Mysterion Words Homiletical and Poetical, Reflective and Narrative

Start date: July 2011 1191 minutes, 47 seconds in 80 episodes

Join Fr. Richard Rene for words homiletical and poetical, reflective and narrative. Come and explore the challenges of the spiritual life at the intersection of the eternal Gospel and the 21st century.

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Episodes

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Date	Title & Description	Duration
Jun 19, 2013	Go In and Be Still Fr. Richard answers two questions: How do we realize God's closeness to us, and how do we proclaim it? Click to play	22:54
Jun 13, 2013	God Has Never Been Closer Fr. Richard reminds us that after Christ ascended into heaven, he grew closer to us than ever. Click to play	09:55
Jun 05, 2013	The Myrhh-Bearing Women and the Redemption of the Past Fr. Richard explains why the Myrrh-Bearing Women came to the tomb. Click to play	17:26
May 29, 2013	St. Thomas and the Wounds Fr. Richard explains that it by following St. Thomas's example that we can break through the "business as usual" that follows Lent and Pascha. Click to play	17:36
May 22, 2013	Overcoming Lust Fr. Richard explains what lust actually is and how to overcome it. Click to play	07:32
May 15, 2013	The Topsy Turvy Ladder Fr. Richard reminds us that we must go down to go up St. John's Ladder of Divine Ascent. Click to play	16:38
May 08, 2013	Overcoming Fear Fr. Richard explains that the antidote to fear is surrender. Click to play	08:42
May 01, 2013	People of the Cross Fr. Richard reminds us that if we're going to be people of the Cross, then we need to accept our subjugation and suffering. Click to play	20:14
Apr 24, 2013	The Outer Journey and the Inner Journey Fr. Richard explains how we can encounter and know the energies of the living God. Click to play	15:46
Apr 17, 2013	Let Us Disappear Fr. Richard explains that the way for us to demonstrate the submission of the Theotokos is by trying to disappear.	08:47
Apr 10, 2013	The Triumph of the Personal Fr. Richard explains what it is about icons that is crucial and essential to being an Orthodox Christian.	18:48
Apr 03, 2013	Overcoming Resentment: Part Two Fr. Richard explains how to overcome resentment.	09:02
Mar 27, 2013	Overcoming Resentment: Part One Fr. Richard examines the various ironies of resentment.	09:06
Feb 06, 2013	Meeting Salvation What is the reason for Simeon's song? Fr. Richard explains.	10:53
Jan 30, 2013	Take Off the Costume Fr. Richard discusses the central question of ethics: Why should we behave well?	20:29
Jan 04, 2013	Little Christs or Little Herods? Fr. Richard uses Herod's massacre of the innocents in the Gospel of Matthew to help us understand the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.	09:33
Dec 20, 2012	Persons with People Fr. Richard explores the significance of genealogies.	09:24
Dec 12, 2012	Mattie Stepanek and the Voice of Hope Fr. Richard reflects on the life of Mattie Stepanek, a boy who died of a rare form of muscular dystrophy in 2004.	06:14
Dec 05, 2012	Think of It Fr. Richard maintains that Jesus calls us to be compassionate through the use of our imaginations.	16:34
Nov 23, 2012	Expanding the Temple Fr. Richard describes how the Theotokos took over the Jewish temple and absorbed it into herself.	09:47
Nov 16, 2012	Lift Up the Darkness Why does God allow rough storms to buffet us? Fr. Richard encourages us to look for responses to this question rather than answers.	20:25
Oct 31, 2012	What’s the High Score? Fr. Richard explains what St. Paul ultimately means when he sets into opposition the "works of the law" and "faith in Christ."	20:54
Oct 24, 2012	A Third Way of Reading the Bible Fr. Richard explains the prophetic method of scriptural exegesis.	06:35
Oct 17, 2012	Sowing Seed in the Human Heart Fr. Richard reflects on the parable of the sower by asking three questions: Who is the Lord speaking to? What does He promise us? And what is our challenge?	14:48
Sep 19, 2012	Two Visions of Community Fr. Richard explains that because of the Cross, death can no longer become the foundation of community.	07:42
Aug 22, 2012	Look to the Hands of Our Master Fr. Richard explains how the Theotokos managed to give over her soul with peace and joy.	09:37
Aug 15, 2012	The Beautiful Gesture Fr. Richard explains why the Transfiguration was necessary.	08:03
Aug 08, 2012	Lord of the Storms Fr. Richard reminds us that the law is no longer enough to ward off the primeval forces of chaos.	16:55
Jul 25, 2012	The Golden Gate Solution Fr. Richard contends that when life becomes a struggle we too easily look to other places, people, and circumstances for relief.	06:23
Jul 18, 2012	Why I Love Orthodoxy (In Spite of Everything) Why should you continue to love the Orthodox Church despite controversy and scandal? Fr. Richard finds his answer in the faith of the people who carried the paralytic to Christ.	17:38
