Podcasts about Divine Liturgy

This week Fr. Michael takes inspiration from a prayer said by the Maronite priests at the end of Divine Liturgy. He talks about how important the altar is to a priest and how the priest is "tethered" to the altar. He then expounds further into sacred spaces that are important to the lay people and monastics, and how each person can be reminded of this before or after leaving that space. Follow and Contact Us!Follow us on Instagram and FacebookWe're on YouTube!Join our Goodreads GroupFr. Michael's TwitterChrist the Bridegroom MonasteryOur WebsiteOur NonprofitSend us a textSupport the show

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

The teaching of St Gregory is so fundamental to Orthodoxy that he is especially commemorated each year in Great Lent on the Sunday following the Sunday of Orthodoxy (as well as on Nov. 14); Bishop Kallistos observes in the English edition of the Philokalia, "his successful defence of the divine and uncreated character of the light of Tabor...[is] seen as a direct continuation of the preceding celebration, as nothing less than a renewed Triumph of Orthodoxy."   The son of a prominent family, St Gregory was born (1296) and raised in Constantinople. At about age twenty, he abandoned a promising secular career to become a monk on Mt Athos. (His family joined him en masse: two of his brothers went with him to the Holy Mountain; at the same time his widowed mother, two of his sisters, and many of the household servants also entered monastic life.) He spent the next twenty years living as a hermit, spending five days a week in complete solitude, then joining the brethren on weekends for the Divine Liturgy and its accompanying services.   Around 1335 he was called to live a much more public life in defense of the faith and spirituality of the Church. A Greek living in Italy, Barlaam the Calabrian, had launched an attack on the hesychastic spirituality of the Church. Fundamentally, Barlaam denied that man can attain to a true vision of God Himself, or true union with Him, in this life. Gregory, recognizing in this an attack on the Christian faith itself, responded. He even left the Holy Mountain and re-settled in Constantinople so as better to wage the struggle, which had become so public that a Church Council was called to settle the issue. St Gregory's views were affirmed, and Barlaam's condemned, at the Council of Constantinople of 1341.   Though Barlaam himself returned to Italy, a series of his followers continued the attack, eventually resulting in two more Councils in 1347 and 1351, both of which affirmed the hesychasts' position. Metropolitan Hierotheos (The Mind of the Orthodox Church) writes that these councils have "all the marks of an Ecumenical Council." This, along with the fact that St Gregory's views are affirmed in the Synodikon of Orthodoxy (appointed to be read in churches every Sunday of Orthodoxy), and his commemoration every second Sunday of Great Lent, makes clear that his teaching is a basic and indispensable part of the Orthodox Faith.   In 1347 St Gregory was consecrated Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, where he served until his repose. (He spent a year of this period as the prisoner of Turkish pirates). Despite (or due to?) his austere monastic background, he was revered by his flock: immediately after his repose in 1359, popular veneration of him sprang up in Thessaloniki, Constantinople and Mt Athos and, in 1368, only nine years after his death, the Church officially glorified him as a saint.   St Gregory was always clear that unceasing mental prayer is not a special calling of monastics, but is possible and desirable for every Christian in every walk of life. See his On the Necessity of Constant Prayer for all Christians, reproduced on this site.

Tucked well away in the Divine Liturgy in a prayer that the priest says silently for himself we find a significant title of Christ. The priest offers the prayer as the people sing the cherubic hymn but because it is not a prayer of the Church but a private prayer of the priest there is no reason for the people to hear it and seal it with their “Amen”. Nonetheless, I sometimes feel that it is a shame the people cannot overhear it, for it is very beautiful.

