Matthew 6:22-33, Romans 5:1-10.  Homily on the reasons for our hope (as presented by St. Paul and Christ God Himself).  Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony as he talks with Dn. Timothy Kelleher about his roles on Independence Day and Star Trek - the Next Generation (he was also on Voyager and Enterprise), and how good storytelling is always evangelical.  Enjoy the show!  

After a sermonette on St. Pauls' words about the consciences of the Gentiles being the functional equivalent of the Law for the Jews, Fr. Anthony share the UOC-USA Episcopal Letter for US Independence Day.  Enjoy the show! 

Sunday of All Saints.  Hebrews 11:33-12:2 and Matthew 10:32-33,37-38; 19:27-30.  The prohibition against loving family more that God is, among other things, a warning against tribalism.  Fr. Anthony also talks about what the variation among saints means for loving and pastoring one another.  Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony and Deacon Michael Abrahamson talk politics and religion as they drive through the mountains of Western North Carolina.  Topics include keeping perspective and the glorious ontology of doing harmony.  Enjoy the show!

Acts 2:1-11; John 7:37-52, 8:12.  What is missing from on-line theological forums?  Why do they miss the mark when it comes to prophecy?  It has nothing to do with intent or the words that are shared.  The medium is lacking.  Dubious?  Enjoy the show!

In this homily on a selection from Christ's High Priestly Prayer (St. John 17), Fr. Anthony encourages us to keep our theology simple.  Enjoy the show!

Sunday of the Blind Man

Immediate context: God has power and compassion. When He says He invites us to join Him in His plans for remaking us and the world, we can trust both His intent and His ability to deliver.

John 20:30-31.
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

Symbolic context:

Matthew 6:22-24
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!  24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Popular song: We were blind, but now we see.

True, but incomplete. Given eyes when we accepted the reality of Christ as the Son of God and united ourselves to Him and dedicated ourselves to His plan, the Gospel.

But our eyes still see things through a mirror dimly. Why?

If we believed, were made new, then put into a perfect community – back in Eden, we could be grown well. God and the community would help us identify and root out the complex web of interconnected dysfunctions…

But is that what happened? No. So we are working out our brokenness in the midst of others who are.

So the answer? Long term - a healing culture.

Short term: the virtue of humility about our own discernment. About everything.

And trust the one that has power has included all of this in His plan

In this homily on the encounter of Christ with the Samaritan woman (St. Photini) at the well, Fr. Anthony encourages us to drink deeply of the Living Water and eat the food that nourishes the Body.  The latter is a call to do the will of the God in sharing the Gospel.  Enjoy the show!

Justin Shaun Coyle, PhD, (Mount Angel Seminary, outside Portland, OR; Ukrainian Catholic) and Fr. Anthony talk about life in New England, the joy of NC BBQ, and how studying the works of serious atheist philosophers can help develop an instinct for charity and pastoral evangelism.  Enjoy the show!

Fr. Harry Linsinbigler talks with Fr. Anthony about the moving, standing, kneeling, and sitting postures of prayer and worship that Orthodoxy prescribes, some of the confusion that surrounds them, and what they do for the believers who participate in them.  The article they discuss is found at https://christinourmidst.com.  Enjoy the show!

Sunday of the Paralytic

In this hostage situation homily, Fr. Anthony talks about how Orthodoxy can transform the whole person and how our habits of body and mind can either work against or in support of that process.  He also managed to talk about concealed and open carry.  Hey, it's North Carolina!  Enjoy the show!

Dru Johnson is an associate professor of biblical and theological studies at The King’s College in New York City, director of the Center for Hebraic Thought , editor at The Biblical Mind, host of the The Biblical Mind podcast, and co-host of the OnScript Podcast. Before that, he was a high-school dropout, skinhead, punk rock drummer, combat veteran, IT supervisor, and pastor.

Dru is an ordained minister and accomplished academic, with several articles and books, to include Biblical Philosophy – A Hebraic Approach to the Old and New Testaments, Biblical Knowing: A Scriptural Epistemology of Error, Epistemology and Biblical Theology: from the Pentateuch to Mark’s Gospel, and my favorites, Human Rites: The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments, and Knowledge by Ritual: A Biblical Prolegomenon to Sacramental Theology. 

You can find out more about him at drujohnson.com and his academia.edu page.

Join us as we talk about why military induction is and should be so thoroughly ritualized, what rituals do, how to evaluate then, and the danger of over-symbolizing them.  Enjoy the show!

John 20:19-31.  It is often said that we are saved in community.  Today Fr. Anthony offers a meditation on the interrelation of community, trust (faith), and Truth.  Enjoy the show!

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt (Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 10:32-45).  This homily triangulates from the teaching of Christ on servant leadership, the example of St. Mary of Egypt, and the mystery of the Divine Liturgy to encourage us to watch for the many ways we misuse our power and fill every opportunity for service with grace.  Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks with the COVID-stricken Fr. Harry Linsinbigler about parish life and the implications of recent survey results from Gallup (on further declines in American church membership) and Pew (on American religion and the COVID).  Enjoy the show!

Hebrews 6:13-20; Mark 9:17-31.  Fr. Anthony explains how the parish is different from the monastery, how parish priests are different from abbots, and how God works to bring all Christians together with Him in glory.  Enjoy the show!

You may recognize Dn Timothy Kelleher from his appearances in NCIS, Independence Day, Thirteen Days and other movies and shows, but he has also published many thoughtful essays in First Things, Church Life Journal, and now the National Review (among others).  Today, he and Fr. Anthony talk about Dn. Timothy's two most recent essays; "Memories of a Staten Island Childhood" and "A Nation of Sinners."  Enjoy the show!

Hebrews 4:14-5:6; Mark 8:34-9:1.  Sunday of the Adoration of the Cross.  In this homily, Fr. Anthony begins with the analogy of the "time-out" and how the Cross can allow us to come out of the COVID-time in a way that will bring reconciliation.  He concludes by talking about why the Divine Liturgy is pretty much the same thing - to include rote prayers - every week and what that means for us as we worship and pray.  Enjoy the show!

In this interview, Fr. Anthony and Dn Nicholas talk about the rhythms of Lent and how a gentle asceticism may cultivate more lasting changes than the most stringent fasting and a packed liturgical calendar.  Along the way, Dn Nicholas shares wisdom on how this same approach builds a lasting and self-propagating harmony (even among tenors who often sing flat).  We hope you enjoy this calm and gentle conversation.  Enjoy the show!

