In this last session of our 2026 Lenten Retreat, Fr. John Dresko took questions on stewardship, repentance, and the Christian life in the Orthodox Church. What does it mean to live faithfully with the gifts God has given us? This discussion helps answer that question in a clear and practical way. It shows that stewardship is not only about money, but about offering our whole life back to God. Orthodox Christians believe everything we have is a gift from Him.

The talk explains that our time, resources, relationships, and abilities are all part of our stewardship. The Orthodox Church teaches that believers are called to use these gifts for God’s glory and for the good of others. This is why generosity matters so much in Christian life. It is not just about supporting the Church financially. It is about becoming a person who lives with gratitude, trust, and love.

The discussion also turns to repentance and the human struggle with sin. Orthodox Christianity teaches that repentance is more than feeling sorry. It means turning around, changing direction, and returning to God again and again. Fr. John also reflects on mortality, prayer, and the way Christians grow through spiritual struggle. These themes help show why repentance is central to the spiritual life.

This conversation matters because it connects theology to daily life. It helps listeners think about how they pray, how they give, how they repent, and how they live before God. In a noisy and distracted world, the call to silence, trust, and faithfulness becomes even more important. This retreat Q&A invites listeners to think more deeply about how every part of life can be offered back to Christ.

In this 2nd retreat session we explore what stewardship means in the life of the Orthodox Church. Stewardship is not just about finances. It is about how Christians respond to the blessings God has given them.

The talk explains how Scripture describes offerings such as first fruits and sacrificial giving. From the Old Testament sacrifices to the perfect sacrifice of Christ, the Bible shows that giving is an act of faith. Orthodox Christians believe that our offerings reveal our love for God and our trust in His provision.

This teaching matters because it challenges how we think about our resources. Christians are called to offer their time, talents, and possessions for the mission of the Church. Generosity supports the life of the parish and allows the Church to serve others.

As we reflect on these teachings, we are invited to consider how our lives express gratitude to God. Stewardship is ultimately about trust. When believers give generously, they participate in the life of Christ and help build up the Body of the Church.

Stewardship in the Orthodox Church means more than giving money. It means offering our whole life back to God because everything we have comes from Him. In this retreat talk, Fr. John Dresko explains why stewardship is really about putting Christ first and learning to live as faithful servants in His Kingdom. He also shows how Great Lent is a time to reorder our priorities and let God reshape the heart.

The talk begins by challenging a common misunderstanding. Many people hear the word stewardship and think only about parish budgets or fundraising. Fr. John explains that Orthodox Christians believe stewardship begins with the lordship of Jesus Christ. If Christ is Lord, then our life, our choices, our time, and our resources must all be placed under Him. He also connects this to Matthew 6 and Christ’s command to seek first the Kingdom of God.

The retreat then explores several main themes: God is Lord, God is the owner of all things, and the Church is the Body of Christ. Fr. John explains that Christians are not self-made people and that every blessing, ability, and opportunity is a gift from God. He also speaks about the difference between dominion and consumption, showing that Orthodox Christianity teaches us to care for creation and not simply use it up. From there he turns to the life of the parish and explains why caring for the Church is one of the main ways we serve Christ in the world.

The talk also addresses tithing, proportional giving, and the practical side of Christian generosity. Fr. John explains that the biblical tithe is not meant to be a cold rule but a training of the heart in trust and faithfulness. More importantly, he reminds listeners that stewardship also includes time, talent, service, mercy, and care for the people God places before us. This retreat invites listeners to think more deeply about what it means to offer their whole life to Christ and to serve the Body of Christ with joy, gratitude, and love.

In this homily, Fr. John Dresko reflects on the Gospel story of the paralytic and why the Orthodox Church places this reading during Great Lent. The story is simple but deeply meaningful. A paralyzed man is brought to Christ by his friends, and through forgiveness and healing he rises and walks again. Fr. John uses this Gospel to show something important about the human soul and our need for Christ.

He begins by describing the crowded house where Christ is teaching. People gather there for many different reasons. Some are curious. Some hope to witness miracles. Others come seeking healing or guidance. In the middle of that crowd, four friends carry a paralyzed man and refuse to give up until they place him before Christ. Their determination becomes a powerful image of faith and desire.

Fr. John reminds us that Great Lent is not simply about fasting from certain foods or attending more services. It is about rediscovering the true desire of the heart. Orthodox Christianity teaches that sin can paralyze the soul, leaving a person unable to move toward what is good. Through repentance and forgiveness, Christ restores life and freedom to the human person.

