Elissa encourages us to teach our children some prayers to say to themselves while they're standing in line for Communion.

Elissa talks with Alisa Rakich-Brooks, author of Let There Be Light, the first in a new series of Orthodox children's books, about how our children are experiencing the relationship between religion and science and steps we might take to frame scientific inquiry in an Orthodox light.

Fr. Michael addresses disappointment—what it is and how we should deal with it.

Fr. Michael gives some answers to the age-old question of why life is hard.

Fr. Michael shares about his experience with the first ever Antiochian Orthodox youth camp in western Canada.

As an Evangelical, I had been taught that everything that is really important (spiritually speaking) has to do introducing people to Jesus Christ. Presenting Christ was almost everything. I believed that once one was reconciled with God through Christ–which I understood to be a legal transaction–everything that was really important in one’s relationship with God had been taken care of. This assumption, or something very like it, pervades Evangelical writing.

After the introductory address of “Our Father in heaven,” the Lord taught His disciples to make three commands.

We all benefit when we receive one another, when we recognize and encourage the strengths in others, when we submit to the maturity and giftedness of others, then the Church is the Church and we are all saved together.

"As Christians we are all called to be of one mind, but that one mind is not your mind or my mind or somebody else’s—no matter how holy or important that person is or how much authority he or she has. The one mind we are called to have is Christ’s."

And those who are outside the Orthodox Church, even those outside any kind of Christian faith whatsoever, what about these? Could these be the poor, the blind and the lame of today? As the Gentiles were outside the ancient covenant with Abraham, yet were invited, even compelled into the Kingdom of the Messiah because of the unbelief of many of the Jews, will we Christians be spared if we do not ourselves put on Christ? Is it possible that those not so nearly blessed as we are, those blind to the Creed, poor without the Divine Liturgy, and lame in regard to faith, will not these, perhaps, be the ones compelled into the Kingdom of Heaven while those of us with every blessing, yet distracted by every worldly concern, are left outside? St. Paul tells us to consider both the goodness and the severity of God.

Luke 16 contains one of the most difficult to understand parables of Jesus. It is commonly called the parable of the Unjust Steward. For most of my life the parable offended me. Like the Pharisees in 16:14, I want to deride Jesus for telling a parable that, on the face of it, advocates embezzlement. The servant in the parable gets sacked for “wasting” his master’s goods, so the servant decides to earn favor with his master’s debtors by writing off a large part of the debt they owe the master. And what makes this parable particularly hard to stomach is that the master actually commends his servant for doing this. After sacking the servant for wasting his funds, the master commends him for embezzling them. How does that make sense?

It seems whenever there is a crisis, people begin to see possible predictions and warnings about such times in the scripture. And certainly Christ does warn us to be prepared for the End, and to recognize that various tribulations and “wars and rumours of wars” would be the ongoing signs that the End is near. However, the scriptures themselves also tell us that we are already in the Last Days. That is, from the time of the Apostles we have been in the “last hour,” and already “many antichrists have come” (1John 2: 18). For just as the Kingdom of Heaven is near (at hand) at all times, so too, the End is always near.

Fr. Michael Gillis builds off of last week's talk about the Great Reset on not getting attached to the comforts of this world. Someone asked about how to balance living in this world without getting attached to it. Fr. Michael talks about three things we can do to help us live as sojourners in this world, waiting for a City whose foundation and builder is God.

For those of us who are still working on getting that first few rows of stones around the foundation of faith, focusing on acquiring a little bit of every virtue helps us to keep picking up the stone (of virtue) that is needed at a given moment and putting it down at the correct place in our spiritual house. Baby steps for baby Christians. May God grant that we are all found to be children in His Kingdom.

Fr. Stephen De Young ends the discussion of John, Chapter 3, and begins his discussion of Chapter 4.

Fr. Stephen De Young discusses Romans 9:30 to 10:4.

In his continuing series on the names of Jesus, Fr. Thomas looks at the meaning behind the scriptural references to God's chosen ones through whom came God's Chosen One.

This week, the guys watch Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. They discuss how the narrative was deeper than in the original cartoon version, the power of self-sacrificial love, and the reality that what we do (both good and bad) touches everything. They close with their Top 5 Most Unlikely Couples.

This week, Christina and Emma join the PCCH Team and offer their thoughts on "Beauty and the Beast." Apart from adding a new perspective to the film, they discuss the power of revisiting fairy tales as an adult, the communal nature of life as a servant of God, and how images of repentance make the film good viewing for Holy Week. They close with their Top 5 Disney songs!

This week, Emma and Christina read (and watched) A Light Between Oceans. Join them as they discuss the danger of spiritual delusion, the path toward true love and repentance, and how the film adaptation missed the heart of the novel. They close with their Top 5 Worst Book-To-Film Adaptions.

