Author: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

The Very Rev. Archpriest Andrew Stephen Damick is Chief Content Officer of Ancient Faith Ministries, former pastor (2009-2020) of St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and author of The Lord of Spirits, Arise, O God, Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy, Bearing God and An Introduction to God. He is co-host of the following podcasts: The Lord of Spirits (with Fr. Stephen De Young), The Areopagus (with Michael Landsman), and Amon Sûl (with Richard Rohlin). He is also host of The Orthodox Pilgrim, Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy, Orthodox Engagement, and Roads from Emmaus. With Richard Rohlin he is collaborating on the major documentary series The Wolf and the Cross. You can follow him on YouTube, Facebook, Telegram and Instagram.

St. Nicholas, Enemy of Demons

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Feast of Nicholas the Wonder-worker / Tenth Sunday of Luke, December 6, 2015 Hebrews 13:17-21; Luke 13:10-17 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. On the sixth of December we remember one of the most famous Christians in the world, Nicholas the Wonder-worker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia,…

When the “A-ha Moment” Turns into “Gotcha”

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
When I was younger, especially in my twenties and early thirties, I was always looking for a sort of “skeleton key” that would explain Life, The Universe and Everything to me (or at least some specific issue), a meta-narrative that brought it all together. I’ve since learned that the only true narrative in that regard is the Gospel. Every other skeleton key–even theological ones,…

Awake, O Sleeper! Dream Logic and Spiritual Life

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost / Thirteenth Sunday of Luke, November 29, 2015 Ephesians 5:8-19; Luke 18:18-27 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. One of my favorite metaphors for spiritual conversion is to awaken from sleep. There is actually a lot about spiritual life that resembles sleeping or…

Oneness in the Church: The Key to Generosity and Good Works

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost / Ninth Sunday of Luke, November 22, 2015 Ephesians 4:1-7; Luke 12:16-21 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Paul is in prison, and he writes to the Christians of Ephesus the beautiful words we hear today. Let’s hear them again: “I, the prisoner…

Christ is the Samaritan & I Am the Beaten Man

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost / Eighth Sunday of Luke, November 15, 2015 Ephesians 2:14-22; Luke 10:25-37 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. As we continue our parish meditations on serious giving as a critical element of the spiritual life, we hear today the famous Parable of the…

Why Does the Orthodox Parish Exist? The Rich Man, Tithing & Lazarus

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Ss. Cosmas and Damian / Fifth Sunday of Luke, November 1, 2015 I Corinthians 12:27-13:8; Luke 16:19-31 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. One of the things that is most important for any community is to ask the question of who they are, why they exist. This…

6 Reasons Why Tithing is Good for an Orthodox Parish

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Tithing is good for the Orthodox Christian and therefore good for the Orthodox parish. So why don’t more Orthodox Christians tithe? We know the usual reasons: We’re not used to it. Back in the old country the government paid for the church. The parish was founded on the “dues” model. Tithing is “Protestant.” Orthodox people are stingy. We just don’t have it in our…

Tithing: The Sacrifice That Gets Us Unstuck

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost / Sixth Sunday of Luke, October 25, 2015 Galatians 2:16-20; Luke 8:26-39 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Most of the time, we do not take responsibility for our own being and destiny. Part of this is that we don’t really know ourselves…