Fr. Stephen De Young continues the discussion of St. Peter's First Universal Letter.

Fr. Stephen De Young discusses 1 Peter, Chapter 2.

Fr. Stephen De Young continues the discussion of St. Peter's First Universal Letter.

Fr. Stephen De Young concludes the discussion of 1 Peter.

Fr. Stephen De Young begins the discussion of Peter's Second Epistle.

Fr. Stephen De Young continues the discussion of St. Peter's Second Epistle.

Fr. Stephen De Young continues the discussion of St. Paul's Second Epistle.

Fr. Stephen De Young wraps up the discussion of St. Peter's Second Epistle.

Peace is not simply the absence of conflict but rather a virtue reflecting the character of God Himself.

In this next to last episode in the Names of Jesus series, Fr. Tom takes us to Hebrews 12 where the RSV tells us that Jesus is the "Pioneer and Perfector" of our Faith.

The guys watched “Independence Day: Resurgence.” Christian enjoyed it. Steve? Not so much. They discuss what worked in the movie, as well as what didn’t, and wildly speculate about the theological implications of alien life. Plus, they wrap up with their Top 5 favorite alien characters of all time.

The guys read John Green’s new novel Turtles All the Way Down. They discuss the pain and reality of mental illness, the nature of personhood, and how love breaks through death. They close with their Top 5 YouTubers.

The guys take on Isaac Asimov’s classic sci-fi short story, “The Last Question.” They discuss ever-changing views on technology, the inherent meaning in God’s act of creation, and the answer to the ultimate question: what happens when we die? They close with their Top 5 Characters with Artificial Intelligence.

The guys swing into the newest movie about everyone’s favorite wall-crawler, Into the Spider-Verse. They explore how loss affects who we become, how personhood is shaped in relationship, and how our identities are shaped by more than what we choose for ourselves. They close with their Top 5 Examples of Multiple Dimensions in Pop Culture.

The guys are back to kick off season 5 by discussing Dave Chapelle’s new comedy special, Sticks and Stones. They discuss whether Chapelle’s humor is puerile or prophetic, the need to speak truth fearlessly, and the complicated nature of the modern moral order. They close with their Top Next 5 Comedy Specials.

Steve and Christian were asked to keynote the Mid-Atlantic Parish Life Conference, and rather than giving a lecture, they decided to do an episode of Pop Culture Coffee Hour! They discuss the big question of identity and its individual, communitarian, and cosmic sources, doing so through their favorite fictional universes of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the MCU!

SPOILER ALERT The girls discuss the Ancient Faith Publishing book, The Lightkeeper. They discuss the relationship between suffering and salvation and how love is both a choice and painful, but it is ultimately essential for a meaningful life.

Steve and Christian are joined by Dn. Rico Monge and David Paddison to discuss Kendrick Lamar's new album, "Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers." They explore identity, transformation, and trauma. Leave your comments for the 200th episode at 917-524-7483 (call or text) by July 1, 2022.

Fr. Philip remembers St. Gregory Palamas by calling us to bring our whole personhood - body, soul and spirit - into our relationship with God.

Fr. Philip reminds us of the significance of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church.

The dormition of the Theotokos is an icon of our hope for eternal life.

Fr. Philip LeMasters explains the significance of the sending of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church.

Fr. Philip LeMasters recounts the Christmas story that is for all humanity.

Fr. Philip LeMasters describes the way that the early Christians, like Zacchaeus, were transformed by their encounter with Jesus Christ.

Fr. Philip LeMasters asks, "Can physical things, including our bodies, become holy?"

Fr. Philip LeMasters introduces the significance of the Sunday of Orthodoxy and the restoration of the Holy Icons.

Fr. Philip LeMasters preaches on the Gospel reading of the healing of the Blind Man.

Fr. Philip LeMasters preaches on the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Christ came to restore sight to the blind beggars of the world. Let us embrace the disciplines and spirit of the Nativity Fast in ways that will help us see that that is precisely who we are. Let us acquire the humility necessary to receive and share the peace that He was born to bring to the world. That is how we must all prepare to welcome Him into our hearts and lives at Christmas.

The Lord’s genealogy in St. Matthew’s gospel traces the Savior’s human ancestry back through many generations to Abraham. The story of the ancestors of Christ, who helped to prepare the way across the centuries for the incarnation of the God-Man, certainly does not read like a Facebook posting. The Old Testament presents them realistically as unlikely members of His family tree.