In this homily, given on the Lenten Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas (Hebrews 1:10-2:3; Mark 2:1-12), Fr. Anthony preaches on the sequence of forgiveness and healing in the Gospel reading and in our lives, the need for nepsis and care when receiving criticism, and the role silence can play in our spiritual development.  Enjoy the show!

Divine Liturgy of St. Basil (excerpts) as celebrated on 3/28/2021 in Waynesville NC.  

Hebrews 11:24-26,11:32-12:2; John 1:43-51.  First Sunday of Great Lent.  Today Fr. Anthony begins by talking about the need for developing pastoral relations with others so that we can have better discernment about our sins.  He finishes by talking about the Great Entrance and its relationship to Palm Sunday and Holy Week.  Enjoy the show!

In this homily given on the Sunday of Forgiveness (Cheesefare; Romans 13:11-14:4; Matthew 6:14-21), Fr. Anthony talks about the psychological and sacramental power of storytelling, and warns us against misusing that power.  Blessed Lenting!

Fr Anthony and Fr. Gabriel Rochelle overcome myriad technical problems to talk about the confluence of poetry, story, and proclamation that take place in the Divine Liturgy (and life).  Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony as he talks about cooperative story-telling, liturgy, and the joy of Ukrainian Orthodoxy with Fr. Yuri Hladio, the priest of St. Maria of Paris mission in West Hamilton, Ontario and the host of the wonderful "Prying Priest" podcast (pryingpriest.com).  Enjoy the show!

Meatfare/Last Judgement Sunday (1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2; Matthew 25:31-46).  Fr. Anthony continues to take the parish through the Divine Liturgy, talking about the readings and the homily (to include an explanation for why Orthodox homilies are, well, a but more constrained than many heterodox sermons).  Enjoy the show!

Homily on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son (1 Corinthians 6:12-20 and Luke 15:11-32).  Both the brothers were limited by their two-dimensional tactical worldview.  The Father shows that grace solves problems that no tactician can.  Enjoy the show!

Jesus Christ said; “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28​-30) In this retreat, Fr. Anthony describes the way the past year has polarized us and how we and our parishes can heal and become the peacemakers the world needs. A video of the presentation is available at Fr. Anthony Perkins YouTube channel.  Enjoy!  

In this homily, given on the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, Fr. Anthony continues to take the parish through the Divine Liturgy.  This week he focuses on the Antiphons and the Little Entrance.  Enjoy the show!

Homily given of Zacchaeus Sunday (1 Timothy 4:9-15; Luke 19:1-10).  Fr. Anthony offers a meditation on how love is enabled by cutting through the labels and baggage (i.e. there is a reason God is "not a respecter of persons").  Enjoy the show!

In this homily, Fr. Anthony continues his series on the Divine Liturgy, offering a meditation on the benefit of singing the Divine Liturgy (the blessed integration of scripture and poetry, music, voices, incarnation, and Eucharist).  Enjoy the show!

It was a great blessing to talk with Fr. Daniel Greeson about his new AFR blog, "Every Thought Captive" and especially his series on discernment.  Enjoy the show!

Here are my notes:

Interview with Fr. Daniel Greeson.

Rector of St. Anne’s Orthodox Church in Oakridge, TN

Podcaster: “In Heaven and On Earth”

Editor and Author of the Ancient Faith Ministry Blog; “Every Thought Captive”

Greeting.  Tell us about yourself and how found yourself wearing a cassock and cross.

I love your new blog, Every Thought Captive.  In the introductory post, you use aggressive imagery – wrestling, dismantling, boldness, even using El Greco’s Purification of the Temple as the blog banner.  What do and don’t you mean by that – and in general where are you coming from?

New blog (November 2020), but already have several excellent series.  The main one I want to talk about is the series on discernment, but I also love you series on Orthodoxy and the Culture War (which includes a serious reflection on how we, as Christians living in America, should and perhaps should not relate to “The West”.  You also did a beautiful series on the Pandemic of Loneliness.  And you have also recruited a great cast to write on other topics.  How do you choose what to write on and what to publish?  What is the goal of the blog?

Discernment.  The Mother of Virtues – how is that possible?  Why do we need it? (false teachers).

St. Anthony the Great tells us to gain discernment, avoid extremes, and walk always on the royal road”.  How do we do this?

St Moses: “Discern money: scrutiny; reject deceptive thoughts; root out (false authority), and check the weight”

What is the role of asceticism in discernment?

Scripture?

Homily on Colossians 3:12-16.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

This is a recording of Fr Anthony's homily on his name day (1/30, old style), given at Holy Resurrection in Waynesville, NC (the last Divine Liturgy in their tiny starter location!).  Enjoy the show!

After some small talk on the pastoral value of wedding planning, Fr. Anthony and Dylan Pahman (Acton Institute) talk about what Magic the Gathering can teach us about markets and morality and about the general need for economic literacy.  For the last half of the show, they talk about the value of markets, liberal democracy, and international trade, and address some of the objections Christians have about them.  Enjoy the show! 

Today Fr. Anthony continues his series of homilies on the Divine Liturgy (offered every other week, when he serves in Anderson).  He explains some of the things the Divine Liturgy does for us and why the Great Litany starts out the way it does.  Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony shares thoughts on the meaning of "The Jordan turned back" and its relevance for us today.  Enjoy the show!

Listen to find out which of the many conspiracies is occupying space in Fr. Anthony’s fool head.  Without it, the other problems (e.g. injustice, riots, elections, presidential narcissism) would have been handled as normal rather than extra-ordinary problems.  We should have seen it coming.  From Fr. Anthony's YouTube Livestream.  Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony as he talks with Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD, to get some advice on the role of the pastor in crazy times.  It's a difficult conversation, but it's important for us to have trusted friends in our lives who will tell us things we don't want to hear.  Fr. Gregory is wise, experienced, and courageous enough to say things that will satisfy precisely no one.  Enjoy the show!

In this homily given on the Sunday after Theophany, Fr. Anthony continues to take us through the Divine Liturgy, focusing on the opening blessing, "Blessed is the Kingdom" and explaining how the ritual and grace of the Divine Liturgy heals the dysfunction in our minds, our relations, and the world.  Enjoy the show!

