Path
People You Should Know: St. Ignatius of Antioch
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December is a busy time in the Orthodox tradition. Beyond the Nativity celebration, the month also features the feast days of some flashy, well-known fathers like Saint Nicholas (Dec. 6), Saint Spyridon (Dec. 12), and Saint Stephen, the first martyr from the Book of Acts (Dec. 27). Often lost in the shuffle is a second-century martyr who changed my life: St. Ignatius of Antioch. His feast day is fast approaching (Dec. 20),…
Glory to God for All Things
God and the Self - Dragons and The Treasuries of Grace
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Beloved, we are children of God, and it doesn’t yet appear what we shall be. But we know, that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1John 3:2) You are dead, and your life is hid in Christ in God. (Col. 3:3) Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will save it. (Lk. 17:33) You…
Time Eternal
The Joy of Waiting: Time and Psalmody in St. Benedict (Guest Post)
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The first time I guest posted on Time Eternal last October, I explored the problem of impatience and its connection to the Fall. I noted that impatience amounts to a disordered relationship to time—a belief that we should decide when to receive God’s gifts, rather than waiting for His appointed moment. As we approach the Lord’s Nativity I…
Faith Encouraged
This Makes Jesus Mad!
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I struggle with road rage! There, I said it. I guess it comes from my years as a police officer, trained in the rules of the road, trained as a defensive drive and in high speed chases (very terrifying, by the way!) It just gets on my nerves when I see people not paying attention to the conditions, the flow, and the purpose of driving. What really drives me crazy is when…
The Morning Offering
The Knowledge of God
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The limits of human reason and the knowledge of God There is the seen, and there is the unseen, the material and the immaterial. That which is material can be scientifically examined and experienced, the immaterial can only be seen and experienced spiritually. These are two worlds that are only seemingly at odds with one another. If you attempt to…
Time Eternal
Time and Exegesis: Reflections on Contemporary Orthodox Approaches to Scripture (Guest Post)
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Today I’ve asked my friend, Dr. Miriam DeCock, to reflect on how time/temporality shapes her academic field of training. I first met Miriam when we both started teaching at the Orthodox School of Theology at Trinity College in Toronto. She’s since moved on to new opportunities (and is about to head off to a postdoc in Denmark!), so…
Faith Encouraged
This is NOT a Game!
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“Do you think this is funny? This is not a game, young man!” I had made the serious mistake of smiling while the coach was scolding me for messing up a play on the field. In my defense (it actually WAS a game!) I was reacting to being nervous. I have a bad habit of doing that when I’m nervous! But Coach got his point across by making me run laps until I…
The Morning Offering
The Struggle to Repent
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Our goal must be directed towards repentance and the remembrance of death In our struggle on the path to God, repentance must be the central theme. Only in repentance will we find the true meaning of life, for only in repentance can one enter into communion with God. This life has been given to us for one purpose, that we…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Who is the Satan?
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In the post which began the current series, the figure of the Devil and his fall from membership in God’s divine council was discussed. Having served as a cherub or seraph, a guardian of God’s throne, he sought to supplant God in the lives of newly created human beings out of envy, resulting in his being cast down to Sheol to reign over the dead in a kingdom of dust and ashes in Genesis 3. This figure, though clearly seen in the understanding of death and Christ’s victory over it in the New Testament and the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church, lacks many of the common features and characteristics of Satan. He was not, per se, an archangel, certainly…
Time Eternal
Advent in Prison: Rethinking Christmas with Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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Since December 1, I’ve been listening to the audio version of God is in the Manger, an Advent devotional comprised of excerpts from Dietrich Bonhoeffer letters and writings from prison. This is a book I often read through this time of year. Bonhoeffer isn’t Orthodox but his life and death under the Nazi regime are an important witness to Christianity in…
Faith Encouraged
EVERYONE Will Be Salted with Fire!
