One of the things I’ve encountered among some Orthodox Christians in America is the idea that, since most Christians in history were basically illiterate—that’s one reason we have iconography, right?—then there really is not an urgency to teach people what we might think of as the “data” of the Orthodox faith. It’s enough to have a good piety, to be a good person, to…
Included in the lectionary I read today is this short verse: For we walk by faith, not by sight. (II Corinthians 5:7) The context here is St. Paul’s larger discussion in II Corinthians 5 of our hope of the resurrection, but this verse often gets taken out of this context to be given as a general rule for spiritual life. Taking things out of…
For today’s entry, I wanted to share some excerpts from some of my reading lately. We’ve been doing a conversation-oriented class on acquiring the spirit of peace at St. Paul’s over the past several weeks, and this past Wednesday night included the discussion of letting go of the need to control others as engendering peace within our own souls. And one of the things…
Since we do not have a parish secretary, I just fielded a marketing call from an online service that is billing itself as the “Netflix for the church.” (“Are you familiar with Netflix, sir?”) I asked who generates the media that they sell. A list of names was rattled off (Matt Chandler, Dave Ramsey, Andy Stanley, etc.), kind of a who’s who in popular…
I recently ran across someone online asking people what they wished someone had told them when they were young. There were a lot of interesting answers. Some were about trusting your parents more, while others were about trusting your parents less. One man said that his younger self should hear that he would regret not sticking with the piano. Another said that 99% of…
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost / First Sunday of Luke, September 25, 2016 II Corinthians 1:21-24, 2:1-4; Luke 5:1-11 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. The One who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, is God; who has also sealed us, and has given…
Sunday after the Elevation of the Cross, September 18, 2016 Galatians 2:16-20; Mark 8:34-9:1 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh…
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the Fifth Sunday of Matthew, July 24, 2016 Romans 10:1-10; Matthew 8:28-9:1 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. For Christ is the fulfillment of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes. That is Romans 10:4, which we just heard read in…
