Are you keeping your eyes on Jesus when the stormy seas of life stir up the fear of death?

In the story of Jesus raising to life the son of the widow of Nain, we see the author of life entering into the painful realities of our world. We too are called to extend the compassion of Christ to the world around us as living icons of His great mercy and salvation.

During the coming Lenten season, spiritual disciplines like prayer are intended to help us humble ourselves before the Lord and make us aware how far we are away from God. Pride threatens to weigh us down, while humility lifts us up to God.

Fr. Philip LeMasters invites us to experience the deep truth of Holy Week as we abide with Christ in His passion.

Fr. Philip LeMasters recounts the story of the healing of the widow of Nain, and calls all of us turn to the Lord for the healing of our souls.

Fr. Philip LeMasters shares the story of the raising of the son of the widow of Nain. The Savior has conquered death and shares His great victory with those who respond to Him with humble faith and repentance.

From the story of the healing of the Gadarene demoniac, Fr. Philip LeMasters shares about how we can become our true selves in Christ.

Let us get over our pride and become living epiphanies of the salvation of the One Who was baptized by St. John the Forerunner in the Jordan.

We do not have to burn incense on the altar of a Roman god in order to show that we are ashamed of the Savior. All that we must do is to refuse to take up our crosses as we serve the false gods of this world. It does not take much spiritual insight to see that worshiping idols is quite common and easily done in our time and place.

Joachim, Anna, and the Theotokos were the complete opposites of the rich man in today’s gospel reading. His only concern was to eat, drink, and enjoy himself because he had become so wealthy. He was addicted to earthly pleasure, power, and success, and saw the meaning and purpose of his life only in those terms. In stark contrast, the Theotokos followed the righteous example of her parents. She was prepared by a life of holiness to agree freely to become our Lord’s mother.

As “the poor and maimed and blind and lame,” we must prepare to accept the extraordinary invitation that is ours in Jesus Christ by gaining the strength to make our daily responsibilities points of entrance to the heavenly kingdom. They are not reasons to shut ourselves out of the heavenly banquet, but opportunities to unite ourselves ever more fully to Him in freedom.

Even as Jesus showed mercy by tangible actions such as healing a Samaritan from a dreaded and isolating disease, we must take the actions available to us, no matter how seemingly small or imperfect, to manifest His love to our neighbors, regardless of who they are. Find the book Syria Crucified at store.ancientfaith.com/syria-crucified.

In light of what such atrocities reveal about the human condition, it is obviously not enough to affirm religious beliefs, to perform certain acts of outward piety, or merely to identify ourselves as Orthodox Christians. Indeed, it is entirely possible to do all those things while remaining blind, embracing the darkness, and becoming all too comfortable with the forces of death and destruction.

Due to pride, we often crave words and actions from others that distract us from seeing ourselves clearly and instead fuel illusions of self-importance and self- righteousness. When doing so becomes a settled habit, we can easily find ourselves attempting to use religion to serve our egos instead of being focused on offering ourselves to the Lord.

If we refuse to deny ourselves even in small ways this Lent, then we will become even more accustomed to serving ourselves instead of God and neighbor.

I am sure that many people today reject or have no interest in the Christian faith because they have not seen in others the healing of the human person brought by Jesus Christ. Perhaps they have heard Christians speaking primarily about morality, politics, emotion, or a view of salvation that has nothing to do with the realities of life in the world as we know it. Or they may have seen many examples of hypocrisy on the part of those who identify themselves with the Lord, but who live their lives in opposition to His teachings even as they look for opportunities to condemn their neighbors. Regardless, many today have concluded that there is nothing in the Christian life worthy of their devotion.

Fr. John addresses the uncertainty in Byzantium following the death of Constantine and then the consolidation of Christianity shortly after that.

In this long-delayed episode (due to work on The Age of Nihilism, available at store.ancientfaith.com/the-age-of-nihilism-christendom-from-the-great-war-to-the-culture-wars), Father John presents the historical origins of liberalism as a modern secular ideology. Atheistic philosophers like Auguste Comte and John Stuart Mill provided the philosophical basis for hope in a secular "kingdom of posterity."

Fr. John Strickland continues his account of the rise of secular ideology with a presentation on the Russian intelligentsia and the case of Karl Marx.

Fr. John Strickland concludes his account of the origins of modern political ideology with the rise of nationalism, a force that not only proved to be a counterfeit to traditional Christianity, but the cause of one of utopian Christendom's greatest tragedies.

Fr. John Parker welcomes Fr. David Morrison, priest at St. Anthony's in Bozeman, Montana. They discuss his spiritual journey to the faith. You can find out more about St. Anthony's at orthodoxbozeman.org.

The prophet Isaiah and St. John Chrysostom help us to understand why God hides and reveals, as we read Galatians 1 and Luke 8:41-56. We are led to pay special attention to the epistle, since we have heard it twice in the space of two weeks!

This week our two readings (Luke 8:29-56, Galatians 2:16-20) lead us to consider the deep relationship between faith and Christ’s power, a debated issue since the Reformation times. We look to these passages, and back to the example of Abraham (Genesis 15; Genesis 18) in order to understand what St. Paul and Holy Tradition tell us about faith, and how we should answer those who insist that salvation is “by faith alone.” Dr. Edith's new book is titled, "Further Up and Further In: Orthodox Conversations with C.S. Lewis on Scripture and Theology

We consider, by means of the Book of Wisdom 17, how paralysis takes different shapes in John 5, Acts 9 and Luke 24: some conditions in which humans have closed themselves off from God, but many others that the Lord heals by His power.

