Eastern Christian Insights
394 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 13 ratingsHomilies from St. Luke Orthodox Church in Abilene, Texas
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How We Relate to our Neighbors Reveals the Truth About How We Relate to God
March 16, 2021 01:24The path to eternal life runs through our neighbors, especially those we are inclined to overlook, disregard, and even despise. How we treat the hungry and thirsty, the stranger and the naked, the sick and the prisoner reveals the true state of our souls. How we serve our suffering and inconvenient neighbors, whoever they are, is how we serve our Lord.
Christ is Born to Restore the Beauty of the Souls of Distinctive Persons
March 05, 2021 02:09Today we commemorate a distinctive person who bore witness in his own life to the healing power of Christ. St. Nicholas lived in the 4th century in what is now Turkey and had a sizeable inheritance from his family, which he gave away in secret to the poor.
We Need a Humble Lent in These Troubled Times
February 23, 2021 18:31“The line between good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.” The key difference between the Pharisee and the Publican rooted in their hearts and was not simply a matter of their outward behavior or how they appeared to others. Even the despised traitor and thief remained in the image of God and was able to embrace divine mercy when he humbly confessed the truth about his personal brokenness. The Pharisee also bore God’s image, but was so blinded by his slavery to the primo...
Grounding Our Lives on the Mercy of Christ, Not the Praise of Others
January 27, 2021 20:39Across the centuries, the Lord has raised up such unusual saints in order to shock us out of our complacency about the alleged harmony between the narrow way leading to the Kingdom and what passes for a conventionally respectable life in any time or place.
How to Cultivate Gratitude, Not Worry and Fear
January 19, 2021 00:41It is easy for people to fall prey to the passions of fear, worry, and anger in response to the great challenges that our nation and world face today, as well as to those we encounter in our families and in other areas of our lives. In such circumstances, we must not ignore the importance of one of the most basic virtues necessary for human flourishing, namely, gratitude.
Manifesting the Peace of Christ in a World Still Enslaved to the Fear of Death
January 12, 2021 22:38As we continue to celebrate Theophany in a world that remains in “the region and shadow of death,” let us focus mindfully on living each day as those who have died to sin and risen with our Lord to a life of holiness. That is how we may wear a garment of light and become living epiphanies of the salvation of the world.
Preparation Requires Repentance
January 12, 2021 22:36Theophany shows us that Jesus Christ is not merely a great religious teacher or moral example. He is truly God—a member of the Holy Trinity–and His salvation permeates His entire creation, including the water of the river Jordan. Through His and our baptism, we become participants in the holy mystery of our salvation.
We May All Find Our Place in the Living Family Tree of the Messiah
December 24, 2020 19:42Matthew’s description of the family tree prepares us for the kind of Savior we encounter in Jesus Christ. It does not hide that His ancestors sinned greatly, for He came to heal those who had corrupted and weakened themselves by their own disobedience. His family line even included Gentiles, foreshadowing that He would make all with faith in Him heirs to the promise to Abraham. That being the case, the fact that we are sinners does not make it impossible or pointless for us to become the S...
The Freedom to Embrace our Fulfillment as Persons in God's Image and Likeness
December 24, 2020 19:26As we prepare to receive the Lord in faith at Christmas, we must use our freedom to follow St. Paul’s instruction in today’s epistle reading: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
The Freedom to Embrace our Fulfillment as Persons in God’s Image and Likeness
December 14, 2020 20:20 - 9 minutes - 13.5 MBAs we prepare to receive the Lord in faith at Christmas, we must use our freedom to follow St. Paul’s instruction in today’s epistle reading: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
Overcoming “the Dividing Wall of Hostility” as the Living Temple of God
November 24, 2020 23:52Joachim, Anna, and the Theotokos were the complete opposites of the rich man in today’s gospel reading. His only concern was to eat, drink, and enjoy himself because he had become so wealthy. He was addicted to earthly pleasure, power, and success, and saw the meaning and purpose of his life only in those terms. In stark contrast, the Theotokos followed the righteous example of her parents. She was prepared by a life of holiness to agree freely to become our Lord’s mother.
Meet Innocent Green!
November 23, 2020 01:00We get to know Innocent Green! He and his wife and three children recently converted to Orthodoxy, after a long journey from the Church of Christ via the Reformed Church. After all that seeking, it was the Jesus Prayer that brought them home.
Loving Our Neighbors as Christ Has Loved Us
November 19, 2020 03:23The Lord used the story of the Good Samaritan to show us who we must become if we are truly uniting ourselves to Him in faith.
Hope for Jairus, the Bleeding Woman, and Other People at the End of Their Rope
November 10, 2020 20:52Both the bleeding woman and Jairus were at the end of their rope. They faced circumstances so dark that they could not imagine how they would be delivered from them. The gravity of their challenges is reflected by how little these characters speak in their encounters with Christ. They did not use many words to show whatever level of faith they had in Him, perhaps because what was at stake was beyond their ability to name.
