For the first time in history, every incumbent party in a developed nation this year lost vote share in elections. / Financial Times

See also: A German far-right party won a regional election in September, which hasn't happened since the Nazi era—a result of 30 years of ignoring a lurking problem. / The Baffler

The good news is that the US political system is too complex for Trump to destroy it. The bad news is he's going to try anyway. / The Guardian

We blamed Facebook for Trump winning in 2016, so it tracks that we'd blame TikTok this time around—except the squirrel thing was not nothing. / Read Max

An explanation of 4B, the South Korean feminism movement that bans men, and that's been taking hold this week among American women. / Vox

"Ten percent of American workers today are union members, meaning that 90% of 'the working class' are not union members." To unfuck politics, create more union members. / How Things Work

Life after landing your dream job as a lighthouse keeper on a remote Australian island, where your only company for a month at a time is a colony of penguins. / BBC News

See also: From an 1860 John Ruskin letter, "One feels everything in the world so sympathetically ridiculous, one can't be angry when one looks at a Penguin." / Instagram

An emperor penguin has arrived on the southern coast of Western Australia, the furthest north the species has ever been recorded. / ABC

Ten years after legislation to curtail stores' and restaurants' seafood mislabeling, an investigation finds 18% of salmon sold as wild is actually farmed. / Gizmodo

Unrelated: Webfishing, a game that combines fishing, relaxing, chatting, and little else, could not have come at a better moment. / VICE

Or if smashing fascists sounds more appealing, the allure of Wolfenstein remains. / Kotaku

See also: From 1941, "It is an interesting and somewhat macabre parlor game to play at a large gathering of one's acquaintances: to speculate who in a showdown would go Nazi." / Harper's

A vibrant journey through the colorful world of mushrooms, comprising more than 800 shades. / Mushroom Color Atlas

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Israel says there will be no ceasefire or pause until its war objectives are met. / The Times of Israel

A video round-up of what's happened in northern Gaza siege since the US gave its 30-day warning a month ago. / Al Jazeera

Between news-averse voters and Twitter disinformation, "Donald Trump was returned to power by the most badly informed electorate in modern American history." / The Philadelphia Inquirer

See also: The mirror of fascism in big tech. / Dead Simple Tech

Hannah Ritchie: The fact that researchers can't keep up with developments in low-carbon energy is, in many ways, a good thing. / Sustainability by numbers

Difficult-to-pronounce names are found to be negatively related to the probability of landing academic jobs. / American Economic Association

A scientist with breast cancer self-experimented with lab-grown viruses—and though the treatment was a success, she doesn't recommend just anyone try it. / Nature

Only 0.8% of American women live in an area that has an abortion facility that doesn't also have a nearby anti-abortion "crisis pregnancy center." / NBC News

"Spiritual bars"—alcohol plus tarot readings—are said to be booming in China. / Radii

More migratory birds passing through New York City means more skyscraper collisions. / The Guardian

Unrelated: Some thoughts about rethinking your commuting route. / The Los Angeles Times

Authorities dismantle a criminal group responsible for forging over 2,000 artworks attributed to more than 30 known artists. / artsy

A review of a $420,000 electric car says the best feature is the sound it makes. / The Verge

Watch: A short film about the custodians of an emergency airport in Australia. / Colossal

Residents of Coulsdon, England, find their Facebook posts deleted by an algorithm that flags the word "LSD" in their town's name. / Inside Croydon

Is social media an oral culture? "I actually don't know if any of this is right." / X

Baby boomers think the love song is dying—and they're wrong, but that's because the categories have changed. / The Pudding

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In this new audio documentary, exclusive to Ancient Faith Radio, Bobby Maddex takes a trip to the Hogar Raphael Ayau Orthodox Orphanage in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Learn how the orphanage came to be, what takes place there on a daily basis, and why it is truly miraculous beyond measure.

Fr. Pat explains how the myrrh-bearing women contemplated the mysteries of the Church.

Fr. Pat examines three aspects of the temple: the human being, the family, and the Church.

Fr. Pat shares his homily on the centurion and his servant.

Fr. Pat discusses St. Paul's warnings regarding the influence of evil forces in Corinth.

Fr. Pat examines Psalm 3, a prayer that should be recited anytime a believer feels desperate and inundated.

Fr. Pat reflects upon the meaning of these words that Jesus said to Zacchaeus, considering where God abides, what it means, and who is our best model of one who lives with the understanding of these things.

In this homily from Pentecost Sunday, Fr. Pat looks at three benefits given by the Holy Spirit to the people of God: proclaiming God as our Father, parsing the Scriptures correctly, and praying.

The parable of the Publican and the Pharisee teaches us much about prayer. Father Pat looks at three things: the meaning of the temple, the issue of repeated prayer, and authenticity when speaking with God.

"Neighbor" is not a matter of being, but of doing. Fr. Pat reflects on this in today's homily from Luke 10 about the Good Samaritan.

St. Luke both begins and ends his Gospel with the people God praying in the Temple. This suggests a priority for the Gospel writer. So too, the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican is story about the proper way to pray.