A native of Thessalonica, he rose from secretary to Alexander, Patriarch of Constantinople (commemorated August 30), to deacon, then succeeded St Alexander as Patriarch around 337. For his virtue and his zeal for Orthodoxy he was hated by the Arians, who were still powerful in the Empire. The Arian Emperor Constantius, learning of Paul's election, exiled him and made the Arian Eusebius Patriarch in his place. St Paul went to Rome, where he joined St Athanasius the Great in exile. Furnished with letters from Pope Julius, he was able to ascend the Patriarchal throne once again upon the death of Eusebius. But once again the Arians were able to put one of their party on the Patriarchal throne: Macedonius, who even went beyond the Arian heresy and denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Once again the legitimate, Orthodox Patriarch found himself in exile in Rome. In succeeding years St Paul stood firm for Orthodoxy while complex political and military intrigues swirled around him, with the Orthodox Constans, Emperor of the West (and Constantius' brother) supporting him while Constantius continued to oppose him. For a time Constans was able to enforce Paul's place on the Patriarchal throne, but when he died, Constantius banished St Paul to Cucusus on the Black Sea. There, while he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the house where he was kept prisoner, the Arians strangled him with his own omophorion. His relics were brought back to Constantinople by the Emperor Theodosius the Great.

Today Fr. Anthony covers Chapters Seven and Eight from Dr. Zachery Porcu's Journey to Reality, "The Life of the Church" and "The Bible and the Church." Enjoy the show! +++ Journey to Reality Chapters Seven and Eight You are What You Do (Including Eat) 10/29/2025 As creatures, we were made malleable. It was built into our design so that we could grow towards perfection eternally. While this is a characteristic of the entire cosmos – and every member of it – it has a special purpose for us. We are the shepherds, farmers, and priests of the cosmos. The system is designed so that as we become better, we are able to shepherd or grow the cosmos from one made good – that is to say made both beautiful and beneficial into one that is even better; that is to say even better and more beneficial. This malleability is built into us. Alas, we have left our true home, so that malleability leads to malformation. Let's talk about the malleability. The way Dr. Porcu puts it is that we become what we do. Much of my own work reflects on the way our rituals form us. These rituals are embedded within a culture, and living within that culture shapes us into members and bearers of it. A few weeks ago, we talked about how we live in a materialist, secular, and consumerist culture. Living in it means that we automatically participate in its rituals. These develop within us a certain way of thinking, acting, and relating to other people, God, and our environment. How could it not? The unfortunate thing for us is that our primary culture is imperfect and reifies its imperfections into our way of being. I propose that the answer is not really to actively oppose it – as in some kind of culture war – because doing so before we break out of its conditioning is just going to ingrain its patterns more deeply into our hearts. Rather, we must find a new way of living. This new way of living should come with its own rituals that will gradually get enough traction to lessen the hold that the majority culture has on us and replace it with its own. To the extent that we must participate in the old rituals, we should reframe our participation in a way that resonates with our new life rather than our old one. We have to give them new meaning, so that, eventually, even these old ways of doing things can work with our new rituals to deepen the hold that our new way of life has on us and on our minds and how we relate to God, other people, and the environment. Some rituals, such as pornography, fornication (i.e., sex outside marriage), and driving slowly in the left-hand lane on the expressway, cannot be redeemed and so they have to be avoided. It will take discernment to figure out how to best engage in this process, so this way of life should involve developing a community that is all focused on the same sort of new life. Now let's go through chapter seven, "The Life of the Church." Quotes for discussion: "[Y]ou don't have to do anything, but if you want to become something, you have to participate in it." (77) "Sacramentally, the purpose of attending church services is to participate in a higher spiritual reality." (70) "[N]othing is 'just' physical. Objects and actions have intrinsic, spiritual meaning. Everything is participatory… [I]f the physical and the spiritual can't be separated, then imitation is always participatory. … You can't participate in something physically without also participating in its spiritual meaning." (72) "[As Orthodox Christians, our] goal is to imitate, and therefore participate in, a spiritual reality through the physical ritual. And the spiritual reality that sacramental Christians are trying to imitate through their liturgy is nothing less than heaven itself…. This is why sacramental Christians call their liturgy the "Divine Liturgy." To participate in it is also to participate in the exact same cosmic liturgy that the angels perform around the throne of God…. [W]hen you step into a sacramental church space that's correctly imitating the heavenly liturgy, you are stepping into a small bit of heaven itself – you are participating with the angelic powers in a higher spiritual reality." (73) "Sacramental Christianity is not just about doing a particular set of actions; it's a whole way of life. One way to describe this life is as participation in what the Church calls "liturgical time." (75) "[T]o be sacramental is not merely a matter of attendance, nor is it merely about thinking a certain way or performing certain ritual actions; it is a lifestyle… [G]oing to church and participating in the sacraments is about living out the idea that the physical and the spiritual are bound up together, and that you encounter them together through participation – not just in church, but in everything you do and are." (77) "You can't become healthy by sitting at home and reading a lot of articles about health. You don't become a member of a family by skipping family gatherings in order to sit at home looking at pictures of past family events. If you want to be a part of something, you have to live it." (77) "[Y]ou don't have to do anything, but if you want to become something, you have to participate in it. And in sacramental Christianity, the thing you're participating in is the higher spiritual reality of the arche' Himself." (77) Chapter eight, The Bible and the Church "[T]he Bible is not the source of Christianity." (77) "The Bible is not a scientific of historical document in the particular sense that modern people mean this. It's important here to distinguish between truth and fact. Facts are those things that are objectively verifiable…. But even though facts are verifiable…, they have no deeper meaning. Truth, on the other hand, includes facts but goes beyond them to encompass the deeper meaning of reality itself." (77) "As modern people we tend to care only about facts [read whole section] … even over meaning." (77) "There are plenty of mistakes and errors in the Bible that have been thoroughly documented… The Bible is about truth, and truth is higher than fact. (78) "From the very beginning, ancient Christians recognized three levels of biblical interpretation: the literal, the moral, and the spiritual (what they called the typological). (78). "But how do you know which passages in the Bible have a literal meaning and which don't, or which have both? How do you know what the correct typological meaning is?" (81) "To really read the Bible with the mind of the Church requires that you have a certain kind of formation – not just intellectual but spiritual." (84) "And just as you can't really understand the Bible's true depths without participation in the life of the Church, so too the whole life of the Church [resonates with] imagery from the Bible." "The Bible… is not merely read or memorized, but lived and experienced. Or, to put it another way, being reconnected with the arche' is not something you do only in your mind. It's a new kind of life, and it must therefore be lived. Questions for Discussion What are some of the new rituals that a commitment to living the Orthodox Way gives us, and how do they help transform our thinking and way of relating to others? In addition to pornography and fornication, what are some of the rituals that you believe work against our new way of life? What are some of the things that we have always done that can be given new meaning and help us become better Christians? Are you concerned that the book claims that there are errors in the Bible?

