Musings from the High Desert Contemplations on Orthodox Christianity from Las Cruces, New Mexico

Start date: January 2011 1447 minutes, 5 seconds in 63 episodes

Fr. Gabriel Rochelle has served in ministry in a variety of settings for four-plus decades. He has served in college chaplaincy, seminary teaching, university teaching, interfaith relations, and parish ministry. He continues to explore and deepen his understanding of the Christian faith in relation to other faith traditions and cultural issues. His interest in the languages of faith, especially Hebrew and Greek, remains undiminished after long years in ministry, and he continues to derive new insight from their study. In this series, he will share from his wide range of insights, imaginings, and interests.

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Episodes

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Date	Title & Description	Duration
Jun 05, 2013	Books That Touch Your Heart and Mind (Part 3) This time Fr. Gabriel turns from the writers of the other Europe, symbolized by Bohumil Hrabal's work which he spoke about last time, back to the church. Again looking at the life and overall work of one particular person, he turns to his favorite writer on prayer, Metropolitan Anthony Bloom (memory eternal), Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church in England. After an overview of Metropolitan Anthony's life, Fr. Gabriel reads excerpts from two books, Beginning to Pray and Living Prayer. There are two important websites for those who want to learn more about Metropolitan Anthony: http://www.masarchive.org which, contains his writings; and http://www.metropolit-anthony.orc.ru the o,fficial site. Click to play	28:27
May 22, 2013	Books That Touch Your Heart and Mind (Part 2) In this segment, Fr. Gabriel talks more about his fascination with language and then moves into a consideration of the Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal, best known in the United States for his novels Closely Watched Trains, I Served the King of England, and Too Loud a Solitude, the first two of which were made into award-winning movies. Hrabal was a comic writer with an ironic edge and a great example of those relatively few writers who managed to slip through barriers that the communist regimes erected against intellectuals and artists. Fr. Gabriel ends with portions of Hrabal's novel Gaps, the third in a trilogy about his life written from the viewpoint of his wife Eliska. Click to play	25:00
May 08, 2013	Books That Touch Your Heart and Mind In this series, Fr Gabriel will offer reviews of books from a wide range of interests that have touched him and which he believes either have touched or could touch you. The series will cover novels and poetry, as well as theology, new and old testament studies, and specifically Orthodox books. Stay tuned! We hope that you will enjoy these reviews. Click to play	29:03
Apr 24, 2013	Christianity as Philosophy?: Part 9 Fr. Gabriel concludes his series on Christianity and Philosophy with a discussion of postmodernism. Click to play	25:35
Apr 17, 2013	Christianity as Philosophy?: Part 8 Fr. Gabriel addresses nihilism. Click to play	24:12
Apr 03, 2013	Christianity as Philosophy?: Part 7 Fr. Gabriel explains why the mystical pathway, which involves the approach called "negative" theology, is our best hope in terms of knowing God. Click to play	25:09
Mar 14, 2013	Christianity as Philosophy?: Part 6 Fr. Gabriel examines the historic and traditional philosophical proofs for the existence of God as a preliminary for another way to look at God through relationship. Click to play	20:33
Feb 27, 2013	Christianity as Philosophy?: Part 5 Fr. Gabriel discusses the three traditional philosophical theories of how truth is determined. Click to play	20:54
Feb 13, 2013	Christianity as Philosophy?: Part 4 Fr. Gabriel continues his discussion of the relationship between religion and philosophy. Click to play	21:30
Jan 30, 2013	Christianity as Philosophy?: Part 3 Fr. Gabriel discusses the distinctions between religion, philosophy, and theology in response to some listener queries.	21:12
Jan 16, 2013	Christianity as Philosophy?: Part 2 Fr. Gabriel discusses who we are as persons in the Christian understanding, how we should think about the world, and what should be at the heart of our perception.	21:38
Jan 02, 2013	Christianity as Philosophy? Fr. Gabriel invites listeners to consider Christianity as a genuine and full philosophy of life.	21:02