Jun 29, 2012	Deliver Your Pizza and Go Home Fr. Richard reminds us that the most significant thing that we can say about saints Peter and Paul is that they were apostles.	14:41
Jun 20, 2012	Does God Have a Plan for Your Life? Fr. Richard explains that everything there is to be known of God's will for our lives is completely accessible and knowable in our personal encounter with the Son of God.	06:47
Jun 13, 2012	Authority is Not a Four-Letter Word Fr. Richard explains that authority is an essential part of what makes loving service to others real.	04:53
Jun 07, 2012	Breathing the Breath of God Fr. Richard explains that Pentecost was necessary because human beings need to not just observe the law—not just see it written down—but also to breathe it. In short, the first Christians needed God's breath within them.	16:55
Jun 06, 2012	Marriage: Investment, Covenant, or Sacrament? Fr. Richard contends that the predominance of social utilitarianism is responsible for the deterioration of the institution of marriage.	07:49
May 30, 2012	God’s Prize Fr. Richard argues that the Ascension is not so much about abandonment and departure as it is about rescue and return.	18:18
May 23, 2012	Seeing Reality (with a Capital R) Fr. Richard explains that the blind man Jesus healed did not just go from physical blindness to physical sight, but also from spiritual blindness to spiritual sight.	23:37
May 16, 2012	The Ministry of Suffering Fr. Richard explains that chronic pain and illness are not a detour from real life, but rather the very path that leads to real life.	05:36
May 09, 2012	Radical Attendance Fr. Richard explains why the myrrh-bearing women returned to the womb and what it means for the Christian life.	18:31
May 02, 2012	The Wounded Healer Fr. Richard examines what it means to be a living testimonial of Christ.	22:56
Apr 25, 2012	The Seven Habits of Real Human Beings, Part Seven: Struggle Daily to Rest Eternally Fr. Richard examines the seventh day of creation and what it teaches us about rest.	17:45
Apr 18, 2012	The Seven Habits of Real Human Beings, Part Six: Offer Your World As Praise Fr. Richard examines the work that God did on the sixth day of creation and finds that the fundamental purpose of human beings is voicing praise.	20:32
Apr 11, 2012	The Seven Habits of Real Human Beings, Part Five: Be Fruitful in Silence and Multiply in Generosity Fr. Richard examines the work that God did on the fifth day of creation and what it teaches us about making Christ present in each and every moment of our lives.	23:10
Apr 04, 2012	The Seven Habits of Real Human Beings, Part Four: Live in the Intervals Fr. Richard examines the work that God did on the fourth day of creation and what it teaches us about living in the moment.	19:39
Mar 28, 2012	The Seven Habits of Real Human Beings, Part Three: Live According to Specifications Fr. Richard examines the work that God did on the third day of creation and what it teaches us about the habits of genuine humanity.	17:11
Mar 21, 2012	The Seven Habits of Real Human Beings, Part Two: Make a Sacred Space Fr. Richard examines the second day of creation and what it tells us about humanity, even as we anticipate the ultimate revelation and perfection of humanity at the Pascha of our Lord Jesus Christ.	14:03
Mar 14, 2012	The Seven Habits of Real Human Beings, Part One: Begin Where You Are By reading the Book of Genesis during Great Lent, the Church reminds us that the forty days are a time in which we can allow ourselves to be created as real human beings. Fr. Richard begins to look at each of the seven days of creation to discover what they teach us about Christ as the ultimate"'real human being" who we can strive to imitate in the time leading up to Pascha.	17:33
Mar 07, 2012	Surprise Judgments Ahead; Expect Anything! Fr. Richard explains that the reason we will be surprised by God's judgment is because we have already judged ourselves.	18:59
Feb 29, 2012	How to Make a Full Disclosure Fr. Richard concludes his series on repentance with a discussion of the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee.	15:34
Feb 22, 2012	Disclose and Dispose Fr. Richard discusses the history of repentance in the Church to demonstrate how we are to practice repentance in our lives.	18:51
Feb 15, 2012	What Happens in Vegas . . . Fr. Richard explains how we are to practice repentance.	18:36
Feb 08, 2012	Look Up and See Your Maker Fr. Richard begins a new series of homilies on repentance.	14:21
Feb 01, 2012	Faith from the Inside Out Our faith cannot be imposed from the outside in. In this week's episode, Fr. Richard speaks of how an authentic Christian life can be grown from the inside out.	16:41