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

Icons, Conversion, And A Life ReframedWe trace Sdn Michael Roeder's path from ministry and publishing to iconographer and the deaconate, exploring how a single purchase grew into a collection, a craft, and a new spiritual home. Along the way we unpack technique, tradition, and why icons feel like windows that also watch.Join us for this Cloud of Witnesses exclusive, a presentation on an iconographer's journey from faith, to art, to transcendence, to Orthodoxy, given only once at Point Loma Nazarene University, Thursday, October 2nd, at 7 p.m. (PDT).  • early family loss, blended roots, and resilient confidence• first icon purchase and the pull toward sacred art• retirement, workshops, and apprenticeship in iconography• Orthodoxy's phronema and full-senses worship• travel to Russia, Wales, and encounters with living tradition• making, gilding, and finishing techniques for icons• how tradition guides creativity without distortion• parish life, service, and supporting church iconographers• collecting ethics, provenance, and legacy questions• why the eyes of saints communicate love and peaceWhat if a single image could rearrange your life? Michael Rader joins us to share how buying one modest icon opened a door to two hundred more, years of study and apprenticeship, and a surprising call to serve as a subdeacon. We follow his path from youth ministry and publishing into the world of egg tempera, gold leaf, incense, and chant—learning how beauty can teach as deeply as books and how a tradition can expand the heart without abandoning the mind.We talk about the phronema—the Orthodox way of seeing—and why the liturgy engages every sense: candles and incense for scent, chant and bells for sound, processions and prostrations for the body, and a calendar that binds communities across continents. Michael explains how icons are made, from gessoed boards and warm red bole beneath leaf to fine painted gold for intricate lines. He shares the craft realities of commissions, timelines, and finishing, and the guardrails that keep iconography faithful to theology while still leaving room for personal skill and nuance.Travel stories from Russia and Wales bring the tradition to life: cathedrals heavy with color, Rublev's Trinity looming with quiet power, and small wooden churches radiant without marble or gold. We explore collecting with conscience, the peace guests feel in a home lined with saints, and a simple test from a trusted dealer: look into the eyes and see whether the love of God looks back. That gaze, Michael says, is what drew him deeper—past analysis, into adoration. Press play to meet the saints, learn the craft, and consider how sacred art might reshape your prayer, your space, and your week.Enjoyed the conversation? Follow Cloud of Witnesses, share with a friend who loves art and faith, and leave a review with the icon or artwork that moved you most.Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTokPlease leave a comment with your thoughts!

