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The Descent of God as Fire: Pentecost and the Exodus

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Sunday of Pentecost, June 4, 2017 Acts 2:1-11; John 7:32-57, 8:12 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. In his commentary on the events of that first Pentecost, the Venerable Bede, who was an English saint and Biblical scholar and commentator in the early eighth century, makes…

Did Jesus Abandon Us at the Ascension?

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Sunday after Ascension, May 28, 2017 Acts 20:16-18, 28-36; John 17:1-13 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. We have now left behind the time of continuous celebration of Christ’s resurrection and are now celebrating His ascension into heaven, a feast that falls on the fortieth day…

Those Who Quit Church: Why Do We Talk About Converts More?

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Recently, someone wrote to ask why the Orthodox blogosphere and media seem to talk far more about converts to Orthodoxy than people who have been Orthodox and have left off coming to church. This is a hard subject, and it’s one I don’t recall seeing talked about much online. This (with some edits and additions) was my response: I will relate why I think…

What’s the Point of Miracles?

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Sunday of the Paralytic, May 7, 2017 Acts 9:32-42; John 5:1-15 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Christ is risen! Do you ever wonder what it might have been like to be with the Apostles during those exciting days after Pentecost, when they were sent forth…

Receiving the Body of Jesus: Joseph of Arimathea and Holy Communion

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Myrrh-bearers Sunday, April 30, 2017 Acts 6:1-7; Mark 15:43-16:8 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Christ is risen! Today we celebrate two sets of people who gave attention to the body of our Lord Jesus Christ after His crucifixion: the Myrrh-bearing Women and two men who…

The Priesthood After the Resurrection

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Thomas Sunday and the Feast of St. George, April 23, 2017 Acts 5:12-20; John 20:19-31 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Christ is risen! It’s not easy being a parish priest. It often comes with a lot of disappointment and frustration. There have even been a…

Lent and Priesthood #10: The Priesthood of Paradox

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Palm Sunday, April 9, 2017 Philippians 4:4-9; John 12:1-8 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today is the tenth and final Sunday of our extended meditation on the priesthood, covering all the Sundays preparing us for Lent, all the Sundays of Lent proper, and now Palm…