And has anyone ever seen a simple fisherman catch people like fish? O, how great is the power of the crucified Christ! O, how great is the beauty of Divinity! There is nothing in the world as supreme as apostolic grace. Human life has seen much that is truly extraordinary and surpasses understanding. It saw Noah’s ark remain afloat during the deluge and the destruction of mankind. It saw Moses commanding the elements. It saw water made hard as rock... Read more

St Romanos ChoraleChristmas Benefit Program for the Orthodox Clergy Associationof Greater Houston Saturday, December 8th – 7:00 PM Tickets – $10Refreshments served following the performance. St George Orthodox Church5311 Mercer at Bissonnet713-665-5252In anticipation of the Nativity of Christ, this concert will expose the beauty and spirituality of Orthodox Christian worship services to non-Orthodox and Orthodox Christians, alike. Proceeds from this concert will help the Orthodox Clergy Association in their joint missionary and outreach projects, especially their broadcast, audio & electronic... Read more

The new book DEFEATING SIN – Overcoming Our Passions and Changing Forever, by Fr Joseph Huneycutt is an ambitious project which tackles a difficult and complex topic with seeming ease. The topic of the passions occupies many pages of writings by a multitude of Church Fathers and is one of the more difficult to grasp completely. Fr Joseph has done a masterful job of collecting some of these writings and by weaving together excerpts from Fathers both ancient and modern... Read more

IVANOVO, Russia (BP)- Southern Baptist missionary Mel Skinner keeps an empty whiskey bottle somewhere in his family’s apartment in central Russia. In the fall of 1999, local women at a restaurant gave whiskey and chocolate to Skinner and his family as a gift to welcome them to Ivanovo. At the time, the Skinners had just moved from Moscow, where they had been church planters for several years. Though he later dumped out the whiskey, he still tears up at the... Read more

I‘ve poked around a bit and, other than those things mentioned below (fear of money, TV, and bar codes), I’ve yet to discover what these folks believe. Sure, we’ve heard they’re all holed up and waiting on Doomsday in May, but why? Are there any news stories that inform us as to how they came up with this forecast? No, I don’t wish to join … I just get a little weirded out anytime a Government starts calling a religious... Read more

The movie version of The Golden Compass, the first volume of Philip Pullman’s controversial trilogy entitled “His Dark Materials,” is slated to open nationwide on December 7th. Though the book’s anti-Christian element has been watered down in the movie so as not to offend U.S. audiences, the real danger of the movie is that it may encourage parents to buy and children to read the trilogy which critics say overtly denigrates Christianity and promotes atheism. Even CNN Headline News, a... Read more

Father,Could you please explain how to be obedient to the character in “An Empty Church Is A Peaceful Church?” More generally, how to be obedient to God and to people around you that have some authority over you (parent, boss), or even to people that are maybe not what we believe is pleasing God but they do not yet know better (as in: peer pressure). Betty in Baltimore * * * Dear Fr Joseph, What exactly do you mean by... Read more

No doubt, this is good news for everyone (except maybe Satan and those who believe the 60’s were the New Jerusalem). Why the Pope is right to purge modern musicBy Damian ThompsonFor decades, the standard of singing in St Peter’s basilica has struggled to match that of a Gilbert and Sullivan society. Church music in Italy is generally atrocious, and the Vatican is no exception. Since he arrived in Rome nearly 30 years ago, the music-loving Joseph Ratzinger has had... Read more

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord. We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are... Read more

As promised last week, this week’s Orthodixie Podcast will attempt to answer your fasting questions. For those late to the party, we are in the midst of the Nativity Fast (sometimes referred to as the St Philip Fast, even Advent). Those following the Julian Calendar (sometimes called the Old Calendar, even the Church Calendar) will begin the Fast on the 28th. Send your questions, comments or suggestions (funny or serious) to: orthodixie at aol dot comDeadline for airtime: Thanksgiving! Then... Read more