Saint Aidan Orthodox Church

I am Orthodox (cradle), but I when asked why non-O...

2012-05-18T10:11:53.665-06:00

I am Orthodox (cradle), but I when asked why non-Orthodox are excluded, my best answer is "well, because... that how it has always been done." Which means, I don't really know, and I don't really understand. Can you please explain, so I can coherently explain it to my non-Orthodox friends?
Thanks!

How beautiful. And true. This is why I am Orthodox...

2012-02-22T10:11:01.270-07:00

How beautiful. And true. This is why I am Orthodox

Excellent article. I have tried to walk in God'...

2012-02-01T12:13:36.287-07:00

Excellent article.
I have tried to walk in God's will instead of pursuing wordly glory. I have had to have so much patience, disappointment and generally misunderstood by people.
Nowadays I have felt a bit of a failure and have been trying to recognise and develop whatever talent and spiritual gift God has given me.
This has made me desire to achieve something great in a wordly sense, but deep down I know it has to be achieving something what glofifies God.

Excellent article. I have tried to walk in God'...

2012-02-01T12:13:21.744-07:00

Thank you for a very fine reflection, Fr. Richard,...

2012-01-03T16:50:36.551-07:00

Thank you for a very fine reflection, Fr. Richard, especially at the New Year.

I have ceased to pray with very much idea or direction of any kind, apart from intercessions for those in particular need, and for certain others close to my heart. Instead, aside from trisagion prayers, I mostly just ask "Make me a blessing to others today." That's basically what God wants to do with us, and that's how we can simply be good employees of our Employer. The details more or less sort themselves out as we go along.

You can also help by moving here :-) St. Aidan...

2011-11-29T12:30:28.331-07:00

You can also help by moving here :-) St. Aidan's is one of the few Orthodox churches that isn't in a big city, and is near lots of golf courses. It is a nice place to retire to.

Fr. Michael: just saw your comment. Thanks for eng...

2011-10-25T18:21:53.657-06:00

Fr. Michael: just saw your comment. Thanks for engaging with this! I would agree that any well-researched scholarly account would not be different in essence from what I have presented. I am speaking here to a popular audience that would not typically read such scholarly accounts. At most, they might take a "World Religion" class at the local college, which would mostly ignore the Orthodox experience. In this context (originally a local newspaper column in a blue-collar town in rural British Columbia), the "Eastern Version" is my attempt to widen the scope of the common experience of Christian history. This is not an attempt to be polemical, but merely to broaden horizons (as the spatial metaphor of East and West suggests).

How is this different from other Christian account...

2011-09-13T17:43:34.340-06:00

How is this different from other Christian accounts? I have used many texts iun my course on the history of Christianity and I would say that those of Martin Marty, Tim Crowley's collection and the MacCulloch recent fine history do not sound any different and none of these are Orthodox? Is there really an Orthodox version of the history of Christianity that trumps good scholarship?

I look forward to hearing more of this. Subdeacon ...

2011-09-09T17:43:26.495-06:00

I look forward to hearing more of this.
Subdeacon Michael

Very well put, and a timely message. One that need...

2011-08-11T12:43:52.868-06:00

Very well put, and a timely message. One that needs to be heard by everyone.

Having been on the non-included side of a closed t...

2011-07-24T13:34:09.046-06:00

Having been on the non-included side of a closed table both at St. Aidan's and at a favourite Lutheran Church, I have to say I fully support closed communion, as to open it freely to all may seem loving, but to me speaks of a lower view of the Table. One must truly, deeply consider what is going on. I fully believe holding a true view of the Eucharist and of it's importance outranks the idea of "inclusion", and there's nothing "unloving" about it...

Hello friends, The marriage course is offered onc...

2011-06-21T19:49:11.291-06:00

Hello friends,

The marriage course is offered once a year in early spring and is for any couple who wants to strengthen their marriage. It was developed by Holy Trinity Brompton, the church where Alpha started. Every course starts with a marriage party where people can come and learn about the course, experience what it would be like, hear from past participants and decide if its right for them. Thanks a lot..........

Marriage Course

Well said, Fr. Richard! And my family and I are bi...

2011-02-25T00:15:23.288-07:00

Well said, Fr. Richard! And my family and I are big House fans, also--particularly my 22-year-old daughter and me.

Hi. This is Ben from Australia. I do love God. I ...