Our calling this week is to enter into the profound contrast between the ways of the world as we know them and the life of our crucified and risen Lord. Especially today, it is easy to focus on what is going wrong, on what we have lost already or may lose in the future.

It may seem strange that Orthodox Christianity gives so much attention to martyrs and saints. To speak of those who die for their faith is to recall instances of murder. Why would a religion give so much attention to such an unpleasant subject?

People try to serve two masters because they lack the spiritual clarity to see that the good things of the creation are not God’s equals or rivals, but blessings to be offered back to Him for the salvation of the world.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reminds us that our words reveal the state of our souls.

Both the bleeding woman and Jairus were at the end of their rope. They faced circumstances so dark that they could not imagine how they would be delivered from them. The gravity of their challenges is reflected by how little these characters speak in their encounters with Christ. They did not use many words to show whatever level of faith they had in Him, perhaps because what was at stake was beyond their ability to name.

As we prepare to receive the Lord in faith at Christmas, we must use our freedom to follow St. Paul’s instruction in today’s epistle reading: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

Theophany shows us that Jesus Christ is not merely a great religious teacher or moral example. He is truly God—a member of the Holy Trinity–and His salvation permeates His entire creation, including the water of the river Jordan. Through His and our baptism, we become participants in the holy mystery of our salvation.

As we continue to celebrate Theophany in a world that remains in “the region and shadow of death,” let us focus mindfully on living each day as those who have died to sin and risen with our Lord to a life of holiness. That is how we may wear a garment of light and become living epiphanies of the salvation of the world.

Today we commemorate a distinctive person who bore witness in his own life to the healing power of Christ. St. Nicholas lived in the 4th century in what is now Turkey and had a sizeable inheritance from his family, which he gave away in secret to the poor.

Today we celebrate that the Lord is at hand, for He is coming into Jerusalem as the Messiah, hailed by the crowds as their Savior. He does not come to usher in an earthly reign or to serve any nationalistic or political agenda. He enters Jerusalem on a donkey, a humble beast of burden, carrying no weapons and having no army. He had no well-oiled political machine to tell the powerful people what they wanted to hear or to manipulate the masses. His Kingdom was and is not of this world.

The Feast of Christ’s Transfiguration calls each of us to nothing less than to be transfigured in holiness and shine brilliantly by grace with the light of heaven.

In the remaining days before Christmas, let us embrace the radically disorienting calling to hope in nothing and no one other than the God-Man Who is born to heal and fulfill all who bear the divine image and likeness.

Those who have put on Christ in baptism and who receive the Communion of His Body and Blood must become epiphanies of His fulfillment of the human person in God’s image and likeness. As we prepare to celebrate Theophany, let us gain the spiritual clarity to behold the glory of Christ’s baptism by straightening the crooked areas of our lives.

Even as we recall the Three Hierarchs’ shining example of holiness, we remember today also someone whose life changed dramatically when he turned away from corruption in order to follow Christ. Luke’s gospel portrays the story of Zacchaeus in memorable and distinctive ways.

Let us follow the example of the Canaanite woman in persistently and boldly offering even our deepest pains and greatest weaknesses to Christ for healing.

The coming Lenten season calls us all to come to ourselves as we gain a clearer recognition of the ways in which we have refused to live as the beloved sons and daughters of our Father. By humbly reorienting our lives toward Him and away from slavery to our passions, we will find restoration, blessing, and joy. Now is the time to leave behind the filth and misery of the pig pen and to enter by grace into the joy of a heavenly banquet that none of us deserves.

Like St. Mary of Egypt, we must take up the cross of doing whatever it takes to find healing for our souls in the Lord Who offered up Himself for the salvation of the world. That was the path to holiness for St. Mary of Egypt, and it must be our path in the remaining days of this blessed season of Lent.

The devotion of the Myrrh-Bearers, Joseph and, Nicodemus shows us what true faith looks like, and we will never acquire it by looking for ways to fit God comfortably into our lives in order to help us achieve our goals in and for this world, regardless of how noble we think they are.

As we prepare for the Dormition Fast and look forward to the feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord, we must recognize how much we remain like the blind and mute men in our gospel reading.

To rise up, take up our beds, and walk home requires obedience to Christ’s commands, but not a legalistic obedience in the sense of following a code for its own sake. Instead, this obedience is like following the guidance of a physician or therapist who makes clear to us what we must do in order to regain health and function for our bodies.