Enacting the Kingdom

There are many sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers that mention "three essential things" of the spiritual life, and they are incredibly varied and often paradoxical.  Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey discuss these as well as sayings that involve prayer, and the differing gifts of Christians. In this sixth season of Enacting the Kingdom, we are releasing a series on the Sayings of the Desert Fathers a...

As we continue our series on the desert sayings, Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri explore the themes of virtues, charity and services of love, as well as solitude, silence and hesychia. Today's sayings prove to us again the true meaning of monasticism, which is rooted in monachos - singular focus - which is not the same as being by oneself.  It is rather about the release of all things that get in the way...

In this episode on our series of the Desert Sayings, we touch on two themes: the tears of compunction (are those tears self-centered or Christ-centered?) and the necessity for practice in the spiritual life (and sticking with that practice even when there are no discernible results). In this sixth season of Enacting the Kingdom, we are releasing a series on the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mo...

Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri explore two themes in this fourth episode in our series on the Desert Sayings.  The first is simplicity - the importance of always being a beginner, maintaining humility, practicing restraint and putting things in their proper place.  The second theme is on spiritual elders and soul friends - those relationships where we can be known fully, and trust in each other's uncondi...

What do the terms "the head" and "the heart" encompass?  What does it mean to have the head descend into the heart?  Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey discuss desert sayings related to heart-centered spirituality, as well as thoughts, desires and passions. It's so much easier to numb ourselves to the real work we are called to, with counterfeits that replace what is truly needed - but what comes after the s...

"Give me a word" is a theme of many desert sayings that have been passed down to us, and (let's be honest) the basis of this whole series!  Usually it is a short, pithy piece of advice that the hearer is expected to sit with and ponder.  Whether an encouragement or a challenge, it must always be wrestled with and actually put into practice. In this sixth season of Enacting the Kingdom, we are rele...

In this sixth season of Enacting the Kingdom, we are releasing a series on the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers that was previously only available to our patrons.  If you like what you hear, and would like access to much more, please consider supporting our project by heading to patreon.com/enactingthekingdom and choosing a tier of support.  We would love to have you join our growing comm...

We can be tempted to see our faith as being in competition with other aspects of our life, be that sports, consumerism, politics, theatre or music (among so many others), but that is not the way we are meant to approach life.  We should not artificially divide the sacred and the secular.  We are called to participate in all of these Liturgies of Life, entering into every aspect and sphere of human...

Ideology is the study of ideas, the study of their origin and nature.  In this sense, we should never let our ideology, political or otherwise, become dogmatic.  It should always be careful, considered, skeptical, and open to new ideas.  And as Orthodox Christians, we should model how to hold dogma properly.  Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey discuss this and also how to enter into conversations about today...

In the last episode, Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey discussed science as a cosmic story and how that story relates to the Gospel.  This week, they discuss the problem of the phrase "science says...".  Scientific pursuit can be taken to an extreme, and thought of as the only way of rendering truth, in a sense proclaiming scientism to be a sacred authority in itself.  Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri also speak abo...

As the transcendent Christian story has been reduced to a package of beliefs and behaviours, science has filled the void with a compelling, impressive, awe-inspiring narrative.  It checks many of the same "boxes" and, when pursued in truth, can lead to the development of many of the same virtues: openness, humility, honesty, tolerance, caring, and even repentance. Christians do not need to stand i...

As Orthodox Christians, we participate in a story that has a telos, or end purpose, which is theosis.  So what is the telos of health and fitness?  Or has health and fitness become the end goal itself?  In this day and age, when fitness centres sometimes stand in for churches as a place for community, transformation and purpose, Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey discuss to what degree we should be participa...

As Orthodox Christians, we do not artificially divide the body and the soul.  There is a spiritual dimension to the medical care of our bodies and there is a physical dimension to spiritual care.  In this episode, Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey discuss the roles of priests and doctors, the blind trust in (or mistrust of) medical science, the prosperity gospel, and how we should approach every decision wi...

The Orthodox Liturgy is full of theatricality, so it's easy to draw parallels between it and film and theatre, although clearly the Liturgy is no mere performance.  In this episode, Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey explore how theatre and film are similar to and different from Liturgy, and most importantly how they are both intimately connected with the performance of our own lives.  The social drama that...

The Church has always been learning what it means to belong to God's Kingdom and live in the world.  There is no doubt that Christ is sovereign, so in a sense civil disobedience to a worldly kingdom is inevitable, yet we still recognize and pray for civil authorities.  So what does it mean for an Orthodox Christian to be obedient or disobedient to the state? Keep up to date with us by joining our...

" Reading fiction doesn't help us escape the world, it helps us live in it" is the thesis of a podcast called Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, which meditates on pieces of the text almost as if they were Scripture.   Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri can certainly get behind the thesis - but to what degree should we participate in narrative this way?  You may be surprised by their answers! Keep up to date...

Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri speak about what draws us to the concert experience, and how this can also be found within the church (sometimes controversially)!  Popular music today is asking profoundly religious questions - often not with satisfying answers - but when you look deeply, the ultimate answer, the Gospel message, can be pointed to.  Of course, this requires us to engage critically with the...

Just as our churches orient us to where our attention should be, so do our homes.  Where is the focal point, or the altar, of our spaces?  Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri explore the various ways that streaming services, and entertainment in general, manifest as a liturgy in our life - and offer strategies to take control, and use it for Good. Enacting the Kingdom is social media free, but you can still c...

Public intellectuals are certainly a part of the liturgies of our modern life, but it's really not a new phenomenon.  To varying degrees, they have always been part of life, including within church circles - well before the dawn of YouTube and TED talks.  What are the good ways to engage with public intellectuals, and what are the ways to avoid? Keep up to date with us by joining our mailing list...

Cathedrals, liturgical colours, pilgrimages, chanting, saints, relics - sports are clearly religious, and profoundly successful, at that.  To what degree can Orthodox Christians engage with these rituals?  Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri point to the good in sports, and also point beyond to the greater Good. Keep up to date with us by joining our mailing list at enactingthekingdom.com!  Also, if you'd lik...

As our work becomes increasingly divorced from the way we live our lives, we are often posed with the question of work/life balance.  But are work and life opposites that need to be balanced?  Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey propose a different way to look at how we measure a good life, rooted in the purpose of Life itself. Keep up to date with us by joining our mailing list at enactingthekingdom.com!  Al...

We all have our food rituals.  Whether its having our weekday lunch solo in front of Netflix, or insisting on buttery popcorn for family movie night, these rituals take many forms.  Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri pose some questions we can use to gauge whether these food rituals, these liturgies, are helpful or detrimental to us, as well as offer advice on how to recapture these rituals to do them Right....

Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey discuss the world of advertising and the ways that it forms us liturgically.  The thousands of ads we are exposed to every day work to create perceived voids within us that can only be filled by the products and services that are being offered.  As much as we rationalize our decisions after the fact, really we have been programmed by desire.  Even though we cannot change ho...

To be clear, the smartphone is not good or bad in itself; it is a tool that we need to use appropriately.  So much of our interaction with these devices are ritualized, so this is a perfect continuation in our series on the Liturgies of Life.  How are we being formed by our use of smartphones?  In what ways can we call more attention to and be more intentional about that use? Stay connected with u...

As we continue to consider the wider implications of our everyday rituals, in this episode Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri discuss the normalization of debt.  In fact, the whole economy is structured on debt.  So what are the spiritual implications of financial debt?  What is the liturgical dimension of debt, and how are we being formed by it?  Are there ways to prophetically challenge the system? Enactin...