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

In our faith, there are many ways to pray.  We have community prayer, like The Divine Liturgy and other liturgical services.  We have personal prayer, that can be offered at any time of the day to God.  But did you know that there is a prayer that can be done that doesn't have any words to it?Listen

The son of peasants, he was known from his childhood for his piety and asceticism. Once, by his prayers, a spring of water sprang up near his village, where it was needed for the town's survival. When he came of age, Polychronius went to work in some vineyards near Constantinople. Even though he labored all day, he would eat only every two or three days. The master of the vineyard, seeing his strict and prayerful way of life, gave him a large sum of money and said 'Man of God, go home and pray for me.' With the money, Polychronius built a church, settled near it, and a few years later was ordained to be a priest in the church he had built. Polychronius appeared at the First Ecumenical Council in 325 as a fervent defender of Orthodoxy. Because of this, some Arian heretics determined to take revenge. One day, after the death of the Emperor Constantine, the Arians attacked Polychronius at the altar as he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, thus mingling his blood with the very blood of the Savior.

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

“I've built my own faith from spare parts.”If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. Our guest calls it “Frankenstein Christianity”—picking what feels good, discarding what doesn't. After years of debates and burnout, he unplugged from church, Bible studies, and Christian content altogether… until one unexpected YouTube video on Orthodox church architecture broke through. For the first time, he saw a faith that engages all five senses—where every line, light, icon, and hymn points to Christ.Hosted by Jeremy Jeremiah, Mario Andrew, James St. Simon, and special guest Eddie G.Then came his first Divine Liturgy: the “spiritual punch” of incense, the priest turning to ask the people's forgiveness, and the ancient exchange—“Christ is in our midst.”  “He is and ever shall be.”He wept: “These people believe Jesus is really here. Why haven't I been like this?”Along the way, the so-called “problem areas” (Mary, icons, censers, traditions) snapped into focus. Torn from their purpose they can look foreign; rooted in the Incarnation, they become signposts to the living God. Orthodoxy doesn't bend to modern preferences—it invites us into ancient, Christ-centered worship that has remained steady for centuries.In this episode you'll hear:How “Frankenstein Christianity” gives way to received, embodied worshipWhy faith + works in James 2 describes a living, grace-energized faithWhat the Church means by theosis (2 Peter 1:4)—and why it's not “earning” salvationHow Mary, icons, and tradition function as Incarnation theology, not add-onsPractical first steps toward a stable rule of prayer (Scripture, Psalms, Jesus Prayer)Who this is for:Christians weary of performative spirituality, Protestants curious about the apostolic faith, and anyone wondering if the ancient path might be what your soul has been searching for.Subscribe to Cloud of Witnesses for more conversations where ancient faith meets real life.Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTokPlease leave a comment with your thoughts!