The homily also highlights the responsibility Christians have toward one another. Just as the friends carried the paralytic into the presence of Christ, believers are called to help bring others to Him. Sometimes that happens through prayer. Sometimes through encouragement, teaching, or simply walking beside someone who is struggling.

Through this Gospel, Fr. John shows how Great Lent becomes a journey from paralysis to healing. Christ does not come only to judge the broken. He comes to forgive, to lift up, and to restore. The message of the Gospel invites every Christian to come before the Lord and allow His grace to heal the soul.

In this talk we reflect on a prayer heard during the Presanctified Liturgy that calls us “sinful and useless servants.” At first, these words can sound harsh. Why would the Orthodox Church speak about human beings in this way?

The answer reveals something important about Orthodox Christianity. The Church teaches that we come to Christ because we are broken and in need of healing. Orthodox worship speaks honestly about sin so that we will turn toward the mercy of God.

The services of Great Lent especially remind us that the Church is a spiritual hospital. Christ is the physician of our souls. Through prayer, repentance, and the sacraments, He slowly restores our hearts.

When we feel overwhelmed by our struggles, the answer is not to run away from God. The answer is to run toward Him. The Church invites us to come, stand before Christ, and receive the healing that only He can give.

In this adult Bible study, Anthony Ally reminded us that holiness is not reserved for monasteries or clergy. After we worship in the Divine Liturgy and receive Christ in the Eucharist, we are sent back into the world to live what we have received. Work, marriage, parenting, and daily responsibilities become the arena where we are shaped into the likeness of Christ.

Scripture tells us, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men” (Colossians 3:23, RSV). From Genesis to Exodus, we see that work is holy and rest is holy. God created us to labor and to worship. The rhythm of both forms us.

During Lent especially, we are called to guard our attention and offer our time to God. Even twenty quiet minutes before an icon can begin to heal the heart. The workplace, the home, and the Church are not separate worlds. In Christ, they become one path toward salvation.

On the Sunday of Orthodoxy, we celebrate victory in the very first week of Lent. That may seem strange in a season of repentance. But this feast reminds us why we are fasting and struggling in the first place. Our true identity is not found in politics, culture, sports, or personal branding. Our true identity is in Christ.

The Church defended icons because the incarnation is real. God truly became man. We are truly made in His image and likeness. When we were baptized, we put on Christ. That is who we are before anything else. Christian first. Everything else second.

As we continue through Great Lent, let us remember that everything we do, every prayer, every act of repentance, every sacrifice, is meant to draw us deeper into communion with Him. Our identity is not something we create. It is something we receive in Christ.

On Saturday of Orthodoxy, the Church remembers a time when believers boldly proclaimed that Jesus Christ is truly God. They did not keep their faith private. They processed through the streets holding icons and declaring that the Word became flesh. The defense of icons was really a defense of the Incarnation.

If Christ is truly God, then our faith cannot remain quiet or optional. The Church building is not just a meeting place. It is the Kingdom of Heaven made present. And if we believe that, then we must invite others into it.

The call of Orthodoxy is simple. Proclaim Christ. Build His Church. Tell people to come and see.

Clean Week is intense because it is meant to wake us up. The Great Canon of St. Andrew confronts us with our weakness and reminds us that we are not as invincible as we often imagine. In a culture that constantly tells us we are good and self sufficient, the Church calls us back to reality. We are broken, and we need salvation.

But the message is not despair. It is hope. When we finally admit that we are sick, we can begin to seek healing. Repentance is not about self hatred. It is about honesty and transformation.

The life of St. Mary of Egypt stands as proof that no one is beyond God’s mercy. Her story shows that even the most fallen person can be restored through sincere repentance. If she could turn her life around completely, then there is hope for every one of us.

Lent gives us the opportunity to open our hearts to God. If we allow Him to work within us, He will heal us. The question is not whether God is willing to save us. The question is whether we are willing to respond.

In this homily, Fr. Stephen reflects on the Presanctified Liturgy and why it is so essential during Great Lent. Though it is one of the oldest services in the Church, many Orthodox Christians attend it only a few times each year. Yet this deeply penitential service meets us in the middle of our weekly struggle and reminds us that heaven is still present even in the darkness of repentance.

At the powerful moment when we sing “Now the powers of heaven invisibly worship with us,” the altar lights come on, revealing hope breaking into the dimness of Lent. Fr. Stephen explains how this ancient service strengthens us, sustains us, and prepares us to continue carrying our cross toward Pascha.