The bulk of the homily is the Nativity Epistle of the Permanent Conference of Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops Beyond the Borders of Ukraine.  After that, Fr. Anthony offers some remarks about the seeming weakness of the Logos in the manger and how it relates to the seeming impotence of our faith in Christ.  Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony in Hartwell, GA as he talks with Professor Adam DeVille (University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, IN) about proper and improper ways of framing self-care, why it is so easy to get it wrong, and why it is important to get it right. Dr. DeVille is the author of Everything Hidden Shall Be Revealed: Ridding the Church of Abuses of Sex and Power. He blogs (prolifically and well) at ”Eastern Christian Books.”  There's a bit of ironically timed electronic mischief in the middle, but the worst of it has been edited out (Fr. Anthony's computer froze).  This is the audio from Fr. Anthony's YouTube livestream (12/21/2020).

On the Sunday we remember the slaughter of innocents, Fr. Anthony asks what we are willing to sacrifice to hold on to our own sins.  He forgot his microphone, so this was recorded on his (new) iPhone SE.  Oh, and he really did forget where Christ was born (senior moment?).

One of the challenges of our present spiritual situation is that our society has settled for something less than truth. This affects the quality of our opinions, policies, and judgments and undermines our ability to live and spread the Gospel. An indicator of the seriousness of this is our growing inability to listen to, learn from, and love people who think differently than we do. In this presentation, I frame the situation as a problem of discernment, compare scientific and Orthodox methods of knowing, and describe how we are failing to use either well. I conclude with a discussion of the critical role diversity plays in discerning truth, showing how the very things that currently divide us can bring us closer to a knowledge of the truth.

Join Fr. Anthony Perkins in Hartwell, GA as he talks with Professor George Stavros (Boston University) about the internal and external factors that put clergy at risk and how that risk can be mitigated by fellowship, support, and the life in Christ. See Professor Savros' article on the subject here: https://publicorthodoxy.org/2020/11/19/clergy-at-risk/.

The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians. (3:4-11)

Brethren, when Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

St. Augustine: But what did he go on to say? “When Christ appears, your life, then you also will appear with him in glory.” So now is the time for groaning, then it will be for rejoicing; now for desiring, then for embracing. What we desire now is not present; but let us not falter in desire; let long, continuous desire be our daily exercise, because the one who made the promise doesn’t cheat us.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

St. Athanasius: But the saints, and they who truly practice virtue, “mortify their members” and as the result of this, are pure and without spot, confiding in the promise of our Savior, who said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” These, having become dead to the world, who have renounced the merchandise of the world, gain an honorable death.

St. Jerome: In a general way all that is of the devil is characterized by hatred for God. What is of the devil is idolatry, since all idols are subject to him. Yet Paul elsewhere lays down the law in express terms, saying: “Mortify your members.” Idolatry is not confined to casting incense upon an altar with finger and thumb or to pouring libations of wine out of a cup into a bowl.

On account of these, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. In these you once walked, when you lived in them.

But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth.

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.

Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.

St. John Chrysostom: Now what Paul wishes to say is that there is no benefit in those things, for all those things fall apart, unless they are done with love. This is the love that binds them all together. Whatever good thing it is that you mention, if love be absent, it is nothing, it melts away. The analogy is like a ship; though its rigging be large, yet if it lacks girding ropes, it is of no service. Or it is similar to a house; if there are no tie beams, of what use is the house? Think of a body. Though its bones be large, if it lacks ligaments, the bones cannot support the body. In the same way, whatever good our deeds possess will vanish completely if they lack love.

Patristic quotes:

Gorday, P. (Ed.). (2000). Colossians, 1–2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon (p. 49). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

In the homily on St. Luke 12:16-21 (the rich man investing poorly), Fr. Anthony reminds us of the universal goal for humanity and all humans, why it needs to get done, and why we shouldn't be anxious about it (despite it's cosmic importance).  I'd share his notes, but they have nothing to do with what he actually preached.  As a bonus, this recording includes the service from the reading of the Gospel, through the homily and to the end of the "Our Father".  Enjoy the show!

Audio recording of Fr. Anthony's livestream of 05 December 2020.  He talks for a bit about how political scientists see the world (to include election fraud), but mostly he talks about the joy of playing games - and especially playing dungeons and dragons.  He ends up giving three reasons: it's fun, it's good for you for social reasons, and it's good for you for imager reasons.  Enjoy the show!

Ephesians: 4:1-7; St. Luke: 18:18-27.  In this (much shorter!) homily, Fr. Anthony encourages us to let go of everything, be with God, and then allow the resulting peace pattern everything else.  Enjoy the show!

In this homily on Ephesians 2: 14-22, Fr. Anthony talks about the difference between blessed unity (in Christ) and cursed unity (through tyranny or universalism) and the role humility plays in the Mystery of becoming One as God is One.   The first seventeen minutes are snapshot of the beauty of the worship at Holy Resurrection in Waynesville.  Enjoy the Show!

In this homily on the Good Samaritan, Fr. Anthony lets slip which political tribe he is in and how his dedication to it helped put him in the ditch (along with everyone else).  The main point, though is that we ARE in the ditch and need Christ to get us out.  Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony next to his back porch in Hartwell Ga as he talks with Fr. John Charest about some of the things they had to learn on the job.  If you listen closely, you'll also learn something about how to tell a priest from a deacon (or from a subdeacon impersonating one or the other!).  Enjoy the show!

In this homily on Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31), Fr. Anthony continues on the theme of authenticity, noting how the Gospel IS the response to chaos and the lack of reliable institutions.  [Yes, he preached on the same Gospel last week; then he was on the revised lectionary at Christ the Savior Antiochian in Anderson SC; this week he was on the traditional (TM) lectionary at Holy Resurrection in Waynesville, NC; it's our old nemisis, the Lukian jump).  Enjoy the show! 

This is the audio from Fr. Anthony's 7 November 2020 livestream discussion with longtime listener Colin Penfold (from Australia!).  Join them as they talk about Warhammer, Chaos, and the love of God.  Enjoy the show!

In this homily on First Corinthians 12:27-13:8 (on gifts and love) and St. Luke 16:19-31 (the rich man and Lazarus), Fr. Anthony encourages us to cultivate humility so that we can see the beauty in others.  Without this, even our best words and actions will be off the mark.  Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony Perkins as he talks with his friend and fellow member of the Defense Against the Dark Art Faculty at Miscatonic University, Fr. Maximos McIntyre about demons, mental illness, possession, and the problem of discernment.  Enjoy the show!

