Ancient Faith Ministries

Oct 25, 2023 • 1h 10m

In this fourth and final episode on death & burial in the Orthodox Christian Church, Lynnette walks listeners through the journey from the point of death to the final resting place. With the continual recitation of psalms and the various services offered from the deathbed to the graveside, the Orthodox believer in death is surrounded by prayer.

Oct 24, 2023 • 1h 53m

The gospel parable about Lazarus and the rich man, preaches Fr Vincent Temirov, reveals several key points: first of all, earthly success and wealth in no way equate to holiness or a special relationship with God. Fr Vincent reminds us that the rich man’s sufferings after death were a direct resulty of his own lifelong refusal to receive God’s love and follow His commandment to love your neighbor. The rich man spent a lifetime loving only himself and his riches, rather than loving God and his neighbor Lazarus; therefore, his heart was hardened and he became incapable of accepting or perceiving God’s love.

Oct 24, 2023 • 3h

“Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?” This seems to be an odd question from St. John the Forerunner, who had dedicated his life to preparing the way for Christ. Did John have doubts about Jesus? Learn Christ’s answer and what he thought of John.

Oct 18, 2023 • 31 min

Pres. Melanie speaks with Darla Carter, a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who has extensive experience caring for individuals with disabilities and their families. She shares how her faith informs her work, and offers practical suggestions to help families choose safe, quality, care providers for their loved ones. If you have questions or need further guidance, contact Darla at dcarter@room17.org .

Oct 18, 2023 • 1h 39m

In this homily, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield relates the baptism of a seminary newborn to the parable of the Sower read during the Liturgy. We as Christians are all reborn in Baptism; said another way, we are planted as seeds, and nurtured by the love, truth, and community in the Church. We must all also be willing to accept the pruning as well as the nurturing that we experience in the spiritual life in order to attain to the Kingdom of God.

Oct 17, 2023 • 3h 17m

In Church history, many people were forced to choose between Christ and their own family members, who sometimes even persecuted them. The Lord predicted this and invited us to pick up our cross. Does picking up your cross mean enduring life's troubles or something else?

Oct 12, 2023 • 59 min

Bobby Maddex speaks with Dn. Joseph Matusiak, Ellie Bernasol, Ilmari Hayrynen, and Gabi Moussa about their experience at the 2023 Suprasl World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth event, held in Poland. To donate to this project please visit http://suprasl.org http://www.suprasl.org http://www.facebook.org/suprasl2022 http://www.instagram.com/suprasl_wfoy OR reach out to Dn. Joseph Matusiak @ jmatusiak@suprasl2022.org

Oct 11, 2023 • 40 min

Fr. Alex Goussetis speaks with Fr. Stephen Tsichlis about the disconnect between the church and some of the faithful regarding the meaning and purpose of marriage.

Oct 10, 2023 • 3h

In Matthew 10, the sermon known as The Missionary Discourse, the Lord tells his disciples to expect persecution. All true Christians should expect persecution and must endure until the end to be saved. But why are Christians persecuted? The Lord and the Fathers explain.

Oct 6, 2023 • 2h 22m

The Feast of the Holy Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God on Oct. 1 coincides with the Church’s commemoration of St Romanos the Melodist, which is why, the Rev. Dn Dr Harrison Russin points out, the OCA has recently designated the Sunday closest to Oct. 1 as Church Musician Sunday. Dn Harrison gives three examples in the Scriptures where women with the name of Miriam (Mary in modern English) offered praises to God in song at key moments in our salvation history.

Oct 4, 2023 • 1h 52m

His Eminence, Metropolitan Saba (AOCANA) spoke from the ambo of Three Hierarchs Chapel about the lessons from the life of St Isaac the Syrian, whose memory was commemorated on the day of his archpastoral visit. St Isaac the Syrian’s writings cover a range of topics in the spiritual life, but above all, he exhorted Christians to pursue the virtue of humility, without which none of the other virtues can exist.

Oct 4, 2023 • 1h 6m

In this third episode of a four-part series, Lynnette discusses reasons for pre-planning the care of our bodies in dying and death, issues with embalming, making a death plan, and remembering that our most important preparation is for standing before God.

Oct 3, 2023 • 2h 32m

“Brother will deliver up brother to death.” The Lord foretold that we would face persecution for his sake, even from members of our family. The Fathers of the Church explain this and St. John Chrysostom considers how our lives compare to those of the apostles.

Sep 29, 2023 • 5h 30m

In this episode Dr. Jenkins welcomes back Dr. Joshua Moritz as they investigate the origins of the current anti-Trinitarian mania that seeks to see Father as not the proper and true name of the source of all reality, the One God we profess in the Creed: "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty." Of course, along the way our intrepid pair speak about the origins of modern feminism, something that was awry from its birth in the days of the French Revolution and the Romantic period.

Sep 29, 2023 • 1h 44m

In considering the Gospel reading about Our Lord Jesus Christ calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be His disciples, Fr Vincent Temirov asks us to ponder the great obedience and humility they showed in this encounter. In our lives, we must always turn to God and learn to trust Him unconditionally.

Sep 27, 2023 • 1h 37m

On the Feast of the Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield points out the singular importance the Church places on celebrating the moment of conception–marking feastdays to celebrate this event in the lives of John the Baptist, the Mother of God, and of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the Feast of Annunciation. The Church instructs that from the moment of conception, we are human.

Sep 26, 2023 • 2h 4m

This week, we continue the patristic explanation of the Missionary Discourse of the Lord’s Instructions to the disciples before sending them out on their first mission of teaching and healing. What does it mean to be a sheep? A serpent? A dove?

Sep 25, 2023 • 1h 47m

On the Sunday after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Fr Vincent Temirov calls our attention to the paradox of the Christian Gospel: that the very instrument of Christ’s death becomes the means of His victory over sin and death. In this way, Christ can transform any of us, no matter how sinful or weak, if we take up our own crosses and follow Him.

Sep 21, 2023 • 1h 49m

The very first thing that the priest does when bringing a new believer into the Holy Church through Baptism is to make the sign of the cross on their head. In this way, says His Eminence Archbishop Daniel (OCA), the Church is claiming that individual for Christ, the Crucified Savior. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is a great reminder for us that all of Christian life embraces the Cross, which leads us to the empty tomb and our Lord’s Resurrection.

Sep 20, 2023 • 1h 51m

In this episode Lynnette looks at the meaning of the human body, three reasons our bodies our sacred, the Catholic Church's grudging acceptance of cremation, and five reasons the Orthodox Church remains opposed to cremation.