In the prologue to his Gospel, the Apostle John says “And the Word became flesh.” Fr. Pat considers three things, regarding the Word, that John did NOT say.

Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon preaches from Luke 18:35-43, the story of the blind beggar who receives his sight.

In this meditation on Isiah 1:16-31, Fr. Pat reflects upon the Bible’s prophetic voice on behalf of the poor.

Fr. Pat offers pre-Lenten reflections on Hanna, the mother of Samuel and Anna the Prophetess.

A meditation on Christ’s humanity for the Third Sunday of Lent; the Scripture readings are Mark 8:34-9:1 and Hebrews 4:14-5:10. Fr. Pat preached this sermon in 2011.

With the coming of the Light, there are three responses: that of the Pharisees, that of the parents of the blind man, and that of the blind man himself.

Fr. Pat preaches from Luke 18:35-43, the story of the blind beggar of Jericho whom Jesus heals

n 1 Corinthian 4:9-16, the Apostle Paul gives a portrayal of a style of life very much in contrast with the style of life preferred by the Corinthians. In this homily from 2009, Fr. Pat looks at the contrasts enumerated by St. Paul.

A vesperal homily about James the Just. The text is James 1:1-11.

This week we're answering another of your questions! What should we do when people make us feel ashamed or awkward for being Christians?

What a prayer rope is, and how it can help us.

Living Orthodoxy is about love. Here are six ways you can deepen your love for Christ. Are you ready to start?

Do you want to pray more, but aren't sure where to start? Draw some inspiration from the life of Symeon, a pious man profiled in the book "Ascetics in the World." His life shows how even a simple prayer rule can open our lives to God's grace.

Christ asked His disciples something personal: "Who do you say that I am?" It's an invitation to do more than answer a question: He's asking us to share our relationship with Him. So who do you say that Christ is? And how is He active in your life? Share your answer and this video!

If we attend Church services, do we need to pray on our own? If we pray on our own, do we need to attend the services? Prayer matters, and goes hand in hand with the services. Without the Liturgy, prayer is just talking to ourselves. And without prayer, Liturgy is just empty ritual.

It's one thing to talk about why Church services and prayer are important, and another to do them. How do we start? The key is something simple, and something very easy to overlook: silence.

As we look ahead to the new Church year, we're not preparing simply to learn more about God: we're preparing to grow closer to God. And here are 6 things we can start doing right now to make the most of the year ahead as we take our first steps towards Christ and His Kingdom!

You probably know what you need to do to grow closer to Christ, but you're having trouble getting started. Here are five ways to jumpstart your spiritual life and start connecting with the Lord today!

Saint Paul tells us to "pray without ceasing." But is constant prayer even possible? And how should we even start? We'll look at simple ways to build our prayer so that our whole life can become an uninterrupted prayer, a joyful offering of praise to God.

We all know forgiveness is a holy and important thing, yet it's easier said than done. When you're having trouble, here are four things to help soften your heart and open the door to forgiveness.

Lent is hard work, especially when so much of the modern world is designed to make things easy for us! Yet life isn't easy. Can we become the sort of people who learn how to do what's best, even when it's not easy?

Prayer doesn't need to be about hours, or even minutes. It's about the moments throughout the day that we spend with God.

Prayer isn't a numbers game, it's about experiencing Christ's joy!

“It is better to pray little but often.” -Saint Theophylact of Bulgaria Struggling to say your prayers? We want to help you connect with God! Let's start the new Church year with the Y2AM Prayer Challenge. Let's build a good daily habit and stick to a daily prayer rule for the next 3 months. In this episode, we share 4 keys to help you start (and stick to) your daily prayer rule. And we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you make progress. https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee147

"For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21) Sticking to our daily prayer rule can be tough! But why? We'll explore the simple reason prayer can feel crammed into our day rather than a natural part of it. And we'll offer a simple way to help you transform wasted moments into opportunities for connection with God. As a special bonus, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you focus on how you can act on what you'll learn. https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee150

“Thoughts are like airplanes flying in the air. If you ignore them, there is no problem. If you pay attention to them, you create an airport inside your head and permit them to land!” (Saint Paisios the Athonite) Does having bad thoughts make you a bad person? What should Christians do with the temptations we experience? The Church refers to these thoughts as logismoi: the thoughts that tempt us and can lead us into sin. And Christians have been dealing with these temptations from the beginning. In fact, Jesus Himself had these same thoughts. Yet He overcame them. And so can you. Steve shares three simple keys to handling temptations and staying focused on Jesus Christ. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn. mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee156

