Homily - Sowing Mercy: Giving Without Keeping Score
OrthoAnalytika
II Corinthians 9:6-11; Luke 6:31-36 Reflecting on II Corinthians 9:6–11 and Luke 6:31–36, Fr. Anthony explores cheerful giving through the asceticism of relationships. Money is one gift we are called to share, but so are our attention, patience, forgiveness, and kindness. Drawing on the Church Fathers and the image of sowing seed, he considers what happens when we wait for others to deserve our mercy or attach an expectation of repayment to our love. Christ calls us to give even when gratitude never comes, trusting that God is cultivating mercy within our own hearts. The homily...
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Catechism: The Asceticism of Relationships
OrthoAnalytika
This concludes the asceticism portion of a catechetical series, following lessons on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It explores how everyday relationships train us to love through listening, patience, forbearance, and bearing one another’s burdens. Drawing on Scripture and practical pastoral examples, it connects spiritual discipline with kindness, forgiveness, and gentle correction. It also explains how love can include clear boundaries and how repentance helps us take responsibility for our own conduct. I used an AI voice to read the essay summary of the class rather than publish the...
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Homily - Remember Who Dwells in You
OrthoAnalytika
II Corinthians 6:16–18; 7:1 Holiness is real, and the people around us live with the consequences of what we are becoming. Drawing on 2 Corinthians and Saint John Chrysostom, we explore how pride can corrupt even our good deeds—and how remembering Who dwells in us can teach us to repent, give with mercy, and become a blessing to our neighbors. You can read more on this at OrthoAnalytika.org. Enjoy the show!
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Catechism: The Asceticism of Money
OrthoAnalytika
What is our relationship with money teaching us to love? Fr. Anthony explores tithing and almsgiving as ascetic practices that expose our weaknesses and train us in generosity, self-control, and trust in God. Drawing on Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick’s six reasons for tithing, he considers how giving supports parish ministry, how good work bears a double benefit, and why learning to receive can be as challenging as learning to give. This class was given at Christ the Saviour in Anderson, SC, on 24 September 2026.
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Homily - The Way Is Not the Law
OrthoAnalytika
Galatians 2:16-20; Mark 8:34-9:1 St. Paul teaches that the Law could protect, teach, and prepare God's people, but it could not give the new life that comes through Christ. The Orthodox Church gives us an extraordinary Way of prayer, fasting, worship, and tradition that forms us for holiness—but especially when we come to that Way later in life, we can be tempted to master its practices, turn the means into ends, and measure ourselves and others by them. On the Sunday after the Exaltation, we are reminded to be patient with the work of grace: the goal is not to become exceptionally good...
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Catechism: Fasting, Freedom, and the Music of Love
OrthoAnalytika
Fasting is about much more than changing what we eat: it is part of the Church’s training in freedom. Drawing on Scripture, the ascetic tradition, and the image of musicians learning to listen, restrain themselves, and play in harmony, Fr. Anthony explores how fasting retrains our desires so that they no longer rule us. The goal is not deprivation or impressive self-control, but the freedom to love, to live in communion, and to join the beautiful music God is making of His creation. This is the recording of the class given at Christ the Saviour in Anderson SC on 9/16/2026. You...
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When Good Things Get in the Way of Christ
OrthoAnalytika
Galatians 6:11-18; John 3:13-17 The bronze serpent was given by God for the healing of His people, but when Israel began treating the gift as though it possessed holiness in itself, Hezekiah destroyed it as Nehushtan—a mere piece of bronze. St. Paul confronts a similar temptation in Galatians, warning Christians not to mistake even good and God-given practices for the new life that comes only through union with Christ. This homily considers how Orthodox rituals, customs, cultures, and identities can form us in holiness without becoming substitutes for the One toward whom they are meant to...
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Catechism: The Subtle Work of Prayer
OrthoAnalytika
This is a recording of the class given at Christ the Saviour in Anderson SC on 09/09/2026 Prayer is more than asking God for things; it is one of the primary means He has given us for learning to know Him and becoming capable of doing His will. Like practicing music or learning a vocation, a regular prayer rule gradually trains the intellect, disciplines our instincts and passions, opens the heart to God, and joins us more deeply to the common life of the Church. Through prayer, God does not simply change the circumstances around us—He changes us, so that we can participate more faithfully...
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Homily - Decently and in Order: The Discipline of the Liturgy
OrthoAnalytika
In these excerpts from a teaching liturgy, Fr. Anthony reflects on St. Paul’s command that all things in the Church be done “decently and in order,” showing how liturgical discipline serves communion, healing, and holiness rather than mere conformity. From venerating icons and lighting candles to dressing modestly, singing together, moving during the services, and exchanging the kiss of peace (maybe - we'll see!), the rituals of the Church teach us how to live together as the Body of Christ. Good liturgical order is therefore less like a military parade than an orchestra or a dance:...
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Homily - Don’t Be a Jerk: Learning to Love
OrthoAnalytika
St. Matthew 21:33-42 1 Corinthians 16:13-24 St. Paul commands us to “let all that you do be done with love,” but what does love require when our feelings, impulses, and good intentions cannot be trusted? Fr. Anthony considers Christian love through duty, service, attention, and imitation, arguing that love means keeping our commitments, learning to listen before we act, and surrounding ourselves with people worth imitating. Ultimately, Christian love is not something we manufacture for ourselves, but something the Holy Spirit forms within us until commandment becomes virtue, discipline...
info_outlineWhat is our relationship with money teaching us to love? Fr. Anthony explores tithing and almsgiving as ascetic practices that expose our weaknesses and train us in generosity, self-control, and trust in God. Drawing on Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick’s six reasons for tithing, he considers how giving supports parish ministry, how good work bears a double benefit, and why learning to receive can be as challenging as learning to give. This class was given at Christ the Saviour in Anderson, SC, on 24 September 2026.