A woman in Holland, suffering from severe PTSD because of childhood sexual abuse is put to death – euthanized – because doctors decide her condition is incurable, in spite of intensive therapy making positive differences in her illness. In 2014, Belgium became the first country in the world to allow Read more…
http://radio.myocn.net/podcast/CRTL/On_Air/crtl040216wv.mp3 In this episode of Come Receive the Light we have two interviews. First, Fr. Chris speaks with Dr. Timothy G. Patitsas, Assistant Professor of Ethics at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology about the Orthodox understanding of death and the proper way to lay a body to rest Read more…
During the past several months, I have have gotten hooked on the soundtrack to the newest Broadway hit musical, Hamilton. Historically meticulous and set to a hip-hop score, it chronicles the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s lesser-known Founding Fathers. In a brilliant stylistic choice, the play is narrated by Read more…
FACING DEATH AND JUDGMENT This past week I spoke with a 62 year old woman who is dying. Several months ago her doctors told her that she has six months to live due to a rare form of cancer. Of course, this woman is extremely sad at her prospects. Yet Read more…
What are some New Year’s resolutions you made this year? It is now Day 3 of the New Year – are you still staying faithful to the resolutions? Why do so many people make New Year’s resolutions? Is it because we see something in our lives we Read more…
“Through prayers and acts of charity for the departed, Christians demonstrate the relationship between this world and the world to come. The Church in this world and the Church in the next is one and the same – one body, one being- just as the roots of a tree, below Read more…
Have you been told to “Let go and let God”? Listen as Fr. Chris speaks with Dr. Albert Rossi, a clinical psychologist who teaches courses in pastoral theology at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary. They discuss the Orthodox understanding of this famous phrase and of letting go. How do we surrender? Trying Read more…
The expression that a Christian is a vessel of the Holy Spirit makes it seem as though the body is passive, but the body might rather be seen as an activation of the spirit within. In doing things that foster wellness, one is more useful for God’s purposes, which follow Read more…
When Dante makes his famous literary descent into the Inferno, he utters these now-famous words: “I had not thought death had undone so many.” Six centuries later, T.S. Eliot included this quotation in his epic poem The Waste Land; it is Eliot’s translation that I here favor. This was my Read more…
In many European cultures, and in America too, singing and listening to carols is a well-loved Christmas tradition. And many Orthodox communities in the West have admirably incorporated some of the best of these carols into their Nativity celebrations. Often, though, for Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, our knowledge of this Read more…