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Salt has been used to preserve, season, and cure illness, and even used as currency in some cultures! Even in our Orthodox cultures salt has been used to express hospitality and welcome. Several Orthodox traditions have salt as a gift when the bishop arrives at a parish. The bishop is met at the door of the church with bread and salt to mark the joyous occasion of his visit. I never…
The Morning Offering
The Forest That is the Church
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The Church, like a forest, provides needed oxygen Growing up in Northern Idaho, I was surrounded by mountains and forests. I don’t remember a time when forests did not tug at my heart and fill my imagination with thoughts of adventure. As a small child my parents took my brother Dwayne, and me, on annual camping trips to a state…
The Morning Offering
From the desk of Abbot Tryphon
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Photo: Keagan Latrell and Edwin Baxter have been spending time with us. Sunday December 16, 2018 / December 3, 2018 29th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone four. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed Prophet Zephaniah (Sophonias) (635 B.C.). Venerable Sabbas, abbot of Zvenigorod, disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh (1406). New Hieromartyr Andrew priest (1920). New Hieromartyr Nicholas priest (1930).…
Eastern Christian Insights
The Poor, Maimed, Blind, and Lame Fill God's House with Glory: Homily for the Sunday of the Forefathers of Christ in the Orthodox Church
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Colossians 3:4-11; Luke 14:16-24 Earlier this morning in Orthros, we heard the following reading from the Synaxarion for the Sunday of the Forefathers of Christ: “We remember all the holy Patriarchs of the Old Testament who prefigured or foretold Christ: Adam the first Father, Enoch, Melchizedek, Abraham, the friend of God, Isaac, the fruit of the Promise, Jacob and the twelve patriarchs. We then commemorate those who…
The Morning Offering
The Whole Person
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We are both soul and body Unlike angels, who are entirely spiritual beings, God has made each of us as creatures dwelling in a material world. To be whole, we must worship God both in body and soul. This teaching is central to our Christian faith and is an affirmation of the sacramental nature of this material world. Because of…
Father Bill's Blog
96. Is Christmas a Fairy Tale? Part Two - The Evidence for Christ and the Christmas Stories
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Now we come to the big question. Lest you hold your breath in dread anticipation, I’ll not keep you waiting. The conclusion (surprise!) will be No. Christmas is not a fairy tale. I know that, for the most part, I’m preaching to the choir here. And I know we in the choir usually believe not for intellectual reasons, but because we love Jesus and the Church. So you may think you don’t need…
Behind the Scenes
Four Surprising Reasons Why You Should Donate to Ancient Faith Radio
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This is a straight-up, bright and shiny, honest request for your financial support. It’s December. You could turn 360 degrees slowly and see a request for donations on every one of the 360 points of view. We know. We know you work hard, and we know you have choices. So here’s our list of 4 big reasons why we believe Ancient Faith Radio is a good place for your year-end donation. 1.…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Who are Demons?
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In the previous posts of the present series, the Devil and a group of fallen angels were discussed. The former was cast down into Sheol, or Hades, to devour and rule over the dead. The latter were confined in chains in the Abyss for their crimes until the end of the world. In another previous post, the angelic beings to whom the nations were assigned at the tower of Babel, who later became corrupt and sought the worship of the nations they were to govern were described. These beings did not fall as the others and remain in the heavenly places according to St. Paul (Eph 6:12), though they are judged at the resurrection of Christ (Ps 82) and their…
Time Eternal
"What do we make of this day?" Reflecting on the Anniversary of Fr. Alexander Schmemann's Repose
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Yesterday marked the 35th anniversary of the falling asleep of Fr. Alexander Schmemann. I would like to follow up on this occasion with some poignant thoughts from one of his lesser-known works, The Liturgy of Death, a compilation of four talks Schmemann gave in 1979 at a summer institute at SVOTS. In these talks, Schmemann traced the historical…
Faith Encouraged
True Greatness is NEVER about Power!
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Anne Frank wrote: Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness. But this is no new idea. The message of Jesus, especially at Christmas insists that true greatness has EVERYTHING to do with being willing to be weak for the sake of others! We Christians say Jesus is God in the flesh, and He didn’t descend from Heaven fully grown, but came to us as God…
The Morning Offering
The Right to Life
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Cruel and depraved is the killing of the unborn child “Those who use abortifacients commit homicide.” Saint Clement 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…
