"This kind comes out not except by prayer and fasting."

I don't know if this will be the least streamed episode ever or the most. This is one of those topics that people either avoid like the plague or desperately want to understand. Part 2 next week.

Reading and discussion of chapter 6 of Saint Dorotheos' Discourses.

A rambling meditation on a theme from Genesis, the fall, the curse, and the blessing hidden in the curse, the possibility of conversion.

Discussion of Saint Basil the Great's first homily on fasting, veering off a bit into a more general discussion about the purpose of asceticism, the need and proper understanding of the fear of God, and other matters.

For many people coming to the Church fasting is one of the more confusing aspects of our practice. I address in this episode the rules of fasting, what fasting looks like in regard to what we eat and don't eat, how much we eat, exceptions to the rule of fasting, and in general what is the purpose of fasting. This is by no means comprehensive.

Men's Book Group February 25, 2025

Lecture 4 in the 2025 catechism class.

We often hear phrases in the writings of the Fathers and the Mothers of the Church or in the hymns about being the worst of sinners. Sometimes we have a hard time appropriating this to ourselves because it seems hypocritical or false, or even dangerously reinforcing an already present self-hatred and self-loathing. In this episode Fr John addresses this phrase and how we can understand it in a way that leads to true repentance, not merely self hatred, hypocrisy, or virtue signaling.

For this week of the Publican and Pharisee we thought we would read some of the sayings from the Desert Fathers on not judging others.