'Our righteous Father Sergius was born in Rostov, north of Moscow, about the year 1314. Named Bartholomew in baptism, he was brought up in Radonezh, and at the death of his parents he withdrew to the wilderness to become a monk. It is notable that without having been trained in a monastery, he was of such a spiritual stature as to be able to take up the perilous eremitical life from the beginning, without falling into delusion or despondency. When he had endured with courage the deprivations of the solitary life, other monks began to come to him, for whom he was made abbot against his will. On the counsel of Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, he organized his monks according to the cenobitic life, appointing duties to each. While Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev, and the other righteous Fathers before Sergius, had established their monasteries near to cities, Sergius was the leader and light of those who went far into the wilderness, and after his example the untrodden forests of northern Russia were settled by monks. When Grand Duke Demetrius Donskoy was about to go to battle against the invading Tartars, he first sought the blessing of Saint Sergius, through whose prayers he was triumphant. Saint Sergius was adorned with the highest virtues of Christ-like humility and burning love for God and neighbor, and received the gift of working wonders, of casting out demons, and of discretion for leading souls to salvation. When he served the Divine Liturgy, an Angel served him visibly; he was also vouchsafed the visitation of the most holy Theotokos with the Apostles Peter and John. He was gathered to his Fathers on September 25, 1392. At the recovery of his holy relics on July 5th, 1422, his body and garments were found fragrant and incorrupt. His life was written by the monk Epiphanius, who knew him.' (Great Horologion)

He was a peasant named Hilarion in the district of Vologda, and lived a simple, laboring life until he began to lose his sight. Not despairing, Hilarion went to all the churches nearby and asked that services of intercession be offered for him. One day, during the Divine Liturgy, Hilarion beheld a man in white clothing who told him that his name was Cosmas, blessed him, and told him that he would soon be healed. The next day Hilarion was going to church again and the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian appeared to him along with an icon of the Mother of God. A voice from the icon said that the people must cleanse the place where he stood and erect a cross there. Upon venerating the icon, Hilarion was instantly and completely healed. Returning to his village, he joyfully told what had happened. The villagers cleansed the place, as commanded in Hilarion's vision, set up a cross, and built a chapel to house the icon, which began to work many miracles. When the bishop learned of these events, he determined to found a monastery on that spot, and made Hilarion the first monk, giving him the name of Joseph. Saint Joseph spent the next thirty years there in prayer and great asceticism: he would spend the winter nights without sleep, standing in prayer before the miraculous icon of the Theotokos. He reposed in peace and was buried in the chapel that he and his fellow-villagers had built years before.

“Never Orthodox.” Famous last words.“I will never become Orthodox.”  And he meant it. He was days away from getting Sola Scriptura tattooed on his kneecaps—ink as conviction—when his closest friend, James St. Simon, entered the Orthodox Church. The line he'd sworn by began to wobble.What changed him wasn't a debate or a takedown. It was prayer.  Join Cloud of Witnesses discussion between Jeremy Jeremiah, Mario Andrew, James St. Simon, and special guest, Orthodox Catechumen, Eddie.  “My heart has always been about prayer,” Eddie says. “My Protestant background told me to pray. Orthodoxy showed me how to pray.” He found “step one” clarity—morning and evening prayers, psalms on the lips, a simple rule that steadied the heart when emotions ran thin. Prayer moved from improvisation to communion.Others recognized the same hunger. James realized his spontaneous prayers had drifted into performance—aimed at people, not God. Mario found freedom from the anxious loop of “Am I saying enough? Am I praying right?” The ancient patterns didn't smother the Spirit; they formed the heart—Scripture-soaked, Christ-centered, time-tested.Then came the moment Eddie couldn't shake. During the Divine Liturgy, his two-year-old tried to make the sign of the cross—clumsy, sincere, unforgettable.“This is why Christianity outlasts civilizations and fashions,” Eddie reflects. “It isn't just for us—it's for them, when we're gone.”The man who almost branded Sola Scriptura into his skin is now learning the rhythms of ancient Christianity—not rejecting Scripture, but receiving it within the prayer-shaped life of the Church. The vow “never Orthodox” didn't end in an argument. It ended in adoration.If you've ever said your own version of “never,” or longed for a prayer life that's deeper than resolve and stronger than mood, Eddie's journey is your invitation. Look again at the ancient paths.Subscribe for more stories that bridge ancient faith and modern discipleship, and consider supporting us on Patreon for uncut conversations and extended testimonies.Find an Orthodox Church near you today. Visit https://www.antiochian.org/home Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses Radio: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses Radio on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok.Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