This week, the guys decided to talk about their first overtly Christian piece of art: Josh Garrels’ album, Love & War & the Sea In Between. They discuss the unique power of poetry and music to speak our hearts, the struggle and necessity of facing our own brokenness, and the tension between what we see and what we hope for. They close with their Top 5 Western Christian Church Hymns.

The guys reunite to discuss Rod Dreher’s controversial book The Benedict Option. They discuss religious freedom, their mutual desire for Christian community, and how our best religious arguments often cede ground to secular positions. They close with their Top 5 Books on the Christian Life.

The guys watched the new Orthodox documentary Becoming Truly Human. They discuss the nature of conversion stories, the role of parents in journeys through faith, and how doubt can be central to our spiritual walk.They close with their Top 5 Martyr Stories.

For the Season 2 Finale of PCCH, the guys watched the new documentary on the life and work of Fred Rogers. They discuss the formative power of media, the inherent dignity of each human person, and whether the Gospel needs to be explicitly preached in order to be the Gospel. They close with their Top 5 Inspirational Public Figures.

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.

This week, the guys take on one of the greatest bands of all time: The Beatles. They discuss how the band represented a beacon of hope in a bleak time, the burden of the immanent frame, and how the human person must find ways to reach toward life. They close with their Top 5 Most Influential Musical Acts.

The girls take on the highly acclaimed film, Eighth Grade. They discuss how each of us wants to be known for who we are, how true relationship demands actual closeness, and how we present images of ourselves instead of authentic self-revelation. They Close with the Top 5 Things Middle Schoolers Have Recently Said.

The girls take on the latest Disney re-make, Aladdin. They discuss how true power is made manifest in service, how compassion makes a ruler strong, and how our hearts are not necessarily shaped by our circumstances. They close with their Top 5 Supernatural BFFs.

The guys explore the beautiful new documentary film, "New Men." They explore the challenge of staying in one place, whether monastic life is a higher calling, and struggles of the Christian life. You can find the film at newmendoc.com.

The girls discuss Becoming Mrs. Lewis, the historical fiction novel about Joy Davidman, CS Lewis' wife. They address the idea of womanhood, how love builds up, and how faith is often very messy.

"Buongiorno, principessa!" Steve, Christian, Emma, and Christina watched the classic Italian film, "Life is Beautiful." This is our season finale. We'll be back later in the year!

Christina and Emma are back to discuss the new Downton Abbey movie! They discuss themes of growing up, changes, and preparation for death. As always, what they're cooking. Leave your comments for the 200th episode at 917-524-7483 (call or text).

Fr. Philip challenges us to respond in humble obedience to the resurrected Christ, following the example of the Myrrhbearers.

Fr. Philip calls us to engage in the practices of prayer, fasting and generosity - the basic building blocks of Christian faithfulness.

Fr. Philip encourages us to be the light of the world by serving Christ in our immediate circumstances.

Are you stumbling around in spiritual darkness? Prayer is how we open the darkness of our soul to the brilliant light of Christ, presenting ourselves in faith for His healing.

Jesus called the Apostles to leave everything to follow Him and become fishers of men. And He calls all of us to take up our cross and follow Him right in the midst of our daily lives, making those places of weakness and failure become occasions of beauty and blessing.

What is keeping you "stooped over," hindering you from becoming more like Jesus?

We are called to bear witness of the resurrected Lord, along with St. Thomas, who sought to know Christ through a personal experience with Him.

The Myrrh-Bearers lived a life of service for the flourishing of the Church, much like the early Deacons, modeling the kind of life that all Christians are called to live.

Fr. Philip LeMasters encourages us to live faithfully before the Lord, as did the Theotokos.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on the struggle to believe when the circumstances we face seem overwhelming, growing in faith into the image of Christ.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on the important role that Joseph the Betrothed played in the Nativity of Jesus Christ.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reflects on faith and doubt and our need for spiritual clarity regarding our own unbelief, on the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

Fr. Philip LeMasters preaches on the healing of paralytic.

Fr. Philip LeMasters shares a homily based on this Sunday's Epistle and Gospel readings, reminding us to follow St. Paul's humble obedience to the way of Christ.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reminds us to keep our attention on Christ.

Fr. Philip LeMasters shares about the rich, foolish farmer. "The barn of the rich fool was a pagan temple in which he worshiped only himself. If we live according to the standards of our world of corruption, we will become just like him by seeking to lay up treasures for ourselves to the point that we will shut ourselves out of the new life that Christ has brought to the world."

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.

We are all bent over and crippled in profound ways in relation to the Lord, our neighbors, and even ourselves. The good news of Christmas is that the Savior is born to set us free from captivity to decay, corruption, and weakness.