In this (meandering!) meditation on Galatians 1:11-12, Fr. Anthony talks about how important it is that we develop an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ, informed by our parents, mentors, and spiritual fathers/mothers but not dependent on or mediated by them.  Enjoy the show!  

Join Fr. Anthony next to his back porch in Hartwell, Georgia, as he talks with scientist, theologian, professor, Associate Dean, and evangelist, Gayle Woloschak, PhD, DMin (Northwestern University) about COVID, vaccines, and discernment.  This is a recording of Fr. Anthony's livestream from 10/24/2020.

In this recording of Fr. Anthony's livestream, he and Fr. Gregory Jensen talk about authenticity and Alexander Solzhenitsyn's (and Rod Dreher's) advice to "live not by lies."  Enjoy the show!

In this homily on St Luke 10: 16-21 and Colossians 4:5-11, 14-18, Fr. Anthony reflects on what Christ's contrasting the power the disciples had over demons with their names being written in heaven might mean for us in this divisive time.  He encourages us to use power with humility lest we actual feed the spirit of darkness within us and lose our place in the book of life.

Join Fr. Anthony next to his back porch in Hartwell GA as he talks with Professor Carrie Frost, PhD about clericalism, ritual, and the risks and benefits of lay hesychasm.  There were some audio problems with the YouTube livestream; our editor (Doug) made the best of it for the podcast version.  Enjoy the show! 

Listen as Fr. Anthony talks with Sarah Riccardi-Swartz about truth, why our commitment to it has waned, and what Christians can and should be doing to bring balance and grace to our culture. Sarah is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Recovering Truth: Religion, Journalism, and Democracy in a Post-Truth Era project at the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict (Arizona State University). Enjoy the show!

In St. Luke 5:1-11 Christ calls fisherman to be his disciples, in this homily Fr. Anthony reflects on how absurd it is that He didn't use angels or Greek philosophers to be his messengers and evangelists, going on to describe the implications for us as we evangelize and pastor our neighbors (and ourselves).  Enjoy the show!

This is a recording of Fr. Anthony Perkins' Livestream from 10 October 2020.  In it, he continues the themes from his discussion with Fr. Gregory Jensen on transcendent introspection and a good test of our relationship with Christ (and complexity): can we love President Trump AND Antifa?  Enjoy the show!

This is the recording of Fr. Anthony's livestream from 09 October 2020.  In it, Fr. Anthony talks with Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD, about the difference between isolation and solitude, how to cultivate transcendent introspection, the difference between pastoring and controlling, and the challenge of baptizing authoritarian tendencies.  Enjoy the show!

In this homily on St. Luke 6:31-36, Fr. Anthony develops the idea that that our inability to love well is a result of the way we objectify and commodify things, our neighbor, and the Church. Enjoy the show!

Homily: Loving vs. Commodifying (St. Luke 6:31-36)

Introduction: missing the point

It is hard for us to live the way we should.  From our time in Eden to now, we have failed, and the consequences to our hearts, our families, and our world have been disastrous.

One of our challenges is that we do not see things as they really are.  We do not see their beauty and we do not see how things are connected.  Even for things that are ugly and hard, we do not see the potential for beauty and the potential for blessings.  Instead of seeing things in their full splendor, we evaluate them based on what they mean for us; what we can get from them.  

We were designed to bring out the best in everything and everyone; to heal those that are hurt and to build up those who are already well towards perfection.  But instead of this, we just want to know what we can use things for and what we can get out of people.  We are like a hungry man in the middle of a feast who insists on eating his seed corn.  It’s destructive and we need to change.

Adam and Eve: Commodifying what they were meant to love

I mentioned Adam and Eve.  Think of how they fell.  One of the ways to understand this (from St. Nikolai Velimirovich) is that they turned the thing they were meant to tend – the garden – into a commodity; from something that deserved respect and the greatest of care to something that was useful primarily as food.  Even the thing God told them not to eat became a commodity to them: they wanted what it offered.  And remember what they learned?  That it “tasted good.”  What a loss.

Hear me well:  Adam and Eve were meant to eat the things that grew in the garden, but the availability of food was really just a side-effect (a “positive externality”) of being a good steward.  They got it all wrong when they put what they wanted from the garden before their love for it.  Instead of tending the garden, they tended to themselves.  They forgot about beauty; they forgot about connectedness; they forgot about service.

And We Commodity EVERYTHING!

We are so much worse than they were; our commodification of people and things in this world knows no end.  We are always looking for an angle; looking for the best deal.

Again, don’t mishear me: being frugal is part of being a good steward of our resources, but we are missing a side-effect for the main point.  Men should not love their wives because they hope for something in return, they should love their wives because they want to help nurture them to perfection (but I am not speaking of marriage but of the Church).  Christ does not love us because He wants something from us.  He does not sacrifice Himself for us in hopes of getting help with His plan to restore beauty to this world.  As we become perfect as God is perfect, we will help Him with this plan; but He sacrifices Himself for us because He sees the potential beauty within us and wants it to grow.  He does it because He loves us.  

We have to stop looking at one another as things to be used, things that either bring us pleasure or pain.  We have to see one another the way God sees us.  

More on Blindness: Commodification leads to a lack of proportion

Surely one of the ways we have cursed ourselves with our blindness is that we cannot see the beauty that emanates from all of God’s creatures; the blessings present in every moment.

Why is this so hard?  Why are we unable to enjoy the fruits of God’s love for us?  Why don’t we see things the way they are?  This blindness really is a curse; it pulls us further away from our purpose and robs us of the joy we were meant to have.

There are so many examples in our lives where we are blind to miracles.  Yes, the problems are there, but they are so minor compared to the miracles!

Let me give you one example that is so big it cannot help but make this point.  It is the example of the Church.

So much of what we do here in Church has been commoditized.  For some, our actions become part of our political protest against over-reaching authorities.  For others, our rituals become a magnet for our fear of disease or distrust of the other.  Even in normal times church can become less a place to experience the transcending and saving grace of God and more a place to give and receive judgment.

Are we really so blind to God’s wonders?  Have we no sense of proportion?