Dec 19, 2012	History of Christian Worship: Part 6 Fr. Gabriel discusses the Jewish antecedents to the concept of Remembrance, the Lord's Prayer, and some aspects of the Anaphora in the Divine Liturgy from the prayer known as the Eighteen Benedictions.	16:19
Dec 05, 2012	History of Christian Worship: Part 5 Fr. Gabriel examines the history of the lectionary.	24:04
Nov 07, 2012	History of Christian Worship: Part 4 Fr. Gabriel discusses the development of the liturgy over the course of the first six or so centuries in the Christian era.	27:04
Nov 06, 2012	History of Christian Worship: Part 3 Fr. Gabriel discusses the Chaburah (the Friendship Meal) that forms the background for the Last Supper.	20:55
Oct 24, 2012	History of Christian Worship: Part 2 Fr. Gabriel discusses the Upper Room and the Eucharist and explores the theological relationship of Passover to Christ.	19:35
Oct 10, 2012	History of Christian Worship: Part 1 Fr. Gabriel discusses the background to the Divine Liturgy in Jewish temple practice.	26:15
Sep 26, 2012	An Interlude: Introducing the Orthodox Theological Society of America Fr. Gabriel introduces the Orthodox Theological Society of America, which is an organization comprised of professors who teach about Orthodoxy in university settings.	20:41
Sep 12, 2012	Jesus as Prophet Fr. Gabriel asks, "Who or what is a prophet, and does Jesus qualify?"	19:28
Aug 29, 2012	St. Paul’s Influences Fr. Gabriel examines the theology and texts that came before St. Paul in order to prove that he was an inheritor and not an inventor of the Christian faith.	29:04
Aug 17, 2012	St. Maximus the Confessor Fr. Gabriel explores a number of different facets of the thought and writings of St. Maximus the Confessor, which he compares to the facets on a diamond that shine as you turn the stone.	21:29
Aug 01, 2012	Matthew’s Two Audiences Fr. Gabriel shares some expanded notes on Matthew 9:1-8 within the theme of Jewish/Christian relations.	16:57
Jul 18, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part Twelve Fr. Gabriel concludes his series on Jewish/Christian relations. Here he asks, "Where do we go from here?"	23:06
Jul 05, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part Eleven Fr. Gabriel provides an overview of developments in Jewish-Christian relations since the Second World War.	28:02
Jun 21, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part Ten Fr. Gabriel recounts the tragic history of the Jews throughout the centuries.	23:11
Jun 06, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part Nine Partings of the Ways? Fr. Gabriel asks us to consider these issues before we draw conclusions.	31:21
May 24, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part Eight Fr. Gabriel begins describing the manner in which Judaism and Christianity parted ways.	29:38
May 09, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part Seven Fr. Gabriel examines the three quests for the historic Jesus.	25:05
Apr 25, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part Six Fr. Gabriel clarifies some aspects of his approach to the question of the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. View Attachment	22:51
Apr 11, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part Five Fr. Gabriel explores the relationship between Christian and Jewish worship.	28:33
Mar 31, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part Four Fr. Gabriel concludes his examination of scriptural interpretation with a discussion of the literal, allegorical, and typological approaches to exegesis.	28:41
Mar 15, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part Three Fr. Gabriel explains how Judaism and Christianity began to move apart through the interpretive structures that govern their understanding of the Scriptures over the first several centuries.	32:43
Mar 01, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part Two Fr. Gabriel begins his inquiry into Jewish-Christian relations by looking at the Scriptures. What Bible are we talking about, anyway?	21:27
Feb 20, 2012	Judaism and Christianity: Part One Fr. Gabriel introduces his new series on the relationship between Orthodox Christianity and Judaism throughout the centuries.	22:14
Feb 01, 2012	Celtic Christianity: Part 14 Fr. Gabriel concludes his series on Celtic Christianity with a discussion of the Celtic church as it was shaped by the unique spirituality found in Celtic lands.	23:27
