Created in the image of God and called to grow into His likeness, we have been given the vocation of transforming creation from the good to the better, but the Fall and the particular temptations of modern life distort our desires, scatter our attention, and undermine our relationships with God, neighbor, and creation. Orthodox Christianity offers a comprehensive way of healing these distortions through asceticism, community, repentance, and sacramental life, bringing the whole person into harmony with Christ and culminating in the Divine Liturgy, where love of God and love of neighbor become one act of worship. Sent back into the world as God's royal priesthood, we carry that liturgical pattern into everything we do, receiving creation with thanksgiving, cultivating it with wisdom, and sharing it in love so that, by God's grace, we may help creation sing.
This is a recording of the talk I gave at the retreat, "Ancient Christianity in the Modern World" on 24 October 2026. The keynote speaker was Fr. Stephen Freeman, and the second speaker was Fr. Gregory Rogers.

Today the catechism series continues. We are in the section on Tradition, and today we are getting an introduction to The Church Fathers and saints. The Church Fathers did not always agree on every question, but their writings reveal a remarkably consistent center of apostolic faith, worship, and holiness that the Church has received, clarified, and lived across the centuries. From the Apostolic Fathers through the great defenders of Orthodox doctrine and the later mystical theologians, we see how the Church preserved its inheritance, articulated it in response to controversy, and deepened its understanding of salvation as participation in the life of God. Studying the Fathers and the saints teaches us to distinguish the enduring heart of Holy Tradition from individual speculation and extraordinary practices, so that we may faithfully embody the same apostolic faith through humility, repentance, and love of God and neighbor.

St. Luke 10:16-21
When the seventy disciples return rejoicing in their spiritual victories, Jesus directs them toward an even greater joy: belonging to God. Drawing on St. Cyril of Alexandria's reflections on Luke 10:16-21, we explore how Christ teaches us to serve with humility, face evil with courage, and receive wisdom with a teachable heart. Through success, weariness, and struggles that persist, His constant love gives us hope to take the next faithful step.