God works in this place, it is His very Body and Blood that are offered here – do we understand the magnitude of this miracle?  If we focus on the way it is offered – beyond the basic need to protect our health and the dignity of the act - then we have to admit that we do not.  Complaining about this is somewhat like the man who is dying of poison complaining to the doctor because the cup containing the necessary antidote to the poison is blue instead of green.  Have we lost our minds?  Again, do not mishear me; we have to be careful and safe – but we cannot allow this to distract us from celebrating being part of such a wonderful miracle.

Similarly, some people complain about Confession, saying things like; “why do I have to go to the priest for confession?”  Here God has given us a way to rid our hearts of the sin that has accumulated in and polluted them, and we complain about the way He has told us to do it.  Seriously?

Complaints about the role of bishops, the all-male priesthood, the traditional view of marriage, -  everything about the way we do things that we do not like threatens to turn the celebration of God with Us into a series of political or ideological positions that can be analyzed and judged … I do this all the time; I suspect some of you do, too.

We have turned even the Church, the vessel of everything good and true, into a commodity, something to be judged, to be measured, to be evaluated like some product on a grocer’s shelf.

Is it any wonder that we do the same thing with our spouses, our children…our enemies?

Conclusion:  Love without reservation

My point is not that the things that attract our attention in this way are not important or that they should not be discussed.  Going back to the example of the garden, food is important.  If we don’t eat, we die.  If we prepare food incorrectly, we die.  But Christ reminds us;

“Do not be anxious about what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.” (paraphrase of Matthew 6:25).

God is right here with us, working miracles in our midst, and we miss them by focusing on His height (“Oh, is that Jesus; I imagined he’d be taller.”)

Let’s not get distracted.  Let’s love without reservation.  Let’s love without expecting anything in return.  

Let me repeat the irony; if we tend this world – this garden - in love, we will receive what we need – the necessary commodities, if you will, in return.  As the Lord says in almost the next breath, if you really love, if you really give of yourself without reservation, then “it shall be given unto you in return; a good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over…” (St. Luke 6:38). 

And again in St. Matthew (paraphrase of 6:33-34); “seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all the things you need will be given to you as well.”

Let’s open our eyes and our hearts to the beauty in this world; the beauty in our neighbor; and the beauty in the Church.

Audio recording of Fr. Anthony's Livestream from 10/3/2020.  In it, he warms up with a talk about civil society, moves on to parish culture, and finishes with a bit on discernment and prelest.  Enjoy the show!

In this homily, Fr. Anthony explains the meaning of the Cross for us today in the light of 1 Corinthians 6:12 ("All things are lawful for me..."), Philippians 2:6 ("[Christ Jesus] did not consider it robbery"), 1 Corinthians 10:33 ("...so that some might be saved."), and the Transfiguration.  Enjoy the show!

This is the audio recording of Fr. Anthony Perkins' YouTube livestream on 26 September 2020.  In it Seminarian James Cummings talks about the journey of discernment that took him through the army, the Satanic priesthood, and finally to Christ and Holy Orthodoxy.  Enjoy the show!

Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross
Galatians 2:16-20; Mark 8:34-9:1

(The Greatest Commandment) life has no meaning without a goal. Goals allow us to distinguish between what is useful and what isn’t; the right goal ensures that all our actions are virtuous.

This week restates this lesson. Listen closely:

And Jesus called to him the multitude with his disciples, and said to them, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Mark 8: 34)

Do you see how this is just a restatement of the goal of “loving God and neighbor”?

The “self” that we must deny has to be properly understood or we will end up perverting the Scripture, pursuing the wrong goal, wasting our talent, and – as we are warned in today’s Gospel reading – losing our very soul/life. There are two main ways that the “denial of self” should be understood:

• The denial of the self as a sacrificial action.Why do you think that the Old Testament is full of sacrifice? In part, it is because doing something worthwhile requires giving up something else. If I am saving my money so that I can buy a new computer or go on a nice vacation, then there are things that I have to give up – to sacrifice – along the way. If I am going to follow God, that is to say, if I am going to love Him and love my neighbor the way He does, then that means giving up or “sacrificing” all the other goals that I might have pursued. This is only fitting and logical: when someone accepts a 9-5 job, they give up doing other things they might have done during that time. When a couple gets married, they give up both the single life and the possibility of marrying anyone else. When we commit ourselves to following Christ and serving our neighbor – the two Great Commandments – then we are sacrificing all the other things we might have done.

• The denial of self as commitment and hard work. When someone takes a job, they don’t just give up doing other things while they are at that job: they commit themselves to working hard to do that job well. When a couple gets married, they don’t just give up dating other people: they commit themselves to working hard to make their marriage joyful and productive. This takes constant effort; these people “deny themselves” to do their job well and to keep their marriages healthy. When we commit ourselves to following Christ and serving our neighbor, we aren’t just giving up all the other goals we could have committed ourselves to, we are dedicating ourselves to put real effort into living a life of love.


So why the big warning? Because today’s reading, like last week’s, comes with a big warning:

For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. (Mark 8: 35)

The bottom line is that you will waste and ruin your life if you pursue the wrong goals. Idolatry? Two masters? Temple? It’s all saying the same thing. Don’t waste your life. Live a life of virtue. Commit yourself to it, study how to do it well, and then work hard an sacrifice yourself for it. Parts of you will rebel – deny those parts. Other parts will enjoy it; this is the multiplication of your talents – take that joy and offer to God and share it with your neighbor … this is how you grow “into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).

One of the ways that today’s reading can be misunderstood is to think that the “denial of self” means the denial of joy. Now I hope you see how ridiculous this is. Do not turn God into a monster: he is not trying to turn this world into a hell of misery but into a place where all his children have joyful life in abundance (John 10:10) – and He wants us to want and work for that, too.

The denial of self does NOT mean that we hate or neglect or selves; quite the opposite. This is made clear by the final verse we will cover in today’s homily;

For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul (life)?
(Mark 8:36)

Love of self means doing what is good for the self; pursuit of the wrong goals brings destruction to our lives. That is not love, that is something else. You know people who have destroyed their lives through the pursuit of power, or of laziness and self-indulgence, or of the approval of the wrong people, or through drugs … this is what Jesus means when He warns that you can gain the world but lose your soul. People who have lived for the wrong goal may well “gain the whole world”, but all that effort has been counter-productive; it has not brought abounding joy, it has not brought joy to others.

