Implications for Orthodox Psycho-Theology

by Fr. George Morelli

In this essay, Fr. Morelli masterfully expresses the depth of Incarnational theology – the teaching of Orthodox Christianity about God, man, and spiritual reality – and the dangers of departing, even apparently,  from its foundational truth. We are approaching the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the feast of the Incarnation, making this essay essential reading, in my opinion, among preachers in this day and age.

This essay was taken, and reprinted with permission, from Orthodoxytoday.org.

Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pt 5:8).

The names we use for ourselves, for others, and for God shape our thought and influence our understanding of God’s revelation to us. A fundamental link between God and mankind “is concentrated in the use of the Name, in the ‘invocation of the Name.’ The Name is the preeminent word, the proper, exclusive word which is much more than a concept: it carries something of the presence, of the person” (Bobrinskoy, 1999). Paul Evdokimov (1998) makes this meaning even clearer. In recounting Jesus’ visit to the country of the Gerasenes where He met a man with an unclean spirit, St. Mark records Jesus’ words:

“What is your name?” (Mk 5:9). Read more

by St. Leo the Great

Our father among the saints, Leo the Great was the bishop of Rome during difficult times. He was an eminent scholar of Scripture and rhetoric. During an invasion by Attila the Hun, St. Leo met him outside the gates of Rome. After some short words, to everyone’s surprise, Attila turned and left. Three years later, during an invasion by Genseric the Vandal, St. Leo’s intercession again saved the Eternal City from destruction.

All share in the joy of Christmas

Our Savior, dearly-beloved, was born today (Christmas day): let us be glad. For there is no proper place for sadness, when we keep the birthday of the Life, which destroys the fear of mortality and brings to us the joy of promised eternity. No one is kept from sharing in this happiness. There is for all one common measure of joy, because as our Lord, the destroyer of sin and death, finds none free from the charge, so He comes to free us all. Let the saint exult in that he draws near to victory. Let the sinner be glad in that he is invited to being pardon. Let the gentile take courage in that he is called to life. For the Son of God in the fullness of time which the inscrutable depth of the Divine counsel has determined, has taken on him the nature of man, thereby to reconcile it to its Author: in order that the inventor of death, the devil, might be conquered. And in this conflict undertaken for us, the fight was fought on great and wondrous principles of fairness. Read more

by Fr. John A. Peck

The art and craft of sermon evaluation is a necessary part of improving one’s preaching. Sadly, there are few opportunities for serious preachers to learn about evaluation and practice it.

Opportunities are even more scarce for the Orthodox preacher.

That being said, we are approaching some important holy days in the Church, and though things get busy, little is more important than sermon preparation for these important feasts. Sometimes we are preaching to someone who hasn’t been in Church for years, even decades. Sometimes we are preaching to someone who may not be in Church again – until they are buried there.

Now, the purpose of sermon evaluation is simple: To get the preacher where he wants to be. The purpose of sermon self-evaluation is identical – to get you where you want to be. Read more

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009—Today a group of prominent Orthodox, Catholic and evangelical Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars released the Manhattan Declaration, which addresses the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty.  The 4,700-word declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not – under any circumstance – abandon their Christian consciences. Drafted by Dr. Robert George, Dr. Timothy George, and Chuck Colson and signed by more than 125 Orthodox, Catholic and evangelical Christian leaders, the Manhattan Declaration is available at DeMossNews.com/ManhattanDeclaration. Read more

Now that we have entered Advent/Nativity Fast, and many of us have begun the 2009 New Testament Challenge (some will begin on Dec. 1st), I’d like to make a simple offering about the actual reading of the Holy Scriptures.

When I am teaching my parishioners or catechumens to read the Bible, few actually ask how one does this in the Orthodox way, but I believe this is an important idea, and in the spirit of giving, I always offer it to them.

I believe that the Orthodox Christian way of reading the Scriptures can be summed up as follows: Read more

by Fr. John A. Peck

We have been getting ready for a solid 30 (40) Days of Blogging and today is the day we begin.