To Receive Mercy, We Must Become Merciful
November 02, 2020 22:57There is simply no way around the basic truth that how we relate to our neighbors reveals how we relate to our Lord. What we do for even the most miserable and difficult people we encounter in life, we do for Christ. And what we refuse to do for them, we refuse to do for our Savior. Our salvation is in becoming more like Him as we find the healing of our souls by cooperating with His grace. While we do not save ourselves any more than we can rise up by our own power from the grave, we must ob...
What Truly Satisfies Those Who Bear the Image and Likeness of God?
November 02, 2020 22:46Instead of obsessing over how we measure up, we should simply focus all our energies on finding healing for our passions as we reorient our disordered desires for fulfillment in God. If we persist in doing so and call out for the Lord’s mercy whenever we stumble and fall, we will come to know the joy of those liberated from the tomb, clothed in the divine glory, and finally in our right minds.
Of What or Whom Are You An Icon?
October 23, 2020 13:33The veneration of icons should prod us all to wrestle with the question of who we are and who we want to become. Too often, however, we think that iconography simply has to do with wood and paint, and we ignore the question of whether we are becoming more beautiful icons of Christ. The icons are not merely examples of religious art, but reminders that to become truly human is to become like Jesus Christ, for He has healed the corruption of the human person that began with the first Adam.
The Last in This World Will Often Be the First in the Kingdom of Heaven
October 20, 2020 00:14On this feast day of the Holy, Glorious, All-Laudable Apostle and Evangelist Luke, we have an opportunity to celebrate the great witness to the Lord made by the patron saint of our parish. Our small community is named in his honor and memory. We see his image on our iconostasis and regularly ask him to pray for us in the Divine Liturgy. Author of both a gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, as well as an iconographer and a physician, St. Luke died a martyr’s death at the age of 84.
The Idolatry of Not Taking Up Our Crosses
October 12, 2020 22:30We do not have to burn incense on the altar of a Roman god in order to show that we are ashamed of the Savior. All that we must do is to refuse to take up our crosses as we serve the false gods of this world. It does not take much spiritual insight to see that worshiping idols is quite common and easily done in our time and place.
We Must Mourn Our Sins in Order to Love Our Enemies
October 07, 2020 21:33The love to which Christ calls us is not merely an emotion, but a true offering of ourselves for the sake of someone else. It is a self-less offering in which we put the needs and interests our neighbors before our own. It is a personal offering that builds communion with other people and unites us together as those who share a common life. Of course, the basis of such love is the great Self-Offering of Christ, Who enables us all to share in His eternal life as members together of His Body...
The Importance of Patiently Letting Down Our Nets in Obedience
October 01, 2020 14:44Our calling, like that of Peter and the first disciples, is simply to obey Christ’s command to follow Him. When we stumble in doing so, we must cultivate the humble recognition of Peter, who said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
God's Foolishness and Weakness Are Greater Than the World's Wisdom and Strength
September 15, 2020 01:24As we celebrate the Exaltation of the Cross, let us examine ourselves to see if our lives appear foolish and scandalous by the standards of the world because of our faithfulness to Jesus Christ.
God’s Foolishness and Weakness Are Greater Than the World’s Wisdom and Strength
September 15, 2020 01:13 - 9 minutes - 13 MBAs we celebrate the Exaltation of the Cross, let us examine ourselves to see if our lives appear foolish and scandalous by the standards of the world because of our faithfulness to Jesus Christ.
Offering the Fruits of Our Lives Instead of Using Religion to Hoard Them
September 08, 2020 21:27As much as we do not like to acknowledge it, Christ’s Kingdom is not about giving us religion or anything else on our own terms. He calls us to offer Him “the fruits [of our lives] in their seasons.”
Embracing the Humility to Accept that “By the Grace of God I Am What I Am”
September 03, 2020 22:05In response to Christ’s statement about how hard it is for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God, the disciples were amazed and asked, “Who then can be saved?” The Lord responded, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” That is true not only for the wealthy, but for us all.
Forgiving from the Heart Requires Humility
August 24, 2020 22:10Growing in humility is the only way for us to find healing for our passions, for our disordered desires ultimately root in the pride of not accepting the truth about who we are before God.
Spiritual Strength Comes Through Entrusting Ourselves to Christ
August 17, 2020 20:11We must never think that the vocation to holiness is reserved exclusively for some people, perhaps the clergy, the monastics, or only the great saints.
Focus on Our Foundation, Not the Wind and the Waves
August 10, 2020 19:43It is easy to think that we are spiritually strong and healthy when life is good and things are going our way. It is a very different matter, however, when things are falling apart and we find that we have no place to stand.
We Must Offer Ourselves in Order to Live Eucharistically
August 03, 2020 21:30None of us has the power to fix today’s problems, but we all have the ability to offer ourselves in seemingly small ways to bless people by listening to them patiently, providing an encouraging word, and sharing our resources as we are able.
Bearing Witness by Speaking of Neighbors, Not Enemies
July 29, 2020 14:40Fr. Philip LeMasters reminds us that our words reveal the state of our souls.