Jan 25, 2012	Christians Are Not Respectable Fr. Richard speaks on the Samaritan leper and the Christian vocation to radical devotion.	18:24
Jan 18, 2012	Spiritual Awakening Fr. Richard explores the three phases of the process of awakening to what Christ has done for us.	18:29
Jan 11, 2012	Occupy Your Heart Fr. Richard argues that before we can successfully occupy New York, Vancouver, or anywhere else, we need to first occupy our own hearts.	11:52
Jan 04, 2012	Living as the Family of God Fr. Richard explores the two primary challenges of living as the family of God.	17:47
Dec 31, 2011	Suffering Is a Secret; Suffering Is a Gift Why do the innocent suffer? Fr. Richard answers this troubling spiritual question.	18:31
Dec 21, 2011	The Anatomy of Fear Fr. Richard defines "fear" as the refusal to look at ourselves honestly—to fail to take responsibility for who we really are.	05:51
Dec 14, 2011	Living the Same Way on the Inside as on the Outside Fr. Richard explains how to be a transparent community.	19:44
Dec 07, 2011	You Are Already Naked Fr. Richard discusses our spiritual transparency before God.	17:37
Nov 30, 2011	The Two Nation Way Fr. Richard explains that the world cannot be divided into nations; rather, we all share a radical equality of failure.	16:46
Nov 22, 2011	No One Is a Demon Fr. Richard preaches on the Gerasine Demoniac.	17:59
Nov 16, 2011	Christianity and Patriotism On behalf of the Ministerial Association of Cranbrook, British Columbia, Fr. Richard offers a Christian response to the topic statement of this year's Interfaith Symposium: "Love of Country Is Part of My Faith."	17:02
Nov 09, 2011	Benign Cells in the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12-14) What are spiritual gifts and how are they to be used? Fr. Richard answers both questions.	20:38
Nov 02, 2011	The Maverick Mentality and Discerning the Body (I Corinthians 11) Fr. Richard addresses how to preserve the life of the Church free from worldly influences.	17:13
Oct 26, 2011	For the Good of the Weak (I Corinthians 8-10) Fr. Richard argues that using our freedom in such a way that causes other people to stumble is completely inconsistent with a Christian vocation.	16:48
Oct 19, 2011	Introduction to Mysterion Fr. Richard introduces us to the world of Mysterion where his young adult fantasy series takes place. The newest book in the series, The Edge of Mysterion, was just published by Conciliar Press.	05:43
Oct 12, 2011	Is It Helpful? (I Corinthians 7) Fr. Richard explains how to maintain our holiness in the midst of the world without succumbing to the temptation to escape the world.	18:47
Oct 05, 2011	Drawing the Line Between the Church and the World (1 Corinthians 5-6) Fr. Richard explains the distinction between being in the world and being of the world.	21:22
Sep 28, 2011	Dormition and the Good Death Fr. Richard explains that the Dormition of the Theotokos teaches us how disciples of Jesus Christ are called to die.	12:05
Sep 21, 2011	The Third Day After September 11th Fr. Richard argues that since the Cross, we can no longer use violence to bind up our society—to unite against others, no matter how hard we try.	12:24
Sep 14, 2011	Water Poems In addition to serving as a priest, Fr. Richard is a writer of fiction and poetry. His young adult science-fiction book Mysterion will soon be published by Conciliar Press, and here he reads a work titled "Water Poems."	05:53
Sep 07, 2011	Of Personal Branding and Identity in Christ (I Corinthians 1) Fr. Richard argues that when we promote our personal brand, we're just carrying the factionalism of the Corinthians to its most selfish, individualistic, and atomized end.	24:25
Aug 30, 2011	More on Dispassion Fr. Richard explains that "suffering" is slavery to something outside ourselves, and that "dispassion" is a lack of suffering—the quality of not being enslaved to external impulses.	09:20
Aug 24, 2011	The Principle of Dispassion Fr. Richard explains that when an ordinary human being is deluded into thinking that he possesses the personal power to singlehandedly redeem another person, something has gone terribly wrong.	07:32
Aug 17, 2011	The Saints as Peacemakers Fr. Richard explains that when Jesus talks about Peace, he's not talking about pacifism, but rather about whether we are confident that we belong to and with the Father.	22:50
Aug 09, 2011	Panentheism As Orthodox Christians, we are neither pantheists nor theists, but rather panentheists. Fr. Richard explains.	10:17
Aug 02, 2011	The True Meaning of Freedom Fr. Richard compares the concept of freedom according to culture with the concept of freedom according to Christ.	16:31
Jul 22, 2011	All Saints Sunday On this inaugural episode of Mysterion, Fr. Richard Rene of St. Aidan Orthodox Church in Cranbrook, British Columbia, shares his homily from the Sunday of All Saints.	22:39