So now that you understand this command of Our Lord, the challenge is to make it your primary motivation:

Deny yourself. Give up your life and live it for the Good News of salvation that is guaranteed to bring joy to you and to this world.

This is a recording of Fr. Anthony's livestream on 19 September 2020.  It it, he and Dn. Michael Abrahamson talk about gardening and the difference between transactional love (loving to be liked, respected, etc.) and loving without reservation.  Enjoy the show!

St. Matthew 22:1-14 (The Wedding Feast)

Today is the threshold of the new liturgical year, a time when we take stock of ourselves and the great story we are a part of.  Today I want to retell this story.  You are familiar with the events, but perhaps not with how they fit together or how they culminate with the revelation offered in today’s Gospel.  It is a huge story, running from the very beginning until now – and just a bit into the future.  Obviously there isn’t time to go over all the nuances of this story – that would literally take forever; but there is time to speak of the general contours.  Mel Brooks did it in two hours – I propose to do it in much less.  And while the story I tell will not be funny like his (nor will it allow our subdeacon to test out of this semester’s class on the Old Testament), understanding it can be a passage through which we can understand and rejoice in this world and our place in it.

Act I: In the Beginning
God brought order to things.  Even the waters – the ancient sign of chaos – were divided and contained.  Creation was established as a very special sort of place.  A place of wonder and the deepest magic.  And the greatest wonder was that he made a creature from the dust of that place and enlivened it with his own breath.  He gave that creature special power, endowed Him with His own image and likeness, then commissioned that creature to use its powers for the benefit of others.  It was the steward of creation.  Its power was such that everything in creation responded to its intentions.  The was the design of the God, that everything be interconnected so that every thought and action of His steward would be a blessing.  That everything would grow in perfection, unity, and love as His steward grew in perfection, unity, and love under God’s own example and instruction.

But this new creature, this steward with the power to affect everything in the world around it, ignored its calling and used its power for something else.  It still had this power, the world still responded to its thoughts and actions, but instead of bringing blessings, it brought curses.  Instead of fruits, the world offered up thorns and thistles.  Instead of a joyful abundance of life, it brought pain and death.  The steward became perverted and warped, and it warped and perverted the world.  It groaned in sin.

Act II: The Flood
This steward was mankind.  One might expect that mankind would learn its lesson.  That it would grow tired of thistles and pain and death and disorder and separation, that it would return to its original commission and the world to its original purpose, but it did not.  It continued to use its powers to curse creation; it even turned its magic against itself.  Mankind became a living blight on the world.  When it seemed that all was lost, when perversion had twisted almost everything and everyone, God could allow it no more.  He withdrew His powerful protection that separated the waters and kept the destructive might of chaos at bay.  The world was flooded.  The last remnant of good was saved – life was given a new chance.  Mankind rejoiced at this and offered up its thanks to the Lord.  God commissioned mankind once again to tend to creation and promised never again to allow the waters of chaos in.  The world once again felt the blessings of love and unity.

Act III:  The Tower of Babel and the Instruction of lsrael
But this state did not last.  Mankind soon drifted away from its purpose once again.  It joined together, uniting its great power to work against the order and love that created and sustains the world.  God saw that if this continued, there would be no end to the evil mankind would do.  He divided them into nations, assigning divine guardians to watch over and instruct each of them and He Himself took up the instruction of one of them, the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He established a new covenant with them through Moses, and gave them the Law.  He used the Law to teach them how to use their powers for good, to teach them the proper order of things and how they can be maintained, and to forbid those things that would sow discord and chaos.  He demanded that they keep themselves pure and holy as He is holy so that mankind would become the blessing to creation that it was created to be.  When they went astray, he sent prophets to guide them back.

Act IV:  The New Adam
But even with the Law and the Prophets, this nation – the Israelites – could not stay true.  The nations around them had given themselves over to demons and many of the Jews had joined them.  As in the days of before the flood, it seemed as though all creation would be destroyed by the wickedness of mankind.  But among them there were some that still stayed true, most notably the Virgin Mary.  And through her, the most amazing thing happened: God’s commission to mankind was finally realized in full.  Adam’s power was perfected and completely turned to its proper purpose.  How was this done?  Through the Incarnation of the God-man Jesus Christ.  He is called the “New Mankind”, the “New Adam”, because all the things mankind was called to be and become were brought about in His person.  Creation responded to Him and it was a blessing.  Remember how, when He went into the river Jordan at His baptism, all the filth and evil that had accumulated in its waters from generation after generation of curses was turned back by his presence – the Jordan turned back!  Sickness fled at His touch.  Leprosy was healed.  The blind could see.  The lame could walk.  Creation finally had the steward she was made for, and it responded in joy!  But evil did not rejoice – it retaliated.  It could not tempt The New Adam from His purpose, so it conspired against Him.  The fallen powers of the world hated Him for His goodness.  They condemned Him to death and crucified Him on the Cross.  But they underestimated His power – death itself fled from His power and from His love.  No curse, no disease, not even death itself, can abide to be in the same place as the New Adam.

Act V:  Unity in Christ
But the story does not end there.  There is a New Covenant and there is a new power.  Jesus Christ is the New Adam, the new mankind, the One who can live up to the high calling of steward to creation.  His presence, His thoughts, intentions, and actions, bless the world and transform it.  They bring about its healing, unity, love, and perfection.  But the most amazing thing about this act of  history is that we are called to join Him!  Through Him, we, as created beings, can be purged of all filth.  Through Him, we can become true stewards.  We can become the New Adam.  We can become a blessing to the world.  The Church is the Body of Christ.  Those who are baptized (in the water He transformed) have “put on Christ”.  Those who believe in Him have Him in them and they in Him.  Through Him the unity of mankind is restored and it is finally ready and able to go about the work of its original calling.  Matter is transformed by the intentions and actions of the Church: water is sanctified, oil heals, a prayerful touch brings the remission of sins, another brings the charisma of ordination, another unites man and woman into one flesh, through the actions and intentions of the Church even bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ!  The world is transformed around the New Adam, and all of us are part of that.  This is the most heroic epic ever written – and we are offered the part of heroes! 

Today Christ refers to this calling as a wedding feast.  He desires that His people join Him in His joy.  But do you remember how they responded?  They had other things to do!  They mocked and turned down His offer.  They even killed His messengers.  But others did come in.  We have joined them.  We have put on our wedding garments and bask in the glory of Our Lord.

