We have now gone through the seven pillars of biblical literacy as outlined by the Bible Project podcast, but there is a pillar that was missed.  This forgotten pillar, or perhaps better called the Pillar of Pillars, is the bible as Liturgical Literature.  

Of course the bible precedes our Divine Liturgy, yet if the Liturgy is understood as the experience of who God is, of being with God and God with us, then we see that it is the very origin of the bible.  Liturgy is the natural home of the bible.  Liturgy is where we go when we want to understand what the bible is all about.  Liturgy is the wrapping around the whole of the Scriptures.

In this episode, Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri discuss how the bible requires full and intentional liturgical participation,  exploring a variety of fun metaphors such as Hamlet, car mechanics, Comic-Con and map-reading. 

"Your Liturgical Bible" is our new series created just for our patrons.  We will be exploring what the bible is - and what it's not.  We will discuss how we're meant to read Scripture, how it connects with Liturgy and our life, and how we can use it to enact the Kingdom.

In this second of half of our series introduction, Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey explore the remaining pillars of biblical literacy which will help us approach Scripture properly: Communal Literature, Ancient Literature, Meditation Literature and Wisdom Literature.

Please reference the Paradigm series by the Bible Project here, to learn more about these pillars: https://bibleproject.com/podcast/series/paradigm/

 We are so excited to begin our new series created just for our patrons, Your Liturgical Bible.  The Scriptures are the source material for our liturgical services, either directly or indirectly.  The goal is to provide our listeners with the tools to read the Scriptures in a way that informs how we experience Liturgy, and then ultimately allows us to bring that Liturgy into our everyday life.

There is another podcast, Bible Project, that does an excellent job of describing certain pillars of biblical literacy that help us approach Scripture properly.   Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey take a look at these pillars from an Orthodox perspective, beginning with Divine and Human Literature, Unified Literature and Messianic Literature.

Check out the Paradigm series here: https://bibleproject.com/podcast/series/paradigm/ 

In our final episode on the sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey reflect on the impact these words can have on our modern lives.  Even those sayings that deal with becoming a monastic (which at first may seem too far out of reach) can apply to us who live in the world, as we share a common call to asceticism.

In this sixth season of Enacting the Kingdom, we are releasing a series on the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers that was previously only available to our patrons.  If you like what you hear, and would like access to much more, please consider supporting our project by heading to patreon.com/enactingthekingdom and choosing a tier of support.  We would love to have you join our growing community!

There are many sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers that mention "three essential things" of the spiritual life, and they are incredibly varied and often paradoxical.  Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey discuss these as well as sayings that involve prayer, and the differing gifts of Christians.

In this sixth season of Enacting the Kingdom, we are releasing a series on the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers that was previously only available to our patrons.  If you like what you hear, and would like access to much more, please consider supporting our project by heading to patreon.com/enactingthekingdom and choosing a tier of support.  We would love to have you join our growing community!

As we continue our series on the desert sayings, Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri explore the themes of virtues, charity and services of love, as well as solitude, silence and hesychia.

Today's sayings prove to us again the true meaning of monasticism, which is rooted in monachos - singular focus - which is not the same as being by oneself.  It is rather about the release of all things that get in the way of our capacity to show love.  The singular aim of all that we do is God.

In this sixth season of Enacting the Kingdom, we are releasing a series on the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers that was previously only available to our patrons.  If you like what you hear, and would like access to much more, please consider supporting our project by heading to patreon.com/enactingthekingdom and choosing a tier of support.  We would love to have you join our growing community!

In this episode on our series of the Desert Sayings, we touch on two themes: the tears of compunction (are those tears self-centered or Christ-centered?) and the necessity for practice in the spiritual life (and sticking with that practice even when there are no discernible results).

In this sixth season of Enacting the Kingdom, we are releasing a series on the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers that was previously only available to our patrons.  If you like what you hear, and would like access to much more, please consider supporting our project by heading to patreon.com/enactingthekingdom and choosing a tier of support.  We would love to have you join our growing community!

Fr Geoffrey and Fr Yuri explore two themes in this fourth episode in our series on the Desert Sayings.  The first is simplicity - the importance of always being a beginner, maintaining humility, practicing restraint and putting things in their proper place.  The second theme is on spiritual elders and soul friends - those relationships where we can be known fully, and trust in each other's unconditional love and acceptance. In this modern world, how do we find someone we can trust and reveal ourselves to, so that we can engage in a relationship this way?

In this sixth season of Enacting the Kingdom, we are releasing a series on the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers that was previously only available to our patrons.  If you like what you hear, and would like access to much more, please consider supporting our project by heading to patreon.com/enactingthekingdom and choosing a tier of support.  We would love to have you join our growing community!

What do the terms "the head" and "the heart" encompass?  What does it mean to have the head descend into the heart?  Fr Yuri and Fr Geoffrey discuss desert sayings related to heart-centered spirituality, as well as thoughts, desires and passions.

It's so much easier to numb ourselves to the real work we are called to, with counterfeits that replace what is truly needed - but what comes after the struggle?  Ineffable joy.

In this sixth season of Enacting the Kingdom, we are releasing a series on the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers that was previously only available to our patrons.  If you like what you hear, and would like access to much more, please consider supporting our project by heading to patreon.com/enactingthekingdom and choosing a tier of support.  We would love to have you join our growing community!

"Give me a word" is a theme of many desert sayings that have been passed down to us, and (let's be honest) the basis of this whole series!  Usually it is a short, pithy piece of advice that the hearer is expected to sit with and ponder.  Whether an encouragement or a challenge, it must always be wrestled with and actually put into practice.

In this sixth season of Enacting the Kingdom, we are releasing a series on the Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers that was previously only available to our patrons.  If you like what you hear, and would like access to much more, please consider supporting our project by heading to patreon.com/enactingthekingdom and choosing a tier of support.  We would love to have you join our growing community!