Fr. Stephen Freeman discusses the right relationship between the mind and the body. You might be surprised.

Fr. Stephen Freeman speaks from his own experience about depression, anxiety, and a 40-year battle with panic attacks. He sets these within the wisdom of the tradition and offers a way of understanding as well as some helpful ways of moving forward.

Fr. Stephen offers a meditation on the theme of desire and ecstasy in the writings of the Fathers, and its importance for the gospel.

The heart of loneliness is broken communion. Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at the roots of this rupture and its experience as shame.

Fr. Stephen Freeman describes the "conciliar" nature of God's actions and our response to Him in our lives. God delights in sharing His work with us.

Fr. Stephen Freeman muses on the nature of English in our worship life, especially some of its problems. He points towards something beyond the words.

Fr. Stephen Freeman speaks about the the goodness of creation and the place that suffering holds within it - including a form of suffering that is not evil.

Fr. Stephen Freeman reflects on Rod Dreher's book, The Benedict Option. He suggests that the virtues that shape our lives are largely formed in their context. How do we shape the parish for acquiring Christian virtues?

We tend to think of shame only in negative terms. However, there is such a thing as "healthy shame." It plays an essential role in awe and wonder and in the giving of thanks. Fr. Stephen Freeman offers some thoughts on this important aspect of our inner life.

Reflecting on his many podcasts and articles on shame, Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at its place in the soul.

Much of the "baggage" we carry in our lives is something into which we were born. Understanding this and God's place in healing it is the subject of this talk by Fr. Stephen Freeman.

From ancient Rome to the present, public shaming has been a means of controlled violence. What is the Christian place in all of this?

Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at the meaning of Worship, as understood in the Scriptures and the Tradition, connecting it with the sacrifices offered in the Old Testament, and Christ's sacrifice on the Cross in the New.

Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at the story of Abraham and the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah as a means of understanding our prayers for the world.

Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at the "burden" created by the emotional and spiritual debts of things that others have done to us and how they can be forgiven.

Fr. Stephen Freeman reflects on the thoughts of Thomas Hopko, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and GK Chesterton, all of whom speak of the value of smaller and more local things. He examines this within Orthodox thought as well.

There is a distinction between our personality and what it means to be person. Fr. Stephen Freeman explains this in terms of the soul and offers very helpful thoughts on what awaits us in heaven.

Much of what we mean when we say "normal" is nothing of the sort. Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at the clash of worldviews that surrounds us in our present day.

The clothing we wear, often with slogans and such, and other outward markings in our lives reflect a deeper spiritual need. The Scriptures speak of being "clothed with Christ." Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at this in terms of covering our shame, and our growth in the image of Christ.

Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at the end of time and how it is thought about in Orthodox theology. It is profoundly important in our every day life.

Have you ever felt haunted by the past or trapped by things you could not change? Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at how history actually works in light of the Kingdom of God. This is truly good news!

In these two podcasts, Fr. Stephen Freeman describes the theme of deliverance from chaos that is found buried in Old Testament texts and how it continues in the New. It is an important way of understanding Christ's teaching of the gospel.

In these two podcasts, Fr. Stephen Freeman describes the theme of deliverance from chaos that is found buried in Old Testament texts and how it continues in the New. It is an important way of understanding Christ's teaching of the gospel.

Fr. Stephen continues this series of the experience of shame and looks particularly at how it can be driven by "global" statements.

Fr. Stephen looks at the difficulties of forgiveness and what it is, exactly, that is being asked of us in Christ's commandments.

Fr. Stephen Freeman offers thoughts on the place of the heart during our nation's struggles. Along with the example of St. John Chrysostom, he points us toward the role our own shame plays in the turmoil of our lives. There is a better way.

J.R.R. Tolkien had a number of critiques aimed at the abuses of our modern age. That same understanding can be seen in his fiction. Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at the Ring of Power and the mythology of our modern world and draws lessons that every good hobbit should know.

In the liturgy we pray that we have a "Christian ending to our life: painless, unashamed, and peaceful; and a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ." Father Stephen Freeman looks carefully at the true nature of that judgment seat. It might surprise you.

