Praying in the Rain

Fr. Michael addresses the passages in the gospels where Jesus instructs his disciples to buy swords, Peter's use of the sword, and our own response. "When you look at the Orthodox tradition, there is quite a mixed bag regarding violence and the use of weapons.... When we use force to oppose those who oppose us, when we end up fighting fire with fire, we destroy the ability of our enemy to hear. We cut off the ear of the very ones Jesus came to save."

Fr. Michael encourages us to trust that God, as our coach, will teach us to float and to swim, knowing that He is our teacher, and His hands are beneath us.

"What enraptures us today determines how we will experience the rapture of the last day no matter when or how that takes place."

Fr. Michael discusses fear of, and love for, God.

Fr. Michael shares the song of the vineyard, from the Prophet Isaiah.

Fr. Michael examines the Sermon on the Mount, specifically our faith and deeds done in secret.

Fr. Michael addresses disappointment—what it is and how we should deal with it.

Fr. Michael discusses "the dark night of the soul," an expression coined by St. John of the Cross, a 16th-century Spanish mystic.

Fr. Michael explains that the Church provides a context in which what has been good before can become better—more deeply understood, more sanely practiced.

Fr. Michael examines Jesus's exhortation in Matthew 6:1-3 to "take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men."

Fr. Michael examines Jesus's exhortation to "take heed that the light in you is not darkness."

Fr. Michael examines Jesus's exhortation to "take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees."

Fr. Michael examines Jesus's exhortation to "take heed how or what you hear" in Mark 4:24 and Luke 8:18.

Fr. Michael examines Jesus's exhortation to "Take heed concerning covetousness" in Luke 12:14.

In this debut episode, Fr. Michael begins a seven-part series on the warnings of Jesus.