The Morning Offering
Bishops and Priests
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Bishops serve as Christ among us, and priests as the presence of the bishop among his people The bishop is to be both a servant to his people and father to his flock. He represents Christ in the midst of his diocese, and must be compassionate, sweet, longsuffering, humble, and kind hearted. He must be available to his people. The…
The Morning Offering
The Spiritual Benefits of the Pandemic
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Let us allow this pandemic to be the force that transforms the world Entertainment has come to take on a central role in many people’s lives, becoming so important as to have replaced personal interaction with neighbors and friends. I’m old enough to remember the day when neighborhoods were filled with homes sporting large front porches. On hot summer nights…
Orthodox Reformed Bridge
Responding to Pastor Jordan Cooper
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“Five Reasons Why I am not Orthodox” A reader asked for my thoughts about Pastor Jordan Cooper’s YouTube video “Five Reasons I am not Eastern Orthodox.” In this quite brief (15 minutes) video, Jordan Cooper concisely and eloquently gives his reasons for not converting to Orthodoxy. I very much enjoyed the thoughtful, irenic spirit of his presentation. While Pastor Cooper is an ordained Lutheran minister, his reasons for not converting echo the…
Eastern Christian Insights
What Does It Mean to Believe that "Christ is Risen!" ?: Sunday of Thomas the Apostle, Called “The Twin” in the Orthodox Church
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Acts 5:12-20; John 20:19-31 Christ is Risen! Today we continue to celebrate the most fundamental and joyful proclamation of our faith: The resurrection of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ on the third day. He is our Pascha, our Passover, from death to life, for Hades and the grave could not contain the God-Man Who shares with us His victory over death. He has made even the tomb a pathway to…
The Morning Offering
Don't Let Anger Take Root
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We must not allow the passion of anger to take root Most people, when angered by someone, think the best way to deal with the anger is by avoiding the person who offended us. The problem with this approach is that it allows the anger to take root in the heart, festering as a sinful passion. Because anger is a…
Raising Saints
Virtual Sunday School Continues
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Father Bill's Blog
192. Second Sunday of Pascha - Seeking the Truth with the Apostle Thomas
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Christ is risen! Truly He is risen! Some Bible commentaries say that Saint John the Evangelist portrayed the Apostle Thomas as “the clueless one”, a shallow skeptic, and otherwise sought to “discredit” him. Really? I don’t think so! From what I read in John’s Gospel, I admire Thomas immensely, and I think John did too. Remember that John needed to keep his Gospel account short, compact enough to be carried around easily –…
No Other Foundation
What’s Wrong with Inter-communion?
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Like many, I was more than a little surprised to see an American Orthodox archbishop of prominence suggest that inter-communion is a good idea—i.e. that an Orthodox priest should give Holy Communion to a non-Orthodox person. Admittedly he was not suggesting indiscriminate inter-communion and giving the Eucharist to anyone showing up from off the street. The situation he envisioned was that of inter-marriage, wherein an Orthodox was married to a non-Orthodox. He…
Faith Encouraged
The Zeal of Faith, Full of the Holy Spirit! Bright Friday
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Christ is risen! “What would Jesus do?” That phrase was popular a few years ago, and I confess to being amused by this fad of “easy religion.” One of the main reasons was that the life of Jesus is not easily categorized as the comfortable “Jesus” we moderns would prefer. You know the “Jesus” I’m talking about: The “meek” Jesus that pats everyone on the head and tells them they are “OK,…
The Morning Offering
All of God's Creatures
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When we humans respect all of God’s creatures, we advance the Kingdom of Heaven A few days ago we were forced, as a community, to decide what must be done regarding one of our ducks. The drake, named “Sir Francis Drake” by Monk Peter, whose job it is to tend to the needs of our chickens and ducks, was seen…
Glory to God for All Things
The Gift of Pascha
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It is impossible to describe the joy of Pascha, particularly as I experience it as a priest. This year, I was deeply aware that I stand in a place that was both created for me, and for which I am unworthy. The joy of such a combination is the realization of the Gift. When you are trying to find a gift for someone, the most difficult part, it seems to me, is…
Faith Encouraged
The Wind Blows Confusion Away! Bright Thursday
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Christ is risen! Ah, the beauties of Springtime! And the hay fever! For those of us susceptible to the reign of terror that is pollen season; the watery eyes, the stuffy nose, basically all the bad stuff on all the commercials we see for medicine to combat this scourge of this wonderful season; we love and hate this time of year! Especially when the wind is blowing around all that yellowish-green pollen…
The Morning Offering
Blessed is the Kingdom
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Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. The Divine Liturgy begins with the words, “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages”. This Kingdom is our true…
Faith Encouraged
Get My E-Book "A FaithEncouraged" for A Discounted Price!