2011-02-06T04:57:35.459-07:00

Hi. This is Ben from Australia.
I do love God. I live honestly in my community. I abide by those simple sacred tenets given to us by our God through Moses.
I am by birth and theory, Jewish. An avenue for those who need a safe way to (find) God.
I found God outside.
I hold a concern that organized religion is simply that.
Belief in God can not be taught. Belief in God is a reward. A loving, beautiful reward.
To all in this complicated world a simple message.
Ten Commandments.

It reminds me a lot of the Roman Catholic "Li...

2011-01-12T06:16:15.574-07:00

It reminds me a lot of the Roman Catholic "Litany of Humility" in a much shortened form. It is a lovely prayer

Hello Fr. Richard, All the best with keeping the e...

2011-01-02T00:46:25.854-07:00

Hello Fr. Richard, All the best with keeping the established speed limit! Truly they are there for a reason...so I remind myself. And no doubt boundaries are as well. Except we are frail creatures and quickly use all manner of good thing to our own ends, including boundaries. They become little more than barriers to keep the inconvenient (duties, chores, people) away. They can become barriers to love. They need not be, but...I think we have all seen that they are used as an excuse. Though no doubt the local constabulary might differ...
In Christ,
Teresa

Amen, Father! Only God can satisfy man's deep...

2010-12-23T23:25:25.638-07:00

Amen, Father! Only God can satisfy man's deepest longings...and only by His grace can that "hole" be filled...A blessed Christmas to you, Presbytera Jaime and the kids! ~ Bill

Awesome article, Father Richard! And so true! May ...

2010-12-23T17:23:33.466-07:00

Awesome article, Father Richard!
And so true! May God give us the wisdom to fill the "hole" in our life with His love!

Thank you for this post Father. I found it very h...

2010-11-01T11:15:26.474-06:00

Thank you for this post Father. I found it very helpful and moving - and no doubt some of this will find its way into one of my own sermons very soon.

May God grant His blessing on your vision, bringin...

2010-10-24T23:13:03.548-06:00

May God grant His blessing on your vision, bringing it to reality! Sounds beautiful, Father Richard...

Oh, Fr. Richard, I keep meaning to tell you--- I l...

2010-09-21T16:49:19.536-06:00

Oh, Fr. Richard, I keep meaning to tell you--- I like your blog, but oh please my poor eyes-- white on a red background is very hard to read! :-)

I really liked your comments here.

2010-08-07T16:26:51.277-06:00

I really liked your comments here.

As a "convert" for going on 14 years now...

2010-08-07T16:25:36.603-06:00

As a "convert" for going on 14 years now, I have grown more realistic (or in the spirit of your article, more disillusioned) about the clergy.

I happened to be attending an OCA parish when the financial crises blew up (I attend a different jurisdiction now that I have moved to a different state) and saw the corruption all the way down to the parish level. About half of the parish, and most of the parish counsel, simply wanted to live in denial, telling themselves it had no real bearing on parish life.

I suppose I am returning more and more to my congregational roots - a "Orthodox congregationalist" ;) When one bishop (out of 13 if memory serves) was trying to do the right thing it was, well, eye opening.

I simply don't believe you have the diagnoses correct. Perhaps what you say is a partial diagnoses, but I believe history shows that the unremarkable bishop, the one who is more than willing to go with the crowd and has an "us vs them" mindset is the rule, not the exception.

All this is really simply explained by what we already know about human nature and sin. That does not however justify (on its own) the hierarchical system.

For now I remain Orthodox, but that is really only because it remains "the best out of a bad bunch". I now find myself on the fence, trying not to succumb to the us vs. them myself and oppose myself and fellow laymen against the clergy.

Still, the fact remains that in the OCA case (and apparently in the RC situation as well) the faithful bishop was hard to find among the mediocre and/or downright criminal ones.

As a side-note, I now find myself thanking God for jurisdictionalism. The Greeks/EP especially (for all their problems) remain a check on the claims of the OCA. God bless Jonah, but he is one man among wolves...

Interesting perspective. I'm doing some writin...

2009-11-28T16:01:21.957-07:00

Interesting perspective. I'm doing some writing of my own on the Christ allegory in pop culture and the idea of the "dark" christ that fits. I referenced your work; hope you can stop by when it's done and leave a comment. thepatternist.blogspot.com

This prayer resonated deeply with me today. Do yo...

2009-11-09T11:36:57.957-07:00

This prayer resonated deeply with me today. Do you know its origin? I would appreciate any information you have regarding the author or source.