Word of the Day
When We Intend to Serve the Lord, Adversaries Arise (Wed. August 25)
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The word of the day is “adversaries.” It is natural to expect that when we set about to serve the Lord that He would remove any obstacles in our way. But today’s reading of 1 Corinthians 16:4-12, Paul refers to many opponents that stand in the way of his plans to preach the Gospel. Today we will use Paul’s example to learn why some put roadblocks in our work for the Lord. And we will discuss how we can overcome these barriers. In today’s reading of 1 Corinthians 16:4-12, Paul closes his letter with a summary of his plans for his ministry. He writes that he is eager to visit the Corinthians and to deal with matters that he could…
A Healing Driven Life
The Forward Leaning Life: Sails Up in the Pursuit of Peace
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It is good to pause and reflect on what spirit or disposition we engage our daily life. Have we been living reactively or proactively? Each one has profound ramifications for our emotional, spiritual, and physical health. When we are living life reactively, it means that our default daily functioning tends to be living life proverbially on our heels. We never feel that we have a firm footing in our lives. We seem always be in the process of responding to something unexpected or not planned. We feel at the mercy of the powers of this worldly life and at the beck and call of others. It can even reach a point where we feel that everything that we do, we…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
My New Book: Arise, O God
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Every Thought Captive
Attention Must Be Paid
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“The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something, and tell what he saw in a plain way.” –John Ruskin As nearly a year has passed since my last blog post, a year during which both my parents died (among other personal catastrophes), I am not going to attempt a continuity with that post I cannot feel. From where I am now, I cannot muster any confidence in my ability to write a “Part 2” that reasonably maintains the logic and tone of the first installment. Instead, I will attempt…
Faith Encouraged
But HOW?
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“But, how does it work?” That was the question burning in my mind as a young, curious, typical pre-teen boy. So, I did what any normal kid would do. I took the clock apart! Still didn’t get my question answered because I didn’t understand the gears and spring system concept, and the clock never worked again because I didn’t know how to put it back together again! Needless to say, mom wasn’t…
Word of the Day
The Transformation of Our Lowly Body To Be Like Christ’s Glorified Body (Tues. August 24)
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The word of the day is “transform.” To be transformed is to be changed in appearance, character, and makeup. But imagine that we are to be transformed. Before we are changed, would we know what our new state will be? Our new condition would be unknown to us until we found ourselves in the new form. So it is with the transformation of our bodies in the resurrection. In today’s reading of 1 Corinthians 15:29-38, St. Paul finishes his defense of the resurrection of the body. He begins a long answer to two questions: “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” (vs. 35). Today we will review why Paul must respond to these queries…
Glory to God for All Things
The Despised God
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In On the Orthodox Faith, St. John of Damascus declares: ‘The Son is the image of the Father, and the Spirit the image of the Son’. Such statements are easily read and passed over as among the more obvious Trinitarian statements. I add to this statement another from St. Irenaeus: “That which is invisible of the Son is the Father, and that which is visible of the Father is the Son.”…
Faith Encouraged
Do You Have the Mind of Christ?
