Praying in the Rain
Summary: Fr. Michael Gillis reflects on the inner life of Orthodox Christians. Drawing on the wisdom of both ancient and contemporary Church Fathers, Fr. Michael ponders the struggles, the ironies, and the disciplines of the spiritual life.
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- Artist: Fr. Michael Gillis, and Ancient Faith Ministries
- Copyright: Ancient Faith Ministries
Podcasts:
Fr. Michael begins a two-part series on discussing the comparison between vocations: marriage, monasticism, and singleness.
Fr. Michael uses the illustration of rock climbing to talk about fear and freedom.
Fr. Michael talks about charismatic Protestant Christianity.
Fr. Michael talks about how we take on responsibility for fixing others. "Peace does not come once we figure out how to heal our problems and the problems of those around us. That's backwards. Our problems and the problems of those around us will be healed as we acquire peace."
Fr. Michael talks about how our thoughts influence our lives. "This is success: to become by grace a God-filled human being, to become all that God has called us to be."
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 talks about the difference between inwardly-focused spiritual zeal and outwardly-focused emotional zeal.
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.