The Orthodox understanding of the spiritual life is unlike most things that we think about in our culture. There is not a "technique" that produces "results." Instead, it is a way of life. Fr. Stephen Freeman explores this understanding.

Fr. Stephen looks at the role the classical Christian passions play in our modern culture—how they shape what we think, how we feel, and many of the decisions we make—even on the unconscious level.

Fr. Stephen observes that the real truth of our lives before God is best found in our weaknesses rather than in our strengths.

Fr. Stephen speaks this week about the "habit of prayer" and the understanding of prayer as communion with God.

Fr. Stephen continues his series on the One-Storey Universe and looks at what it means for the Church. The Church is concrete and real. The "Fullness of Him that Filleth All in All" is not an abstraction or an "invisible" Church, but rather the very real Church established by Christ.

In this podcast, Fr. Stephen speaks about salvation and the Church in the Orthodox understanding. He states that: "the Church is what salvation looks like," and explains how the Tradition of the Church sees our salvation in Christ as something we work out in the context of the believing community rather than as mere individuals.

In this week's podcast Fr. Stephen notes that things are not always as they seem. In our busy world we often only see things in a blur. We want things quickly. He notes that grace has a slowness about it and urges us to "be still" and "know" God.

Fr. Stephen looks at morality and virtue, particularly as understood during the so-called "Age of Enlightenment," and compares it with an Orthodox understanding of right actions in the life of a Christian.

In this podcast Fr. Stephen speaks about the experience of standing at the "edge" of Tradition as people look at the Tradition of the Church and discuss it, seek to appropriate parts of it, but remain outside of that Tradition. He emphasizes that the Tradition of the faith is nothing other than our union with the True and Living God and His union with us.

In this podcast Fr. Stephen speaks of the God who is "everywhere present and fills all things," and the importance of our being open to Him everywhere, always, in all things.

Fr. Stephen speaks about the doctrine of the Church (ecclesiology) and how it is best understood by looking at the cross of Christ.

Fr. Stephen sets for a case for an "Orthodox Interpretation of Scripture" in which the Church itself is seen as the proper way to interpret the Sacred Writings.

Fr. Stephen continues his thoughts on the Church as the proper interpretation of Scripture. In this talk he looks at how we "read" the Church.

Fr. Stephen looks at the quiet role played by grace-filled persons in our world. In many ways, God preserves us through the presence of such saints.

Father Stephen comments on some of the thoughts found in a recent work by Archimandrite Zacharias of England. He looks at the "inverted pyramid," the humility of Christ in which authority is to be found not at the top but at the bottom of things, in Christ's bearing the sins of the whole of humanity.

Continuing with his illuminating series, in part four Fr. Stephen Freeman discusses those (both non-Orthodox and Orthodox) for whom knowledge of God is but a relationship with a book (albeit a sacred book) or with ideas about God. These people are what Fr. Freeman calls "practical atheists." "Although a person may espouse a belief in God, it's quite possible for that belief to be so removed from everyday life that God's non-existence would make little difference."

Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at the notion of "allegory" as it is used in the New Testament and in the Orthodox worldview. He also considers the true nature of "literalism" and how we should understand it.

"It's not until we cease to divide the world into ordinary and extraordinary, into usual and unusual, into sacred and secular, that we will have either the possibility of knowing God, much less living the Christian life." — Fr. Stephen Freeman

Community is rooted in a mutual need, and so depends on our weakness. Fr. Stephen Freeman tells us that this is God's intention for the Church.

Fr. Stephen Freeman offers thoughts on the virtue of contentment and its place in the spiritual life.

In this podcast, Fr. Stephen speaks about the Orthodox use of the word "fullness," both as a description of the Church but also, and especially, as a description of what we long for in the Christian life.

Fr. Stephen looks at Orthodoxy and our lives as a matter of the "whole" truth, rather than a "one-sidedness." He urges us to press forward into the whole truth of Christ.