This week Fr. Michael continues his topic on Secrets of the Liturgy Revealed, talking about the prayers that are prayed quietly by the priest during Divine Liturgy. He and Mother Natalia talk about some of their favorite prayers and reflect on the beauty of them.References:Secrets of the Liturgy Revealed!!!Register for the Bridegroom's Banquet!Follow and Contact Us!Follow us on Instagram and FacebookWe're on YouTube!Join our Goodreads GroupFr. Michael's TwitterChrist the Bridegroom MonasteryOur WebsiteOur NonprofitSend us a textSupport the show

Bible Study: Luke 7:11 - 4:41 Break 1 Letters Jonathan – If you get a lot out of the Divine Liturgy, find a Byzantine Catholic Church. -25:12 What should the Eucharistic Minister do if the Precious Blood is spilled? - 33:34 Break 2 Word of the Day - “Household” - 37:10 Phones: Mark: The Sisters in catholic schools said that a classic is something that doesn't age or become irrelevant. - 38:33 Mike - where's the definitive authority on singing in mass - 46:51

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

He fled from Italy to Bithynia during Diocletian's persecutions. In Bithynia he converted so many pagans to faith in Christ that those whose hearts remained hard rose up against him and, while he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Archangel Michael, slew him at the altar, killing many other worshipers with him. Two hundred years after his death, he appeared to a soldier named John, who unearthed his relics and found them to be completely incorrupt.

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

This week Fr. Michael walks through some of the prayers that the priest prays during Divine Liturgy that the congregation does not hear. He talks about some of the intention behind the prayers, including when the celebrant is asking his fellow priests to pray for him.Register for the Bridegroom's Banquet!Follow and Contact Us!Follow us on Instagram and FacebookWe're on YouTube!Join our Goodreads GroupFr. Michael's TwitterChrist the Bridegroom MonasteryOur WebsiteOur NonprofitSend us a textSupport the show

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St. Matthew 19:16-26 (Rich Young Man) Hebrews 9:1-7 In this homily, Father Anthony reflects on the Gospel of the rich young man, reminding us that salvation is more than meeting a minimum standard—it is a lifelong journey toward holiness. He shows how Christ gently leads us beyond comfort, calling us to surrender our attachments, whether wealth, time, opinions, or fears, in order to live in love and trust before God. Through the practice of kenosis, or self-emptying, we learn to soften our hearts, grow in grace, and allow Christ to transform us into His likeness. NOTE: The prayer that Fr. Anthony references at the beginning of the homily is: "The Holy Spirt shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee." It is from St. Luke 1:35, with the Archangel Gabriel pronouncing this blessing upon the Virgin Mary.  As Fr. Anthony notes, the Orthodox Church uses this blessing liturgically during the Divine Liturgy.

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

St. Matthew 18:23-35 (The Unforgiving Servant) I Corinthians 9:2-12 In this homily, Father Anthony explores the calling of Christians not only to pursue personal holiness, but also to help cultivate a culture of holiness that shapes the life of the parish and the wider world. Using the Divine Liturgy as our pattern, he explains how intentional practices—such as the placement of prayers, offerings, and the way we relate to one another—form habits that naturally move us toward mercy, patience, and love. Reflecting on the parable of the unforgiving servant and St. Paul's guidance to the early Church, Father Anthony shows that true salvation is not simply release from debt, but the ongoing transformation of our hearts and relationships into the likeness of Christ.