“O God, when You come upon the earth in glory, the whole world will tremble. A river of fire will bring all before Your Judgment Seat and the books will be opened, and everything in secret will become public.” (Kontakion of Judgment Sunday) In this Episode: 00:00​ What is Judgment Sunday? 01:14​ How Will We Be Judged? 03:50​ Causing Others to Stumble 05:40​ Love and Judgment 06:54​ My Brother is My Life 09:29​ When Right is Wrong What this Episode is About: In Matthew 25, Jesus offers a prophetic word on the Day of Judgment, when He will come again to judge the living and the dead. Yet this isn't a private judgment, focused on our own private religiosity. It's based on the way we treat other people. In fact, Jesus tells us that, when we love others, we are actually loving Him. And, when we despise others, we're actually despising Him. Because right and wrong is about more than what’s right or wrong for you. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn: https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee167

“Nothing makes us so like God, as our readiness to forgive the wicked and wrongdoer.” (Saint John Chrysostom) The Greek word for forgiveness means "sharing the same space." At the doorstep to Great Lent, we're given the opportunity to both seek and offer forgiveness. Forgiveness Sunday (especially Forgiveness Vespers) is our chance to overcome resentments and share the same space with both God and neighbor. So that, together, we can journey to salvation and an experience of God's Kingdom. Because right and wrong is about more than what’s right or wrong for you. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn. https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee168 .

"On this day, the first Sunday of Lent, we commemorate the restoration of the holy and venerable icons…” (Synaxarion for the Sunday of Orthodoxy) After weeks of learning about forgiveness and pride and judgment, we begin Great Lent with a Sunday dedicated to icons. Why? On one level, this is the anniversary of the triumph over Iconoclasm in 843 AD. But there's more to this triumph than meets the eye. So we'll take a deep dive into the theology of icons to learn that God made a promise to His saints. That He would unite heaven and earth. That we could look upon the face of the Lord and live. And this promise is fulfilled in us. We hold up icons as proof of this promise, the treasures we display in the Triumph of Orthodoxy. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn: https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee169

"O Gregory the Miracle Worker, light of Orthodoxy, support and teacher of the Church, comeliness of Monastics, invincible defender of theologians, the pride of Thessalonica, and preacher of grace, intercede forever that our souls may be saved." (Apolytikion for the Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas) Is it possible to know God? How could a perfect God have anything to do with His imperfection creation? These are some of the questions Saint Gregory Palamas faced in the 14th century. And they're questions the Church faces today. We dedicate the Second Sunday of Great Lent to this important saint because he taught an important theological truth that's at the core of the Christian life: That God is both knowable in His Energies and unknowable in His Essence. And this mystery is shown to us when Jesus heals the paralytic in Mark 2. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn: https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee170

“The glory of God is a living human; and the life of humanity consists in beholding God.” (Saint Irenaus of Lyons) Jesus tells us to pick up our cross and follow Him. But what does that mean? On the Third Sunday of Great Lent, we may think that "bearing your cross" means patiently enduring burdens. Especially now, as we make our way through the struggle of Great Lent. But Christ isn't simply calling us to endure: to rely on our own strength or wisdom or will. He's calling us to die to our broken selves so that we can be made new in Christ. He's calling us to draw near to the Throne of Grace. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn: https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee171

“I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9: 24) We often think of faith as meaning either "certainty" (confidence that some idea is true) or "religiosity" (participation in a group's activities). But the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated to Saint John Climacus, and the top rung of his "Ladder of Divine Ascent" describes faith. The Church presents faith in much deeper terms than we often admit. We'll learn by looking at how Abraham was faithful to God, while the disciples weren't. Because real faith is about placing ourselves in God's hands. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook (https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee172) to help you act on what you'll learn. You'll find a coupon code for "Effective Christian Ministry" in this week's workbook.

“If you cross the Jordan, you will find glorious rest.” (Life of Saint Mary of Egypt) Jesus tells us that He came to shed His blood and "give His life as a ransom for many.” But what exactly does that mean? What does the Orthodox Church teach about atonement? We're going to learn about the redemption and atonement that Jesus offers us. And this redemption isn't simply *from* something, but also *for* something. And Saint Mary of Egypt (who we celebrate on the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent) is a perfect example of what that looks like. Christ saves us *from* sin and death so we can be *free* to live as Christians, loving and serving both God and neighbor. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn. https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee173

“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (John 12: 13) The Saturday of Lazarus and Palm Sunday are a sort of bridge between Great Lent and Holy Week. These days also live in the tension between joy and betrayal. People are welcoming Jesus as the Messiah while others are preparing to put Him to death. Do who actually welcomed Jesus when He entered Jerusalem? It was those who were joyous and gentle: whose hearts were ready to be filled with the Holy Spirit so they could welcome the true Messiah. It was the children. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn: https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee174

We're called to be holy as God is holy. And we do this by participating in God’s efforts to redeem the world and bring it into the eternal life of the Holy Trinity. St Maximos the Confessor identifies 5 Divisions we need to overcome along the way. But what if the internet has created a 6th Division we need to overcome? What if the internet is alienating us from ourselves and reality?

We've spent the last two episodes exploring how the internet shifts our attention from Christ and makes it harder than ever to be holy. In this episode, we're going to say goodbye by pointing to three things that need to shape the future of our homes and communities. We need to encounter Christ, embody the Church, and engage the world in His name.