Category: Daily Spirituality

Do Orthodox Christians Have Jesus in Their Hearts?

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Sunday of the Canaanite Woman, February 14, 2016 II Corinthians 6:16b-18, 7:1; Matthew 15:21-28 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. “You are a temple of the living God, even as God has said: ‘I will dwell in them, and walk among them; and I will be their…

Is Witness More Important Than Worship?

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Today, I came across a meme image on Facebook showing a man walking out of church and featuring the following statement: Your most significant witness is how you treat others after the worship service ends. I’ve seen this sentiment before. The idea here is that, while worship is important, its true purpose is to equip or inspire believers to go out and bring Christ…

The Priesthood Is… (Anonymous Comments from Orthodox Priests)

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
I recently had the idea to ask Orthodox Christian priests to give me a short sentence or two about the priesthood—something honest and anonymous. I was delighted at the responses I got, from experienced priests, from those ordained only a short time, and from those somewhere in between. Some were heartening. Some were painful. Some were paradoxical. And some were a bit humorous. Some…

Heaven in the Desert: Anthony the Great and the Longing for God

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Feast of St. Anthony the Great / Twelfth Sunday of Luke, January 17, 2016 Hebrews 13:17-21; Luke 17:12-19 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. In the year 270, a twenty-year-old man whose parents had recently died stood in church and heard these words from Matthew chapter 19:…

You MAKE Me So Angry: How Do I Acquire the Spirit of Peace?

· Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Why is it that some people so easily make us mad? It seems that even some person we don’t know on the Internet can drive us crazy, stir up anger, inspire our scorn and derision, etc. Or some people can send us spiraling into anxiety, despair or depression. When this person or that does (or doesn’t do) that one thing, well, I just get……

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…