The apostle’s appeal for unity is beautifully exemplified in the life of Joseph, and poignantly pictured in the Psalm about oil on Aaron’s beard. May God’s appeal, pattern, and picture help us to unity in this time of disagreement. (Ephesians 4:1-6, Genesis 37-50, Psalm 132/3)

This week we read Revelation 19:1-10 in the light of Isaiah 61:10, Genesis 3:21, Matthew 16:27, and 1 Peter 5:5, noting that the praises of God are undergirded by substantial reasons, that we are called to cooperate in our salvation, and that we have been blessed in a way that confers unimaginable dignity upon human beings.

In Revelation 19:11-21, the heavens are opened, revealing the mounted Word of God, and His final conquest over evil. We are helped with this exhilarating and disturbing passage by seeing echoes in Psalm 72/71:2, Psalm 44/5:3-5, Isaiah 63:1-3, and listening to the wisdom of ancient commentators.

We read the astounding and exhilarating climactic vision of Rev 21:9-27 in the light of Exodus 28:15-21, Daniel 2:34-35, Ezekiel 40-43, Isaiah 2:2-3, Isaiah 54:11-14 and Psalm 47/8:13-15. Rather than simply being spectators of this vision, we find ourselves inscribed in it, sharing the very glory of God.

In our final episode of this series, we take a “bird’s eye” view of the entire book, considering its structure, and how that fills out the central theme of the Apocalypse—the loving Victory of Christ, who includes us in God’s ongoing plan to recover His creation. Our hearts are grasped by this unusual book, if read in this light. Hearers are invited to join Edith for a new series after Thanksgiving, focused on the “canticles” of the Church.

We read the second half of the second canticle of Moses, Deut 32:19-43, in the light of Jeremiah 1:10, Hosea 6:1-3, and the fathers. Its vigorous poetry must be read with care, but shows us strong truths concerning our holy God, and His desire for our purity and salvation.

"Saint Ephraim" and "Saint Spyridon" from Saints: Lives and Illuminations, written and illustrated by Ruth Sanderson, read with permission by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2007.

"Saint Genevieve" and "Saint Brigid" from Saints: Lives and Illuminations, written and illustrated by Ruth Sanderson, read with permission by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2007.

The Hidden Garden by Jane G Meyer, illustrated by Masha Lobastov (Conciliar Press, 2012)

Saint Felix and the Spider, by Dessi Jackson, illustrated by Lydia Grace Kadar-Kallen (Quis Ut Deus Press, 2013)

"Saint Brigid of Ireland," from Women of Faith, written by Calee M. Lee, illustrated by Lisa Graves (Xist Publishing, 2015)

"Saint Isidora," from Women of Faith, written by Calee M. Lee, illustrated by Lisa Graves (Xist Publishing, 2015)

Welcoming the Christ Child: Family Readings for the Nativity Lent, "The Anointing of David and David and Goliath," by Elissa Bjeletich, illustrated by Jelena Jeftic (Sebastian Press, 2017).

Welcoming the Christ Child: Family Readings for the Nativity Lent, "David the Psalmist and King Solomon the Wise," by Elissa Bjeletich, illustrated by Jelena Jeftic (Sebastian Press, 2017).

"King David," from Royal Saints: A coloring book with stories of saintly royalty throughout the history of Christianity (Draw Near Designs). Saints drawn by Marian Adams. Stories & Borders by Abigail Holt. Layout by Caroline Gann.

54. Book 1: The Entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem from The Twelve Great Feasts for Children by Sister Elayne, now Mother Melania (Conciliar Press, 2005) (duration 3.37) Book 2: Great and Holy Friday from The Three-Day Pascha Series by Mother Melania (Conciliar Press, 2006) (begins at 4:20, duration 5.25) Book 3: Drita: An Albanian Girl Discovers her Ancestor's Faith by Renee Ritsi (Conciliar Press, 2008) (begins at 9:58, duration 13.10)

74. Book 1: "David and Goliath" from The Bible for Young People by Zoe Kanavas (Narthex Press, 2005) (7.23 mins) Book 2: Saint Innocent of Alaska, Apostle and Missionary by Sarah Elizabeth Cowie (Conciliar Press, 2005) chapters 14 – 15 and conclusion (8.16 mins)

107. The Life of Saint Brigid: Abbess of Kildare by Jane G. Meyer (Conciliar Press Ministries, 2009)

139. The Life of Saint Brigid: Abbess of Kildare by Jane G Meyer (Conciliar Press Ministries, 2009).

142. Great and Holy Friday from The Three-Day Pascha Series by Mother Melania (Conciliar Press, 2006)

Roland Ray Fulmer III delivers a Lenten lecture at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church on how small annoyances magnify God's presence in our spiritual journeys. Ray is an honors graduate from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary who believes that religious education is the most under served lay vocation in the modern Orthodox Church.

Fr. Ted explains that, because we are hypocrites, we are in danger of losing God's grace.

Fr. Ted reminds his fellow priests that they can easily fall into hypocrisy along with the Pharisees.

Fr. Ted asks whether you will choose to be a person of the light or a person of the darkness.

Fr. Ted explains that the Church provides a foretaste of the Resurrection before we celebrate it because, as Orthodox Christians, we know how this particular story ends.

Fr. Ted speaks to us about the true identity of Christ in this Palm Sunday homily.