But the story does not end there.  We, here at Holy Resurrection in the heart of Appalachia, have the fullness of the Church.  We are the New Adam.  The world is groaning in sin – the people suffer.  We must go out and be the source of healing, joy, and unity that we are meant to be.  It is time for us to live up to our commission.  Through Christ, this is possible.

1 Corinthians 16:13-24; St. Matthew 21:33-42.  In this homily, Fr. Anthony describes how our obsession with past wrongs, the future, and tribalism turn us into the vinedressers who persecuted the owners servants; will we also kill his son?  Enjoy the show!

In this homily on the Gospel of the rich man who went away sad (and Christ's warning about the eye of a needle; St. Matthew 19:16-26), Fr. Anthony reminds us that we have to let go of everything, to include our politics, in order to be with and in Him.  Enjoy the show!

1 Corinthians 9:2-12; St. Matthew 18:23-35.  Christianity doesn't have a mold for saints or holy cultures; it helps the good in them grow and prunes away the bad.  What would that look like for America?  Can our economy be a source of virtue for its participants?  Today's readings say yes, with qualifications.  Enjoy the show!

This is the audio from Fr. Anthony's livestream on 8/11/2020.  In it, he talks with Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD about life in Madison WI, sudden onset gender dysphoria, and how we'd all be better off if the Church did its job of spreading God's love.  Enjoy the show!

This the audio from Fr. Anthony Perkins' livestream of 8/10/2020.  In it he talks about how to logos the chaos and whatever else comes into his fool head.  Enjoy the show!

This is a recording of Fr. Anthony Perkins' YouTube Livestream from 8/3/2020.  In it, he shares some of the wisdom he gained from his summer job moving furniture and argues that people with authority/expertise in one field should exercise humility when making dogmatic statements outside that field.  He also shares his concerns about the Jenga game being played with liberal democracy (and the engine of growing freedom and prosperity).  Enjoy the show!

Homily on 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, St. Matthew 14:14-22 (feeding of the five thousand), and the commemoration of St. Elijah (Elias).  In it, Fr. Anthony makes the case that we have exactly the miracles that we need for the problems we face today.  Enjoy the show!

This is a recording of Fr. Anthony Perkins' YouTube Livestream from 7/27/2020.  In it, he makes the point that identity politics is bad theology and politics.  Enjoy the show!

This is a recording of Fr. Anthony Perkins' YouTube Livestream from 7/20/2020.  In it, he makes the point that virtue is ontological and its unreliability in politics necessitates limited government.  Enjoy the show!

Homily on Romans 12:6-14.  It is not enough to gave gifts, or even to want to use them well.  Much harm is done by people who have the zeal and skills, but lack the ability to abhor evil, cling to the good, and love without hypocrisy.  Commitment to Orthodoxy can help, but isn't enough; adding self-control and humility and really trusting God can allow us to meet the requirements of the moment.  Enjoy the show!

This is a recording of Fr. Anthony Perkins' YouTube Livestream from 7/13/2020.  In it, he talks about how stupidity is overdetermined (and not just demonic or agenda-driven), a couple of the things that make intersectionality such a perverse and counter-productive religion, and how Orthodox Christians are both culpable for it and responsible for replacing it with Authenticity.

Homily: The Demoniac at Gardenes

Introduction – the context of the story

Our Lord had just come across the water with his disciples.  They had faced one kind of fear when they were on the water: a fear of the chaos of a storm.  A great wind had come up while Jesus slept, and the disciples panicked.  They woke Jesus up and he calmed the wind and rebuked them for their lack of faith. 

When they got to the other side, they faced a new kind of fear: the fear of ghosts.  The demons in this man at Gardenese had driven him into the graveyard to play on men’s superstitions about ghosts.  In different parts of the Gospels, the disciples had shown themselves to be subject to this superstition.  But the Lord identified the demoniac for what he was: not a ghost haunting the cemetery, but a man possessed by a legion of demons.

There are three main points I would have us learn here. 

The first has to do with fear. 

Fear is a strong instinct, and it is one that the powers of the air and marketers of this world like to use to manipulate us.  Fear is a strong instinct, but for we who have given our lives to Christ and to His peace and to His power, it is not a rational one.  Do we fear for our bodies?  Why, when Our Lord Himself said that we should be more concerned with the state of our souls?  When He has given us proof of the resurrection of His sons and daughters into new bodies in the world to come?  Do we fear for the health of others?  Why?  Do we believe that we love them more than God does?  There are dangers in this world and we need to be aware of them; but fear does not help us see and react to these dangers more effectively.  Quite the opposite.  The only laudable fear that Scripture speaks of is the fear of God – and this is the fear that brings His peace and power to bear in the most difficult of times.  We should not fear the storms.  God can bring calm to us even when they blow around us.  We should not fear the ghosts.  They are the illusions of the world created to scare and control us.  We should not even fear the demons.  They have no hold over the righteous and God has granted His Church His power over them.  We should only fear the Lord and trust in His power and love.   

The second has to do with how this man got there in the first place.

[How did that man end up running through the graveyard naked?]  Temptations.  Fascination.  Obsession.  Possession.  Both good and bad thoughts can lead us down this sorrowful road.  Example of a bad thought: remembrance of wrongs.   Example of a good thought: the protection of children.  Even the latter can become perverted so that the parent becomes a curse to himself, to his children, and to everyone around him (other examples: health, work, church/religion).  In these times, it is important to realize that even thoughts that begin from a good place – a desire for another’s safety or a desire for justice – can lead us down this road if we lose perspective and grounding.  The media is designed to feed this obsession.  The real danger for us as Christians is that we are trained by our faith to care for the good and to hate all that is evil; without discernment and peace, our feelings can open us to the kind of manipulation that can lead to the kind of madness that will have us all running crazy through the graveyards.

The third and concluding point is to remind you that this is place where miracles happen. 

This is where God works to bring peace to our souls, to our families, to our community, and to our world.  This is where God roots out the demons and obsessions that have all but ruined our lives.  This is where God brings joy to those who have oppressed by the wickedness of a fallen world.  We have all seen it happen.  We are here because we know this to be a place of peace and power.