Becoming “The Light of the World” Through the God-Man
July 20, 2020 20:19As odd as it will sound to many in our culture, Christ does not call us to become successful or powerful by earthly standards, including those of our own society. He calls us to shine with holiness such that His glory radiates through us and illumines a world darkened by sin and death. Doing so requires that we do not rest content with being good citizens or moral people, regardless of how those terms are defined.
Becoming Our True Selves Through Faith in Christ
July 14, 2020 21:40The only true response to the challenges we face today is to believe in and confess Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. If we cultivate the humility necessary to entrust ourselves to Him, then we will gain the spiritual strength not to fall into self-centeredness, fear, resentment, hatred, or other sinful states of soul that are such appealing distractions to facing the truth about ourselves.
Offering Our Blessings and Sufferings in Hope
June 30, 2020 01:55People try to serve two masters because they lack the spiritual clarity to see that the good things of the creation are not God’s equals or rivals, but blessings to be offered back to Him for the salvation of the world.
How to Pay Attention and Obey
June 23, 2020 23:16The Lord said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The only way to shine like a city on a hill or a lamp on a stand in a world darkened by sin is to live in a way that provides a beacon of hope for the fulfillment of the human person in God.
Bearing Witness to Christ as Distinctive Persons
June 16, 2020 21:49It may seem strange that Orthodox Christianity gives so much attention to martyrs and saints. To speak of those who die for their faith is to recall instances of murder. Why would a religion give so much attention to such an unpleasant subject?
Bearing Witness to the World with Integrity by the Power of the Holy Spirit
June 11, 2020 21:17At Pentecost, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit as a sign of the restoration of human persons, both individually and collectively, in the divine image and likeness.
Becoming Truly Human by Ascending with Christ
June 05, 2020 18:35By rising into heavenly glory as the God-Man, Christ has shown us what it means to become truly human in the divine image and likeness.
The Light Shining in the Darkness
May 29, 2020 18:04The man in our gospel reading whose sight the Lord restored had been blind from birth, having known only darkness throughout his life. He symbolizes us all, for until the light of the Savior’s resurrection, humanity had wandered in spiritual blindness and captivity.
The Powerful Witness of the Great Martyr Photini
May 18, 2020 23:16St. Photini’s encounter with the Lord was truly transformative. He did not merely give her ideas about religion. He gave her the “Living Water” of the Holy Spirit which made her a participant in eternal life by grace.
The Weak Receive Strength Through Obedience
May 11, 2020 17:05The man in today’s gospel reading would never have found healing had he chosen to remain as he had been for thirty-eight years. Lying still for a long time makes us weak and unable to move on our own.
Set Free from the Fear of Death to Serve and Love
May 04, 2020 23:27Whenever we give our time, resources, or attention to help anyone who is in need in any way, we embrace an opportunity to serve our Savior and participate more fully in His life.
Thomas Sunday
April 27, 2020 17:45Fr. Philip LeMasters shares about the reality of Christ's resurrection.
Mindfully Embracing Christ's Peace in This Most Challenging Holy Week
April 13, 2020 18:55Our calling this week is to enter into the profound contrast between the ways of the world as we know them and the life of our crucified and risen Lord. Especially today, it is easy to focus on what is going wrong, on what we have lost already or may lose in the future.
Mindfully Embracing Christ’s Peace in This Most Challenging Holy Week
April 13, 2020 18:44 - 9 minutes - 13.2 MBOur calling this week is to enter into the profound contrast between the ways of the world as we know them and the life of our crucified and risen Lord. Especially today, it is easy to focus on what is going wrong, on what we have lost already or may lose in the future.
Retreating to the Desert for Our Salvation This Lent
April 06, 2020 20:14The One Who trampled down death by death purely out of love for His suffering children will never abandon us. If He can make someone like St. Mary of Egypt radiant with the divine glory through the desert, then there is hope for us all.
Confronting The Weakness of Our Faith in This Unusual Lent
March 31, 2020 15:50“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” The father of the young man in today’s gospel lesson cried out these words with tears in response to the Lord’s statement that “all things are possible to him who believes.” The father in this passage provides a good example of how we should respond to the spiritual challenges posed by our current public health crisis.
Responding to the Global Pandemic in Light of the Cross This Lent
March 23, 2020 21:20Regardless of the particulars of our life circumstances, let us use the challenges posed by the global pandemic as reminders of the folly of making life in this world our false god.
Becoming Radiant with Light in a World Paralyzed by the Fear of Death
March 17, 2020 20:22On this second Sunday of Great Lent, we commemorate St. Gregory Palamas, who defended the experience of monks who, in the stillness of prayer from their hearts, saw the Uncreated Light of God.
Becoming Truly Human and More Like God in Holiness This Lent
March 13, 2020 21:48Lenten practices are not instruments of punishment or legalism, but blessed tools for becoming more fully our true selves as living icons of God.
Forgiveness and the Journey Back to Paradise in Lent
March 03, 2020 19:34As we begin our Lenten journey, we remember today how Adam and Eve stripped themselves naked of the divine glory and were cast out of Paradise into a world enslaved by death. During Great Lent, we follow the path that leads back to Paradise.