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“We are of one mind about this.” I heard his words and I understood each word and its meaning, but I had never heard this put this way before – “of one mind.” What did he mean? But, hey, I was a kid of 22 and the situation was such that I was hoping he meant we were in agreement. Too embarrassed to ask, I assumed (dangerous, I know) we were, in…
Word of the Day
The Reality of Our Hope Is Already Here (Mon. August 23)
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The word of the day is “hope.” We think of hope as our expectation of something good that will happen in the future. In today’s reading of 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, Paul vigorously defends the basis of our hope in Christ. It is His glorious resurrection. Against those in Corinth who were denying the resurrection of believers, the Apostle states, “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished” (vs. 17-18.) Today, we will consider that if the basis of our hope is that Christ is risen, then our hope is more than an expectation. Our hope is also an anticipation. Hope Looks Forward to…
Shepherding our Little Flock
Peacemaker
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Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God. – Matthew 5:9 Bickering Happens Children fight. Our children fight. We wish they didn’t. We try to make them not – but there seems to be some deep-set fallen instinct in children (and adults only better hidden sometimes) to bicker. I deeply love and admire the books of the late writer Richard Carlson who wrote the Don’t Sweat the…
Word of the Day
Building the Church and Our Lives on the One Sure Foundation (Sun. August 22)
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The word of the day is “foundation.” How does it happen that church leaders lead the flock of Christ astray? How does it happen that the members of a church depart from the teaching of its founders? In today’s reading of 1 Cor. 3:9-17, Paul explains the squabbles dividing the church in Corinth. He writes, “As a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it” (OSB vs. 10). Paul has founded the congregation, but other pastors have succeeded him. But the members are now dividing themselves according to what they perceive as the different teaching of their shepherds. Are Paul’s successors at fault? Let…
Eastern Christian Insights
Without the True Foundation, We Sink Like Stones: Homily for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, the Ninth Sunday of Matthew, and the After-Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos in the Orthodox Church
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1 Corinthians 3:9-17: Matthew 14:22-34 What is the true foundation of our life? In what or in whom do we place our trust? Where do we look for the fulfillment of the desires of our hearts? How we answer these questions reveals a great deal about who we are. We live in a time and place, however, that discourages us from acquiring the mindfulness necessary to attend…
Word of the Day
The Consolation of Commending All Our Lives to Christ (Sat. August 21)
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The word of the day is “Lord’s.” In good times we are apt to forget that we own neither the present nor the future. We begin to construct a life for ourselves without reference to our Creator and Redeemer. But in times of misfortune, when things do not go our way, we see the futility of our efforts to live for ourselves. At these times, it is a great comfort to believe that everything is in the hands of God. In today’s reading of Romans 14:6-9, St. Paul writes, “Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (vs. 8). At the end of every litany in the Divine Liturgy, we “commend ourselves and each other, and all our…
No Other Foundation
A Brief Personal Appeal
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As some may know, I have been the pastor of St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church since it began under the OCA in 1987. It is only because of the congregation’s support that I have been able to also work at my ministry of writing and podcasting. Our congregation is currently experiencing difficulty and needs help from the wider church. Those wishing to learn more and to offer help are directed here. …
A Lamp for Today
Lighting Up the Apocalypse 14: Wrath and Deliverance
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Revelation 6; Zechariah 1, 6; Isaiah 64; Psalm 84 (85) Chapters 4 and 5 of the Apocalypse are awe-inspiring, but also lift up our spirits. There we hear of God’s loving sovereignty over creation, and give thanks for this along with the heavenly hosts. There we hear also of God’s faithful sovereignty over history, and give praise, along with the hosts, for the redemption brought by the Lamb. We have seen this…
Faith Encouraged
Your Heart As God's Temple
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If you have a younger sibling then you’ve heard this before: “She did it! Why can’t I?” I know I’ve heard it in my house on numerous occasions, especially when the younger kiddo wonders out loud “What about me?” But sometimes (actually, many times) the younger child isn’t developmentally ready to take on the task that her bigger sister is doing. This happened recently as one daughter was walking to her bus…
Word of the Day
Everything in Worship Done Decently and in Order (Fri. August 20)
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The word of the day is “confusion.” Orthodox worship reflects a sense of the sacredness of God and the dignity of people. It follows an ancient “ordo” or structure with words that stem from St. Basil the Great or St. John Chrysostom in the fourth century. Some might call this reverent and graceful attitude of worship formal and ritualistic. But the stately mood reflects the teaching of today’s reading of 1 Corinthians 14:26-40. In this reading Paul instructs the Corinthians to set their worship in order. We will find Paul advises a serene atmosphere in worship. And that mood reflects the holiness of God who is a God of harmony and peace. The Mood of Pagan Worship Infects the Church…