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

This recording of the Divine Liturgy (Christ the Saviour, Anderson SC) starts with the Great Doxology.  The homily and reception of communion were cut from the recording.  The sound quality isn't great - it was done with a phone sitting on an analoy off to the side.  Of course, worship is always better in person; join us when you can!  orthodoxanderson.org

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

Fr. Michael Copenhagen is a Melkite (Eastern Catholic) priest, husband, and father, at St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Melkite Catholic Church in Gates, New York. He holds a Bachelors of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. In Today's Show: Are there any Rites that do not fulfill one's Sunday obligation? How can we help prepare children who are getting ready to do their first confession? Can you suggest ways that we can reach out to the young people in our parish? Can you explain how the Bible considers Jesus' resurrection to have occurred after 3 days?  What exactly is Heaven?  Does the wife of an Eastern priest have a special title? If we were to discover life on other planets, how might that affect our Catholic beliefs? After praying for healing, is it possible that a person may experience pain for a while as a result of the Lord's intervention? Does God ever change his mind? Are Eastern rite churches allowed to play or use patriotic music during The Divine Liturgy? If I drank from a water bottle before Mass that had some crumbs from my toddler in it, does that violate the Eucharistic fast? Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

In this final installment of our introductory series on Eastern Orthodoxy for Reformed Christians, Camden Bucey explores Orthodox worship and sacramental theology through a Reformed lens. This episode provides a careful and charitable overview of Eastern Orthodox liturgical practices, including the Divine Liturgy, veneration of icons, and the centrality of the Eucharist. What makes Eastern Orthodox worship distinct? Why are icons and incense used? What theological principles undergird these practices? Camden discusses the symbolism of Eastern Orthodox worship while also addressing key doctrinal differences—especially concerning the second commandment, the regulative principle, and the doctrine of salvation. Whether you're a Reformed believer curious about the traditions of the East or seeking to understand why some are drawn to Orthodoxy's mystery and aesthetic, this episode offers insight, clarity, and biblical reflection. Series Part 1 (The Church and Scripture) Part 2 (The Doctrine of God and Salvation) Part 3 (Worship and the Sacraments) Watch on YouTube Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:26 – Worship and the Sacraments in Eastern Orthodoxy 01:49 – Theology of Liturgy and Participation 04:14 – Worship as Theology in Action 05:36 – Icons, Veneration, and the Second Commandment 10:02 – The Eucharist 14:09 – Reverence and Symbolism 15:33 – Prayers for the Dead 16:44 – Summary of Theological Differences 18:10 – Final Reflections

Livestream church services from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago.

AP correspondent Donna Warder reports on a deadly church bombing in Syria.

This episode is brought to you by Telepaideia, a collection of live online courses in Latin, Ancient Greek, and the classical humanities offered by The Paideia Institute. Visit www.paideiainstitute.org/telepaideia to browse the course catalogue and register! It's my pleasure today to welcome back Father John Strickland to the podcast. Four episodes ago we talked in detail about the Divine Liturgy and its place at the heart of Byzantine life. I put out the call for listeners to ask questions. Particularly those of us not familiar with Orthodoxy or ecclesiastical issues in general. And Father Strickland has kindly returned to answer them. The questions are wide ranging and so demand thorough answers which Father John provides. So we decided to split them over two episodes. Today we tackle the Orthodox view on salvation and purgatory. As well as the role of the Ecumenical Patriarch and thoughts on the Byzantine understanding of how the divine played a role in daily life. Then we finish with the Orthodox view of Catholicism, Church Union and evangelisation. John is the pastor of an Orthodox Church in Poulsbo in Washington State. He wrote a four-volume series about the history of Christian civilization called Paradise and Utopia. He's also recorded a podcast of the same name as an accompaniment to the books which you can find wherever you get your podcasts or at www.ancientfaith.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.