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Faith Encouraged
Find Where Jesus Stays! Bright Wednesday
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Christ is risen! “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” As I’ve had to shelter in place during this beautiful time of year, I confess, I’ve been tempted with despair but then I read the rest of the quote and I refuse to allow the temporary to drown out the Song of the Resurrection in my heart! This startling quote from…
The Morning Offering
The Paschal Egg
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The Tradition of the Paschal Egg There is a beautiful tradition within the life of the Church for believers to have as their last meal before beginning the Great Lenten Fast, a hard boiled egg, white in color. This egg represents our sinful nature, and we eat this egg with the hope that the Lenten journey will bring us to…
Faith Encouraged
It's Really YOU! Bright Tuesday
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Christ is risen! “Now I recognize you!” He was an old friend from High School, and, for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the face UNTIL he made that facial expression he use to make at lunchtime that made us fall on the floor laughing! I love moments like that when the “AHA” moment comes and clarity arrives! It is such a reassuring feeling that maybe I haven’t really lost my…
The Morning Offering
Fleeting Joy is Banished
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For everlasting Joy comes with Christ’s Resurrection We all have certain things in our lives that we feel passionate about. When I was a young man, long distance running was my passion, and nothing gave me more joy than the run. Every day was organized around running. I’d even plan vacations around my runs, often heading to Vancouver, B.C., so…
No Other Foundation
Doesn’t That Bible Say?
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Recently I was listening to some very old music—that of Barry McGuire. Barry McGuire is perhaps best known in popular culture from his 1965 hit Eve of Destruction, but I was listening to him sing with the (then) young trio The Second Chapter of Acts at the 1975 live concert To the Bride, the final rousing song from which was the song Doesn’t That Bible Say We Shall Overcome? (offered here for…
Faith Encouraged
Making Jesus Known! Bright Monday
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Christ Is Risen! What joy! What happiness! What a celebration! Words fail. Songs sung over and over again still cry out for more! Death is conquered by the Unconquered Son. O what news! The whole earth basks in the glow of the Victory of Christ over death! No more fear! No more night! The Son has dawned and there are no dead left in the grave! It all sounds like so much…
The Morning Offering
Jubilation
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And the Resurrection of Jesus Christ The jubilation of the Church is also the jubilation of the Divine Persons of the Holy Trinity at the accomplishment of our salvation. The resurrection of Christ, which brought on the defeat of the power of death, is the cause of joyful praise, because He is the cause of the death of death, and…
Glory to God for All Things
Christ Is Risen
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No Other Foundation
Pascha 2020: Things That Remain
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This Lent we have lost so much. I am reminded of images that I sometimes see on television of people returning to their homes after forced evacuation due to flood or fire and of them pawing through the ruins to discover how much of what they had before still remained. That’s what it sometimes feels like. Before the Covid pestilence struck, we had so much. Now many of the things we took…
The Morning Offering
HOLY PASCHA
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The Resurrection of Our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! Хрїстóсъ воскрéсе! Воистину воскресе! Kristus er oppstanden! Han er sannelig oppstanden! Christus ist auferstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig auferstanden! Χριστός ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ανέστη! Христос воскресе! Воистину воскресе! Tha Crìosd air èiridh! Gu dearbh, tha e air èiridh! ハリストス復活！実に復活！ המשיח קם! באמת קם! Kristus nousi…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Hades is Embittered
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The Morning Offering
Holy Saturday Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil
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Father Bill's Blog
191. GREAT AND HOLY PASCHA: The Resurrection of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ
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Christ is risen! Truly he is risen! Father Alexander Schmemann called our Orthodox Paschal celebration “an explosion of joy”. There are many videos here. I’m guessing you won’t listen to them all today. Why don’t you spread them out through the week? There is so much pure joy in them, and we could use that these days. Please do not miss the last one. I am one of those who are shut…
