Glory to God

Are "mental" and "spiritual" the same thing? Fr. Stephen looks at how modern misunderstandings of the spiritual life can distort our Orthodox practices.

Fr. Stephen notes that in an Orthodox wedding, there are no wedding vows. This stands in stark contrast to the central place vows hold in Western tradition. He suggests that the West has come to think of marriage as a "contract" between two people while the Orthodox Church thinks of it as a "union." The difference is important.

People, regardless of their background, sometimes fall into arguments about the Scripture. Fr. Stephen looks at why the Orthodox need to avoid such arguments and explains how the Orthodox should rightly read the Word of God.

Fr. Stephen speaks at length about the place of Orthodoxy within the modern world. Orthodox history is unknown to most Americans but has something to say to them and to help them in the healing of their own culture.

Fr. Stephen looks at several of Christ's difficult sayings and what they mean. Why is it permissible to call a priest "Father"?

Fr. Stephen offers a meditation on the Father's understanding that everything is in motion. What does this mean for the direction of our lives?

The desire for justice is infinite - because such a desire is one of the passions. Fr. Stephen looks at the problems created by wrong thinking on the topic of justice.

Fr. Stephen looks at our role as "priests of creation" in a world understood as sacrament.

"The whole world is a sacrament," according to Patriarch Bartholomew. Fr. Stephen explores what this means as he examines the Eucharist in the Scriptures.

When the Church's hymns describe us as "rational sheep," what does it mean? Fr. Stephen offers this meditation on language and humanity. Language is part of our deepest nature - and it is a reflection of God.

Fr. Stephen completes his series on the true and false self, with thoughts on how we can go about "speaking to the heart."

In his recent series on the true and false self, Fr. Stephen looks at evangelism of the heart.

Fr. Stephen continues to look at issues between the false self and our true life in Christ.

Fr. Stephen continues with the topic of the battle between the true self and the false self, looking this week at what it means to be "moral."

The true self is "hid with Christ in God," St. Paul tells us. What then is the "self" that we live with every day? Fr. Stephen looks at how we create our own identity and how we should seek our true self in Christ.

Our modern world is increasingly finding ways to avoid the uncomfortable reality of death. Orthodoxy faces death directly and sees within it the triumph of Christ and His affirmation of His good creation.

One of the temptations of our secular age is the public drive to make religious faith a "private" matter. Fr. Stephen looks at this tension within our culture and the importance of the Christian public response.

Our feelings and desires are trained by our culture to seek satisfaction. In our spiritual life, we often need to learn how to be disappointed. Fr. Stephen looks at the "disappointment of religion."

The goal of the Christian life is true knowledge of God (Jn. 17:3). Fr. Stephen speaks about the mysterious character of this knowledge.

What is the soul? Fr. Stephen speaks about the "secret life" and the mystery of our selves.

Fr. Stephen speaks about the crisis of a "Churchless" Christianity

On the first Sunday of Great Lent, Orthodox Christians celebrate the return of icons to the Churches. Fr. Stephen looks at the spirit of icon smashing that occasionally infects Christians and various political movements and contrasts it with the spirit of authentic Christianity.

God engages our world in concrete, practical ways. These "sacraments" are a means of sharing in the Divine Life. Fr. Stephen speaks about the "sacrament" of mercy.

St. Gregory of Nyssa speaks of man both as singer and song. Fr. Stephen explores how we are the "song of God."

Drawing on a passage from the writings of the Elder Sophrony, Fr. Stephen looks at the spiritual importance of "waking up." St. Paul reminds us, "Arise, O Sleeper, awake from the dead..."