Homily - There Just Aren't Enough Real Enemies to Meet Our Demand!
OrthoAnalytika
2 Corinthians 9:6-11; St. Luke 7:11-16. After sharing a brief meditation on the epistle reading (we are temples, made for divinity), Fr. Anthony talks about the requirement that we love our enemies, noting that it is made harder when our fallen imaginations constantly create them almost ex-nihilo and when our tribal propagandists are feeding us with a constant stream of opposition research that makes hating people we have not even met seem natural and righteous. We have to find a different way to think about others, to include those few who really are objectively seeking to...
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Bible Study - Genesis Four and Five
OrthoAnalytika
Today we talk about murder, the geneologies of death and sin, the technologies (that seem to have been) given to man by fallen gods and God Himself, and Cain's line as evidence of our need for the Law and the Prophets - and better yet Christ Himself! The recording is a bit odd - it cut off a couple of times during the class so I filled in the gaps with a narrative summary. Enjoy the show!
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Homily - Don't Try to Bind God with Spells
OrthoAnalytika
Luke 5: 1-11. In this homily on the catching of fish (and men), Fr. Anthony riffs on the homily St. Nikolai Velimirovic gave, looking at it through the lens of Psalm 126:1a; "Except the Lord build the house, they that build labour in vain." After taking us through a tour of the conversion of Egypt and Kyivan Rus' and the way they were tempted to mix their previous pagan techniques with the True Faith, Fr. Anthony warns us that we are similarly tempted to bind God rather than enter into a relationship of love with Him. Enjoy the show!
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Class - Prayer Rules and Silence
OrthoAnalytika
In this edition of our Intro to Orthodoxy series, Fr. Anthony talks about the benefits of a prayer rule and of spending some time regularly in silent (but NOT monastic!) prayer. Enjoy the show!
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Bible Study - Genesis Two and Three
OrthoAnalytika
This evening we continue working our way through the creation as described in Genesis 2 & 3. This includes talking about the fall and how our ability to image the Logos in creation was affected and how that is changed through our union with the new Adam/humanity - Jesus Christ (the Incarnate Logos). Enjoy the show!
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Class - Questions, Answers, Pride, and Hesychasm
OrthoAnalytika
Fr. David Randolph of blessed memory, talked about how much he and everyone enjoyed Q&A classes about his homily on Sunday afternoons. Fr. Anthony decided to give it a shot. It went pretty well, glory to God. Then he segued into a summary of the lessons on pride, how Orthodoxy heals us from it, and introduced the topic of next week's topic - hesychasm. Enjoy the show.!
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Homily - Don't Crucify Others!
OrthoAnalytika
St. Mark 8:34-38; 9:1. Before getting to the point about denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following Christ, Fr. Anthony deals with the preliminary issue of not crucifying others. Enjoy the show!
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Bible Study - Genesis One I
OrthoAnalytika
After summarizing the Orthodox approach to scripture, Fr. Anthony begins a verse by verse examination of Genesis One. We made it up to "Image and Likeness!" Review. We have to read texts according to their purpose and scope. The purpose of the Bible is to describe the economy of our salvation (i.e. mankind’s sin, Christ/Messiah as our savior). The Bible is inspired; God spoke through prophets and scribes who automatically presented His revelations in their own language, with their own symbols, and in a way that their immediate audiences would understand. Our worldview (our...
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Class - On a Noetic Effect of the Fall (mirror imaging)
OrthoAnalytika
Today Fr. Anthony continues his introduction to Orthodoxy by talking about something very real and necessary - how our pride handicaps our ability to have healthy relationships and thus fulfilling God's desire that we be one as He (God) is One (John 17:21). In this case, the main example is mirror imaging. Enjoy the show!
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Homily - The Bronze Serpent and Iconoclasm
OrthoAnalytika
John 3:13-17. Why did God have Moses create an image (a statue) of a serpent to deliver them from the pain of sin (grumbling) and what does that teach us about the the use and misuse of icons? Two things about this homily - the first is that Fr. Anthony's iPhone decided to use his hearing aid as the microphone for the recording (with mixed results); the second is that he forgot to use the later generations of Israelites' use of the bronze serpent as an idol (he corrected that at the end of Liturgy). Enjoy the show!
info_outlineJohn 17:1-13. Sunday after Ascension, Commemorating the 318 Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea. Today Fr. Anthony offers a reflection on the mystery of fellowship, noting that while that of the nation can point us toward something greater, only Christ can save. He briefly describes how Christ created a new humanity for full fellowship through His Incarnation. Note that he misused the word "essence" when he was describing the new shared humanity we have in Christ (he repents sincerely!). Enjoy the show!