Jan 18, 2012	Celtic Christianity: Part 13 Fr. Gabriel discusses the distinctive marks of Celtic Christianity having to do with the Faith.	22:53
Jan 04, 2012	Celtic Christianity: Part 12 Fr. Gabriel addresses the Anam-chara tradition of spiritual friendship. View Attachment	20:44
Dec 21, 2011	Celtic Christianity: Part 11 Fr. Gabriel discusses John Scottus Eriugena, whom many consider the most brilliant philosopher and theologian of the West.	24:17
Dec 07, 2011	Celtic Christianity: Part 10 Fr. Gabriel discusses Pelagius and the Penitential tradition. View Attachment	32:57
Nov 22, 2011	Celtic Christianity: Part 9 Fr. Gabriel continues a two-part discussion of Celtic monasticism and book production. View Attachment	30:54
Nov 09, 2011	Celtic Christianity: Part 8 Fr. Gabriel begins a two-part discussion of Celtic monasticism and book production. View Attachment	27:35
Oct 28, 2011	Celtic Christianity: Part 7 Fr. Gabriel discusses Saints Brigid of Kildare, Ita of Killeedy, and Hilda of Whitby.	21:55
Oct 12, 2011	Celtic Christianity: Part 6 Fr. Gabriel discusses the lives and ministries of Saints Aidan and Cuthbert.	24:21
Sep 28, 2011	Celtic Christianity: Part 5 Fr. Gabriel introduces us to "the Dove of the Church" St. Columba, the inspiration for the great Book of Kells, that masterpiece of the Celtic calligraphic tradition.	26:57
Sep 14, 2011	Celtic Christianity: Part 4 Fr. Gabriel backs up a little bit to talk about Celtic culture as a whole.	25:11
Aug 30, 2011	Celtic Christianity: Part 3 Fr. Gabriel shares one of his favorite Celtic hymns, "The Breastplate of St. Patrick," and then discusses several Celtic saints. (Click on the small Adobe icon to see the attached bibliography of resources on Celtic Christianity.) View Attachment	25:38
Aug 18, 2011	Celtic Christianity: Part 2 Fr. Gabriel demonstrates how monasticism, particularly that of the "pilgrim" variety, was at the heart of Celtic Christianity.	19:04
Aug 03, 2011	Celtic Christianity: Part 1 Fr. Gabriel introduces his new series on Celtic Christianity and shares three prayers from the Celtic tradition.	22:30
Jul 18, 2011	Personal Retreat Fr. Gabriel reflects on the concept of Poustinia as described in the writings of Catherine Doherty, founder of Madonna House.	23:27
Jun 27, 2011	And Now a Word from Our Sponsor Fr. Gabriel gives us an update on the progress and growth of St. Anthony of the Desert Orthodox Mission in Las Cruces, New Mexico.	20:57
Jun 13, 2011	The Meaning of the Resurrection: Part 2 Fr. Gabriel explains how a unity of soul and body is one of the ways that we can experience resurrection in this life.	22:36
May 31, 2011	The Meaning of the Resurrection Frt. Gabriel asks, "Could it be that you have placed the Resurrection of Christ in the past?"	15:15
May 16, 2011	Spirit and Form: Part 2 Fr. Gabriel asks the question, "How do we maintain a balance between spirit and form in the Church?"	16:25
May 03, 2011	Spirit and Form Fr. Gabriel meditates on the perennial problem of spirit versus form in the church.	22:17
Apr 11, 2011	The Noetic Altar Fr. Gabriel discusses the first petition of the prayer after the anaphora and before the Lord's Prayer in the Divine Liturgy.	12:33
Mar 30, 2011	Power, Authority, and Leadership in the Early Church Where was authority in the early Church, and what does it mean for us today? Fr. Gabriel answers these questions and more on a new Musings from the High Desert.	17:25
Mar 14, 2011	Religion and the Epistle of St. James According to St. James, religion consists of caring for the misfortunate and training ourselves to edify and maintain the Christian life.	16:39
Feb 28, 2011	Two Shifts in the American Religious Scene On a new Musings from the High Desert, Fr. Gabriel Rochelle shares his understanding of where we are in American Christianity at the start of 2011.	25:21
Feb 14, 2011	Sin and Grace/East and West Fr. Gabriel describes the difference in understanding between the Christian East and the Christian West when it comes to the Incarnation, sin, grace, and redemption.	17:03
Feb 02, 2011	Anger Fr. Gabriel reminds us that, in the words of St. Theophan the Recluse, "irascibility is extinguished like a spark by surrendering to God's will."	15:54
Jan 17, 2011	The Disintegration of Western Theology A recent discussion with a friend causes Fr. Gabriel to reflect on the pervasiveness of Western thought.	15:01
Jan 03, 2011	Beginning Again with Prayer A fall cycling trip reminds Fr. Gabriel that we are always just beginning to pray.	14:51