Faith Encouraged
The Unexpected Cure
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When I think of the requests we make of God, I find my own requests break down into a few categories – Personal needs, Family concerns, Parish concerns, and Hopes and Fears. But one of the blessings of being Orthodox is that the wise prayers preserved in the Faith cause my prayers to ever expand to include the whole universe. The regular litanies of the Divine Liturgy and other services allow me…
Word of the Day
Praying With the Understanding in Worship Services (Thurs. August 19
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The word of the day is “understanding.” Some equate the mystical with the esoteric. They believe that the more incomprehensible the utterance, the more sacred the speech is. This claim is like the boast of those who “spoke in tongues” in the congregation at Corinth. These troublemakers who could utter strange sounds boasted that they had superior spiritual knowledge. Their speech may have been ecstatic, but it had no message that could be communicated to others. In response to this bragging, in today’s reading of 1 Corinthians 14:6-9, the apostle minimizes the importance of this unintelligible speech. Instead, he recommends praying with “understanding” (v. 5). Those who had it might have been carried away into a higher mystical state, but…
Behind the Scenes
Humans of Ancient Faith: Sarah Wright
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Humans of Ancient Faith is a series of mini-interviews designed to introduce you to the many wonderful human beings who make this ministry possible. We asked the same 5 questions in each interview, and let the interviewee choose a sixth question. Today’s guest is author Sarah Wright. ++++++++++++++ If you were named for your defining characteristic, what word or phrase would be your name? List-Maker. I have lists for everything! Lists filled…
Frederica.com
How to Pray without Ceasing, by St Basil
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[July 11, 2021] This is taken from St. Basil’s Homily 5, on St. Julitta. (It’s the old-fashioned translation by Philip Schaff.) Ought we to pray without ceasing? Is it possible to obey such a command? These are questions which I see you are ready to ask. I will endeavor, to…
Glory to God for All Things
The Village Inside Us - The Whole Adam
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Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of my father’s passing. I have felt the day approaching for a few weeks now. I have also been reflecting on why I feel it so poignantly. The truth is that we know a parent in a unique way, indeed, in a manner that differs even from that of our siblings. What we know is never really the person as they stand, fully themselves. We know them…
Walking an Ancient Path
Stumbling Stones on the Orthodox Road: Reconsidering the Virgin Mary, Part 2
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I sat at a table during a women’s Bible study in my nondenominational church, maybe 15 or 20 years ago. The leader, a conscientious and gifted Bible teacher, was telling us about Jesus as the new Adam and included St. Paul’s thoughts on the subject. She displayed a chart, with side-by-side comparisons of Jesus’ obedience versus Adam’s disobedience, such as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil leading to death…
Faith Encouraged
Four Fantasies of Fairness
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I don’t believe in “fairness.” Really! I really don’t believe in it at all. Oh, I get the concept, don’t get me wrong, but I simply don’t believe humans are capable of it. At least not yet, anyway. Frankly, I’m convinced the Evil One uses our innate knowing that fairness SHOULD exist AND our inability to produce it to enslave us to perpetual agitation or despair! Look at our lesson today in…
Word of the Day
Love Endures When All Else Fails (Wed. August 18)
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The word of the day is “endures.” People these days do not value things that last. But when the trials of life come, they realize that they have taken the good things of life for granted, and what is valuable has slipped away from them. Then, they begin to seek something that endures. In today’s reading of 1 Corinthians 13:4-14, Paul answers that quest. It is love. The apostle writes that love “…bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (vs. 7). The Love God Has For Us and the Love We Share The love that Paul refers to is not the love of romance, friendship, or family. It is the everlasting love that God has…
No Other Foundation
Reaching the World
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If any thinking person today were asked to name “the Queen of the sciences”, odds are they would name biology, since it offers the promise of long and healthy life. Or perhaps they would name physics, as the science likely to find the answer to the problem of global warming. Or the more romantically visionary might name astro-physics, as holding out the hope of eventually taking the human race to other planets…
Faith Encouraged
The Fantasy of Power And Pride
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“Those that don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” So goes the saying that came to my mind as I considered today’s lesson. You see we humans are easily conned into believing “bigger is better.” We think that if some church has a lot of people then it must be successful. But how many times do we have to see these large groups disintegrate after a leader experiences some scandal…