Let me begin by wishing you all a blessed and fruitful Nativity Fast. This is a busy time for pastors, but it is also a time laden with unexpected opportunities. Many souls are seeking answers that only Christ can give. It is a time of evangelism! The goal of our 30 (40) Days of Blogging is to encourage and assist bloggers to blog daily for 30 days (ending Dec. 15th) and/or then to go on to a full 40 days (all completing the exercise on Dec. 25th – Christmas Day!).

As you know, the Christmas season is a time of personal reflection for most people, whether or not they are believers. During the days approaching Nativity, many people – though surrounded by festive decorations, ornaments, music and friends – feel the most depressed at this time of year. Why is that? Read more

Discourse on the Feast of the Entry of Our Most Pure Lady The Theotokos into the Holy Of Holies

by St. Gregory Palamas

A week from today we celebrate this great feast of our Christian faith. Our father among the saints Gregory Palamas (1296-1359), Archbishop of Thessalonica, was a monk of Mount Athos in Greece (at Vatopedi  and Esphigmenou Monasteries), and later became Archbishop of Thessalonica. His feast days in the Church are Nov. 14 and the 2nd Sunday of Great Lent.

If a tree is known by its fruit, and a good tree bears good fruit (Mt. 7:17; Lk. 6:44), then is not the Mother of Goodness Itself, She who bore the Eternal Beauty, incomparably more excellent than every good, whether in this world or the world above? Therefore, the coeternal and identical Image of goodness, Pre-eternal, transcending all being, He Who is the preexisting and good Word of the Father, moved by His unutterable love for mankind and compassion for us, put on our image, that He might reclaim for Himself our nature which had been dragged down to uttermost Hades, so as to renew this corrupted nature and raise it to the heights of Heaven. For this purpose, He had to assume a flesh that was both new and ours, that He might refashion us from out of ourselves. Now He finds a Handmaiden perfectly suited to these needs, the supplier of Her own unsullied nature, the Ever-Virgin now hymned by us, and Whose miraculous Entrance into the Temple, into the Holy of Holies, we now celebrate. God predestined Her before the ages for the salvation and reclaiming of our kind. She was chosen, not just from the crowd, but from the ranks of the chosen of all ages, renowned for piety and understanding, and for their God-pleasing words and deeds. Read more

Well, we have reached the big day. Tomorrow begins our 30 (40) Days of Blogging. I wish you all the very best in this endeavor and hope that the articles we posted in the days leading up to Nov. 15th have been at least useful, and perhaps even provided you with material for your own blog, or perhaps an idea that led to a blog post.

Blogging can seem intimidating at first, and even more so when you come to realize that a few people are regularly looking at what you have posted.  It really isn’t all that different from preaching, however. Blogging requires you to prepare and organize your thoughts, prepare to articulate your ideas, and finally deliver them with excellence and spirit. Read more

Look at this picture. I spent some time pondering it. It defies simple categorization, in my humble opinion. A girl wrapping herself in the flag? A green-eyed patriotic American muslim?  A young woman afraid of what too much patriotism can effect? Is this a statement on encroaching Shariah law?What is this photo saying?

In truth, I selected it because I found it uncategorizable. That is, it doesn’t fit into any clearly defined category.

Now, I’m not even certain that uncategorizable is a word. Actually, I’m pretty sure it isn’t, so please don’t write me about it

As human beings, especially as men of the West, we have a propensity to draw contrasts and comparisons in order to categorize things by distinction. This is normal, it’s good science, and adds to the breadth and depth of human knowledge. Read more

Blogging on the writings of the Fathers offers some unique things to the prospective blogger!

First, the writings of the Fathers are a treasury of theology, truth, wisdom, instruction, and just plain old fashioned good advice. They offer to the reader a chance to see a reflection of the Gospel teachings as expressed in different ages, in different struggles. Readers will see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The condition of man hasn’t changed. The condition of the Church hasn’t changed. The condition of Christians in, but not of, the world is still the same. Read more