Ancient Faith Ministries

Apr 1, 2021 • 36 min

Fr Alex Goussetis speaks with Fr Leonard Herrem, a marriage & family therapist and parish priest, on the challenges and opportunities presented by Covid on relationships.

Mar 30, 2021 • 4h 33m

Having explained the grace we receive in the Mystery of Holy Illumination in Romans 6, St. Paul is nonetheless completely honest about the reality of Christian life and the continuous spiritual struggle required. He expresses the experience of all of us. Too often we do what we do not want to do, and what we actually want to do is not what we end up doing. Why is this the case and what can we do about it? Dr. Jeannie Constantinou explains.

Mar 26, 2021 • 21 min

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Mar 23, 2021 • 4h 33m

Having established that we are saved by Christ not the Law of Moses, justified because we believe in him, Paul continues his careful exposition in Romans to explain the effects of this new reality. How does the salvation achieved by Christ for all humanity occur for an individual person? In Romans 6, Paul explains that "justification" marks only the beginning of the process of salvation. After accepting Christ's justification we must continue by actively seeking illumination and sanctification.

Mar 22, 2021 • 42 min

How can I tell my priest what I really struggle with? What if I keep failing and confessing the same things, over and over? Lynnette interviews Fr. Theodore Dorrance, from St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church in Greenwood Village, Colorado, about the priest’s point of view and the spiritual freedom that comes from authentic and honest confession.

Mar 21, 2021 • 42 min

Bobby Maddex interviews Dr. Vladimir Morosan, the founder and president of Musica Russica, the largest publisher of Russian choral music outside of Russia, about a new massive collection of Pascha sheet music—the first of its kind in 40 years.

Mar 17, 2021 • 54 min

Saint Vladimir's Seminary entered into its annual, two-day Lenten Retreat on Clean Monday and Tuesday, March 15 and 16, 2021. Four talks delivered over the two days followed the theme of "Ora et Labora: The Foundations of Spirituality According to the Rule of St Benedict of Nursia." In this final meditation, Fr Nicholas Roth, the Seminary’s Spiritual Formation Director and Ecclesiarch, speaks of “Working Together.”

Mar 17, 2021 • 54 min

Saint Vladimir's Seminary entered into its annual, two-day Lenten Retreat on Clean Monday and Tuesday, March 15 and 16, 2021. Four talks delivered over the two days followed the theme of "Ora et Labora: The Foundations of Spirituality According to the Rule of St Benedict of Nursia." Saint Vladimir’s Director of Music Harrison Russin reflects on “Working Alone” in this third of the retreat meditations.

Mar 17, 2021 • 45 min

Saint Vladimir's Seminary entered into its annual, two-day Lenten Retreat on Clean Monday and Tuesday, March 15 and 16, 2021. Four talks delivered over the two days followed the theme of "Ora et Labora: The Foundations of Spirituality According to the Rule of St Benedict of Nursia." In this reflection, Dr Vitaly Permiakov, the Seminary's assistant professor of liturgical theology, leads a meditation on "Praying Together."

Mar 17, 2021 • 46 min

Saint Vladimir's Seminary entered into its annual, two-day Lenten Retreat on Clean Monday and Tuesday, March 15 and 16, 2021. Four talks delivered over the two days followed the theme of "Ora et Labora: The Foundations of Spirituality According to the Rule of St Benedict of Nursia." Seminary President Fr Chad Hatfield, in this first reflection, offers thoughts on "Praying Alone."

Mar 16, 2021 • 1h 36m

Frederica Mathewes-Green reads her essay, "Why They Hate Us."

Mar 16, 2021 • 4h 40m

Dr. Constantinou discusses Paul's explanation of baptism. Romans 6 is the most important passage in the New Testament for the Orthodox understanding of what baptism is and its role in the Christian life. Why does Paul discuss baptism at this point? What does it have to do with everything that came before—salvation by faith, Abraham and his faith, Adam and the fall?

Mar 10, 2021 • 36 min

Listen to reflections about encountering Christ in the midst of pain, from St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Mar 10, 2021 • 26 min

Reflections from St. John the Compassionate Mission about the Prodigal Son and Canada's Bill C-7.

Mar 10, 2021 • 1h 31m

Welcome to the newest series on Family Matters called Spotlight on Orthodox Families! Once a month Mari McMullen and Despina Ellis will be interviewing couples from around the country in order to share the stories and lives of Orthodox families as a source of support and inspiration to others. In this first episode, Mari & Despina interview each other in a "Get to Know Your Hosts" segment.

Mar 9, 2021 • 4h 41m

Dr. Constantinou continues her discussion of Romans 5, especially St. Augustine's ideas about sin. His writings tremendously impacted what Western Christianity thought—and still believes—about sin and also about God. Why do wrong ideas about the nature of sin lead to wrong ideas about God?

Mar 8, 2021 • 40 min

In this fifth installment in “Stumbling Stones on the Orthodox Road,” we examine public confession of sins in the Scriptures and in the practice of the early Church. We also consider the significant differences between Roman Catholic and Orthodox understandings of the Sacrament of Confession and describe what a confession appointment looks like.

Mar 5, 2021 • 34 min

Fr Alex Goussetis interviews Paulette Geanacopoulos, licensed social worker and Director of Social Services for the Greek Orthodox Philoptochos Society, on the warning signs and resources available for victims of domestic violence.

Mar 4, 2021 • 7h 10m

Many people are systematically allowing themselves and their children to become more depressed and addicted to dopamine through social media and smart phone use. These two, highly-addictive and codependent tools have been proven to magnify a sense of loneliness, inadequacy, despair, and helplessness as we are swept into an "attention economy." Church social media guru Fr. Barnabas Powell and Bill Marianes will review the data on social media dopamine addiction and discuss effective strategies you, your churches, and families can use as we explore how to use social media positively and focus on WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) with the power of social media.

Mar 2, 2021 • 4h 37m

In Romans 5, Paul explains the role of Christ in salvation in relation to Adam. How can Christ be a "type" of Adam, since Adam sinned and Christ did not? Does this chapter support the interpretation of universal salvation? Since all "died in Adam," will all "live in Christ"? Western Christian understanding of sin and its effects on the human race was strongly influenced by Augustine's interpretation of Romans 5:12. From Augustine's faulty interpretation, the concept of "original sin" was born and took root in the West. How are Catholic and Protestant concepts of sin and salvation different from the Orthodox understanding? What do these different ideas of sin reveal about our different conceptions of God and His relationship to humanity?