Homily - The Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon
OrthoAnalytika
The Sunday for the Fourth Ecumenical Council Titus 3:8-15; Matthew 5:14-19 Note: the recording includes a few seconds when Fr. Anthony's mind went apophatic and he forgot a critical detail. Real life is like that sometimes! First Council: Nicea in 325 (vs. Arius) "And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made: Who for us men and our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of...
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Homily - On Seeing and Encouraging the Good in the Centurion, our Neighbor, and our Nation
OrthoAnalytika
In this homily on St Matthew 8:5-13 (the faith of the Centurian), given on the Sunday after the Feast of American Independence (7/6/2025), Fr. Anthony continues to remind us of our calling to order creation, focusing on the evangelic method that looks for the good in something and working to make it better. Christ did not focus on the faults of the Centurian, but on what was good in Him so that it might become his defining characteristic and thus guide him (in Christ!) towards the better, the more beautiful, and the True. He encourages us to do this for our neighbor and our...
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Homily at Camp St. Thekla - Pastoring the Cosmos towards Perfection
OrthoAnalytika
This homily was given at an outdoor chapel up in the mountains at Camp St. Thekla on the 27th of June, 2026. The recorder was a few feet away from Fr. Anthony, so the recording has a chorus of insects as background noise. In the homily, Fr. Anthony describes our calling to identify and nurture the good in creation (to include that in our souls!) towards perfection. Enjoy the show!
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Homily at Camp St. Thekla - Sts Peter and Paul
OrthoAnalytika
This homily was given on the 26th of June 2025 at Camp St. Thekla in Cleveland, South Carolina, at the celebration of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (offered in anticipation). In it, Fr. Anthony reflects on the bold faith and deep friendship between these two pillars of the Church. Drawing from their distinct personalities— Peter the confident fisherman who was always both bold and repentant and Paul the intellectual missionary who was always ready to live and sacrifice for his beliefs. Father encourages all of us to recognize how God uses our unique gifts for a greater...
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Homily at Camp Thekla - On Prophecy (at the edges)
OrthoAnalytika
This homily was given at Camp St. Thekla in Cleveland SC, on June 24, 2025, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. Fr. Anthony used it as an opportunity to encourage all the campers who felt like they didn't belong. It touches on the themes of prophecy, being called, and how to listen for the voice of God. Enjoy the show!
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Homily - Acquiring Peace and the Spiritual Gut Check
OrthoAnalytika
The Feast of All Saints Hebrews 11:33-40; 12:1-2; St. Matthew 10:32-33; 37-38; 19:27-30 After clearing up potential confusion about "leaving" families as a sure way to heaven, Fr. Anthony asks how we are doing with the gifts of the Passion, Resurrection, and Pentecost (THE Holy Spirit!) God has given us to assist us in our healing and perfection. He encourages us to do a gut check on how we are doing by looking at the degree to which criticism and praise pull us from our peace. Enjoy the show!
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Homily - Pentecost and the Gift of Communification
OrthoAnalytika
Pentecost: The Language of Love This episode explores Pentecost as more than a miracle of tongues—it's a call to unity through the divine language of love. The Holy Spirit empowers us to truly listen, love, and live in communion. Through grace, repentance, and the Eucharist, we are formed into the family of God—one in purpose, diverse in gift, united by love. Enjoy the show!
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Homily - The Sunday after Ascension
OrthoAnalytika
The Truth Matters This homily explores why truth is essential—in logic, relationships, and faith. It examines the unique role of religion, the danger of distorting truth (like Arius did), and the deep meaning of Christ’s incarnation, resurrection, and ascension. Standing on the Rock of Christ, we’re called to live in love and invite others to the truth God gives as a gift. Enjoy the show!
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Talk - Spiritual Fatherhood and the Temptation of Tyranny
OrthoAnalytika
In today's class, Fr. Anthony talks about spiritual fatherhood and how the health of the parish flows from the health of the priest and back. The talk included the temptation of tyranny, young-eldership (mladastarstvo), and people-pleasing. Enjoy the show!
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Homily - What Really Sustains Us?
OrthoAnalytika
John 4:5-42. In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about living water and secret food—not physical things, but spiritual truths. So here’s the big question: What truly motivates us? Is it money, health, happiness? Those things matter—but they don’t last. When life gets hard, they can’t sustain us. Jesus shows us something deeper. His true nourishment is doing God’s will—connecting with others, sharing love, offering grace. That’s the “living water” He gave to the Samaritan woman, and it transformed her life. And it can transform ours, too. Let’s find our purpose in loving...
info_outlineSunday of the Veneration of the Cross.
“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24
Christ is talking as if “coming after” or “following” Him is something good. What is that all about? Where is He going? Where is He leading us?
Christ talks about “denying” ourselves. In the next verse He ties that to being willing to die.
This sounds important. We need to get it right.
Great lie: all religions are the same – but the devil himself can appear as an angel of light! (2 Corinthians 11:14).
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Don't think that just having faith in SOMETHING is enough.
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Why in the world are there so many warnings in the Bible about idolatry?
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Some people focus on sexual sin, but even that is used as a metaphor for worshipping false gods (one is bad, but the other is worse; just as marriage is good but union with God in the Church is even better).
We need to get this cross thing right.
Is it just about perseverance? Everyone has their own cross to bear? Kind of, but even that needs to be grounded. We aren't just stoics, we are stoics of a certain type.
What is the cross? Pain. But just any pain?
Look to the prototype: we are Christians, and He is our standard. His cross was painful, but it was pain put to a certain use. It was sacrificial. He gave Himself as a sacrifice. All sacrifice is of something valuable, something hard. Pain is like that.
The cross was Christ's sacrifice on behalf of the people and world that He loved.
This gives us enough to work on: taking up our cross means doing things that are hard on behalf of others. It means denying what we might prefer so that others can thrive.
For Christ, that meant leaving the place where He was given the glory and honor that was His due to go live in a place where He would be disrespected, misunderstood, and even tortured; and He did it so that we – the ones He loves – could join Him in eternal glory.
When we voluntarily sacrifice our time, putting up with people who may misunderstand us, who may not value us, and who may never really appreciate what we are doing; and we do it out of a desire for their health and salvation...
Then we are taking up our cross and following Christ into glory.
So be patient when your ego tells you to lash out; be courageous when your instincts tell you to hide; figure out what love requires in each moment – and then dedicate yourself to it. THAT requires listening to the needs of the moment.
That is the cup that our Lord accepted in the Garden of Gethsemene that led to the salvation of the world – and drinking of that cup unites us to Him through His passion on the Cross into everlasting life with all the saints.