Eastern Christian Insights

Refusing to take up our cross to follow the Lord means continuing in the old way of death and refusing the joy of eternal life.

Like Peter, when we call out to Christ in faith from our hearts his healing light will illumine our souls.

Legalistic outward observance of the Torah could not heal our souls. We must respond to Jesus with faith and faithfulness as he makes us into a new creation.

We should not be passionately attached to the things of the world so we can answer the invitation to join the heavenly wedding feast.

To be good tenants of the master's vineyard we must heed the Forerunner's instruction to bear fruit worthy of repentance.

The story of the rich young ruler reminds us that we are called to serve God, not mammon.

The Dormition of the Theotokos shows us how to be receptive to Christ by loving and forgiving those who wrong us.

The story of the feeding of the five thousand by Jesus shows we cannot be fed by our own preferences but by what he gives us, himself.

When we cry out honestly to the Lord from the depths of our soul we will become transfigured in holiness.

Jesus Christ must be fully God and fully Man to restore and heal in us the divine image and likeness of God.

Father Philip discusses the nature of our salvation as illustrated by the healing of the paralytic. Do we encounter Christ as our judge or physician? Is His law simply a list of directives to be followed, or something more medicinal in nature?

Father Philip discusses the Gerasene demoniac, St. Athanasius's failed monastery, discouragement, and the fruit of the Spirit.

On the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, we learn that our life in Christ springs from the living history of what the Holy Spirit has done in the life of the church through the foundation set by their apostolic witness.

Father Phillip reminds us the eyes of our hearts must become fully transparent to Christ in order for us to fulfill our calling.

In this episode, Fr. Philip describes how the saints bear witness to the meaning of Pentecost because it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that people fulfill their calling to become holy.

In this episode, Father Philip explains how the Holy Spirit was sent to quench the deep thirst of the primal longing of all those broken and alienated from God.

Father Philip explains how only the God-Man Jesus Christ can bring those made from the dust of the earth to eternal life in the Trinity.

Father Philip unpacks the story of Christ's miraculous healing at the Pool of Siloam, and how it demonstrates that each of us can respond to the hardships of life in a way that opens us to receive the light of Christ.

In this homily, Fr. Philip reflects on the equal dignity and spiritual standing of men and women in Christ. Through St. Photini, the Samaritan Woman, we see the calling given to all who bear God’s image: to share fully in the life of the Savior.

In this homily, Fr. Philip explains how events of Holy Week are not for us to try and understand fully, rather they draw us to entrust ourselves to our Lord's selfless love as demonstrated through the mystery of His Passion.

Today Fr. Philip reflects on The Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt. You can find his blog with this reflection and more in written form at https://easternchristianinsights.blogspot.com

Today Fr. Philip reflects on The Sunday of the Adoration of the Holy Cross. You can find his blog with this reflection and more in written form at https://easternchristianinsights.blogspot.com

Today Fr. Philip reflects on The Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas. You can find his blog with this reflection and more in written form at https://easternchristianinsights.blogspot.com

Today Fr. Philip reflects on the Sunday of Orthodoxy. You can find his blog with this reflection and more in written form at https://easternchristianinsights.blogspot.com

Today Fr. Philip reflects on Forgiveness Sunday. You can find his blog with this reflection and more in written form at https://easternchristianinsights.blogspot.com