Conclusion:  Give your life to Christ

God will not force His miracles on us.  Remember in the story that the demoniacs were not the only ones possessed: there was a whole town nearby that loved their swine and the money those pigs made them so much that they could neither rejoice in the healing of their brothers nor embrace the one God who brought him healing; much less see the demons in their own hearts and seek his mercy themselves.  Instead, they ran Christ out of town. 

We all need healing.  We are all obsessed.  We need to let go of [and renounce] “the devil and all his works, and all his worship, and all his angels, and all his pomp.” 

We must unite ourselves completely to Christ; as St. Paul put it this morning, we need to confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead.  This is the way out of fear, this is the way out of madness, this is the only Way to perfect peace and joy.

This is a recording of Fr. Anthony Perkins' YouTube Livestream from 7/6/2020.  After talking about the (Liturgical) Summer Solstice, he talks about identity politics and the greatest patriotic sf movie ever.  Enjoy the show!

This is a recording of Fr. Anthony Perkins' Livestream from his back porch in Hartwell, Georgia on 30 June 2020.  He talks about how the modern troubles play on the lowest part of our minds and why "Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future" is incomplete and misleading.

Homily for the third Sunday after Pentecost (Romans 5:1-10; Matthew 6:22-33).  Do we have anxiety or peace?  Are our tribulations bringing us anger and despondency or hope?  In this homily, Fr. Anthony makes the case that we are suffering from the chaos around us because we skipped a step: we went straight to virtue without first seeking God and His righteousness.  This was Fr. Anthony's audible homily; it's not polished, but there you go.  Enjoy the show!

This talk was recorded and streamed at 10AM EST on 22 June 2020 on Fr. Anthony Perkins' Youtube Channel.  In it, Fr. Anthony talks about what St. Paul’s letter to the Romans teaches us about the utility of feelings and science for discerning and healing the world’s pain.  Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony preaches on the epistle reading (Romans 2:10-16), explaining St. Paul's take on the utility of The Law (for the Jews) vs. the Conscience (for the Gentiles) and what it means for us now.  Enjoy the show!

Homily for All Saints 2020
Continuing on the theme of Division

Call to unity.  But we experience division.  The devil loves to divide us [and to solve that division with hedonism and tyranny]. 

[Review the three parts of the mind]

Rather than taking the unity of God into our minds (through the heart), and spreading it through our families, friendships, communities and the world; we do the opposite: we take the divisions and tyrannies of the devil in the world, bring them into our minds (through our emotions; justified by our brains), and spread them through our families and friendships and communities and the world [giving it back with usury].

We have entire industries devoted to sowing this division through our emotions, under the guise of entertainment and news.

 Everything is turned upside down (in the theater). Who is it that plots against our marriages? Is it not the theater?  Don’t you see how this makes it impossible for women to love their husbands?  Don’t you see how this leads husbands to disdain their wives?  Don’t you see how this encourages insatiability, adultery, and divorce?  This is how it is not just with the theater itself; the theater-goers themselves are subversive of our families and community; they bring a grievous tyranny among themselves and into our midst.  St. John Chrysostom, “Homily 37”.

[Restate that in terms of race.  It also works for politics, sex, etc.]

The media make money by playing up our divisions [and then offering hedonism and tyranny as a solution].  They know how to use the emotions that the images and stories they craft generate to manipulate us to watch more news.  That’s their model for making money.  They devil rejoices in this because it takes people who have SO MUCH in common to distrust and even hate one another.  This is true of the entire news and media system.  We can’t think that we have opted out because we have found an unbiased source or balanced one set against another.  They are still manipulating us and dividing us for market share.

So what is the solution?

God gave us our psychology for our salvation.  The evil one uses it to manipulate and divide us; the Church works with our psychology to save and unite us.

• First. Cut way back on our screen time, to include news and social media.  Don’t let them feed the emotions.
• Second.  Pray.  Read pious and useful literature.  Watch pious and useful entertainment.
• Third.  Love.  Don’t judge.  Be charitable.

It is easier for Christians who actually pray the prayers of the Church in their daily prayer rules, surrounds themselves with icons, and avoid the excesses of the media to live well because they know from the depths of their heart that they live in a beautiful world among the saints.  Such people have has set themselves up for success.

One final thought [drawing on the parallel between marriage and the Church]:

What would you think of a married man who spent more time hanging out at the bar with his bachelor and adulterous friends than with his wife?

What would you think of a wife who spent more time complaining about men with her friends than nurturing her marriage?

How long would you expect their marriages to last?  And if they lasted, how happy would you expect that marriages to be?

[Restate this with regard to our nation and community.]

We have to be intentional about our relationships with one another in order to find peace and joy within them.  It is the same for our relationship with Christ.  We cannot live healthy Christian lives without nurturing our relationship with Him.  He is Incarnate in His Church.  That means that we must devote ourselves to the life of Christ here in this God-protected parish.

At Pentecost we celebrate the Holy Trinity and the restoration of unity from the division of Babel.  How are we to understand the present division within that frame?  Fr. Anthony provides some context and gives three pieces of advice for these difficult times:  1) cultivate peace in the heart and in relations 2) be charitable towards the intentions of others and 3) trust God's plan on redemption for all of us.  

This homily was given on the Sunday after the Ascension (St. John 17:1-13; Acts 20:16-18, 28-36) and after a week of our shared outrage over police brutality and a growing concern about the rioting that has occurred in response to that brutality.  God wants us to be one; how are we doing with that?!

Join Fr. Anthony on his back porch in Hartwell, Georgia, as he talks with author, priest, professor, and canonist, Fr. Harry Linsinbigler about Orthodox Ecclesiology and Ukraine.  There's at least a little in here for everyone to be challenged by.

Join Fr. Anthony Perkins on his back porch in Hartwell, GA as he talks with author, canonist, and professor, Fr. Harry Linsinbigler about his new book on ecclesiology, "In Every Church" (also "Orthodox Ecclesiology") and how it helps us understand today's ecclesial challenges.  They also talk about how ecclesiology expresses itself in the responses to the coronavirus.  Enjoy the show!

In this homily on the woman at the well (St. Luke 4:1-42), Fr. Anthony describes how Jesus Christ taught us to do evangelism by leading with love.  Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony on his back porch in Hartwell, Georgia, as talks with priest, professor, and canonist, Fr. Harry, about his new books ("In Every Church" and "Orthodox Ecclesiology") and why it’s important to get ecclesiology right.  This is a recording from https://www.youtube.com/user/74snipe/videos.