Orthodox Reflections

The dignity of each person is found in their image and likeness of God.2 Man is not one in nature with the Holy Trinity but was made in the image, according to the likeness of the Holy Trinity. The three ‘Persons’ of the Holy Trinity inter-commune with one another in perfect Love and Humility. Because a single unit is egocentric and incapable of love, God created Man – the human being – as two persons (a male plus a female) with the intention that love should reign among people. And because the love in a dyad is not yet the perfection of love, for the one may dominate the other, God commands, ‘Be fruitful and multiply’’(Gen.1:28). From two human beings the third, their child, a triad is formed. This triad is the minimum number needed for the virtuous perfection of a community, which is intended to operate and cooperate like the three ‘Persons’ of the Holy Trinity, in perfect Love and Humility.5

The mystery of the Holy Trinity is also reflected in the conciliar or synodical governance of the Orthodox Church which began with the Apostolic Synod in Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-21). As the Apostles had first done, when all Orthodox Bishops (and clergy) prayerfully govern together in godly humility and love, relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit with obedience to Christ, the whole Church stays on course, aligning herself “as one mouth and one voice” to proclaim the “unity of the faith.” This does not mean submitting to a single pope or heretical bishop, but to the will of God. Throughout history, the Orthodox Church has navigated through many storms, dogmatically staying on course, because of her adherence to the synodical system, which is part of Holy Tradition. If the Church is the Body of Christ with Christ as the Head (this is the Orthodox definition of Church), then there must be a decentralization of power within the Body, or the Church on earth. This contrasts with the Western Papal System which broke with Holy Tradition, giving all authority and supremacy to one man, the Pope. https://orthodoxreflections.com/part-ii-of-the-western-series-true-love-makes-truly-human/

So President Trump screwing his base is not new. It really is just politics as usual. I know that his praising Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, while doing a $70 Billion deal, upset a lot of people who expected more out of Trump. The “landmark agreement” gives Pfizer the cover to expand its failed mRNA platform. Pfizer bragged about the agreement, “With this agreement in place, Pfizer can fully focus on delivering the next generation of cures… in areas like oncology, obesity, vaccines, and inflammation and immunology.” In exchange for a murderous, debilitating, and useless COVID vaccine, Pfizer gets a boatload of money and high praise for saving “millions of lives.” https://orthodoxreflections.com/trump-jabs-maga-in-the-face-with-mrna/

Saint Abanoub is a Child Martyr who was martyred in the year 304 A.D. and is a Saint of the Universal Undivided Church. Even though he is not currently in any calendar of any of the EO (Eastern Orthodox) Patriarchates this doesn’t matter as he was martyred for the Faith before any Schism. The Egyptian Church (the Patriarchate of Alexandria) venerated him before the schism at Chalcedon. So he was venerated by the Coptic Church (he still is to this day) before the Schism of 451 A.D., when they were still in communion with us.

He is, therefore, an Orthodox Saint. He should be venerated and prayed to. And iconographers should paint Byzantine icons of this powerful Saint! – Maxim https://orthodoxreflections.com/akathist-to-the-great-martyr-saint-abanoub-the-holy-child/

"To him who was born of the womb of the barren woman, who then bore the coveted fruits of faith and served God with humility and obedience, we lift up words of praise to Saint Samuel the Prophet. And you, Holy Saint, the child promised to the Lord, who grew up like a blessed vine, nourished by the grapes of holy words, pray for us to God, for we cry out to you: Rejoice, Holy Prophet Samuel, interceding for us with God for the gift of the word and the power of prayer!" https://orthodoxreflections.com/akathist-to-saint-prophet-samuel/

We were curious what would be on offer at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday (21 Sept.): an extravagant MAGA promotion or an attempt to honor and exalt Christ. It was both.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/charlie-kirk-memorial-offers-the-u-s-a-choice-americanism-or-christianity/

Abraham is not the forefather of Rabbinic Jews. He is the Father of all Christians, as he believed in the True God.

"Holy Abraham, our father according to the flesh through Isaac, the son of promise whom you gave up to death in order to obey the voice of God and who, being saved by the Our Lord Christ himself in the form of an angel, became the father of the Christian race, we cry out to you and pray to you: intercede with your God and ours to be merciful to us, to gently correct our falls, to lift us up strongly from despair, to embrace us in His Fatherly Arms, and to give us the grace of faith.

Becoming children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, we praise the Great One among the Saints, the Son of God, and we pray to you, Holy Abraham, who are the father of all who believe in the True God."

https://orthodoxreflections.com/akathist-to-saint-and-righteous-patriarch-abraham-from-the-old-testament/

An effective 911 response to an active shooting is going to take multiple minutes to arrive. Sometimes as many as 10 minutes or more. Those are horrifying minutes in which innocent people are being killed and injured. FBI statistics indicate that most active shooting incidents last around 5 minutes, meaning that most are concluded before the local police even arrive. A determined psychopath can do a lot of damage in 5 minutes.

There is a huge lesson Christian men need to learn from the two Michigan active shooter incidents. You must be prepared to defend your own parish. The resources needed to stop an active shooter need to already be at the parish, not on their way following frantic 911 calls. You need armed men guarding the inside and outside of your parish during worship. They can double as greeters, while keeping watch to ensure everyone’s safety. https://orthodoxreflections.com/christian-men-you-must-defend-your-own-churches/

Let us sing words of praise with faith to God’s chosen creation, Adam, our first ancestor, together with Eve, who was created from his rib. Even though they fell from Paradise, through the work of the New Adam and the second Eve who came into the world, they received salvation and were lifted up to Heaven. First created Adam and Eve, pray for us your children who cry out to you: Rejoice, Adam and Eve, crown of Creation and beauty of the universe!

https://orthodoxreflections.com/akathist-to-our-forefathers-adam-and-eve/

First of an 11 part series about Orthodoxy for Western Christians. This part contrasts Eastern from Western approaches to Wisdom, knowing Christ and the resulting difference in mindset and beliefs. Ancient Christianity did not change the world because of its great thinkers, philosophers or scientists. It changed the world because of those who were fundamentally changed at their core by the crucified Christ when they tried to personally know God, not according to their own understanding, but according to the Truths that HE revealed. Knowledge of Christ and His teachings was an important entryway into the Christian faith, but it was the mystical experience of His presence in the hearts of men and women, that unified them into one Church and the Body of Christ.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/part-i-of-the-western-series-approach-to-wisdom/

The responses to Charlie Kirk’s murder have so far been very visceral. We wanted to step away from that and take a more dispassionate look at what Mr Kirk’s death means.

The eulogies and encomiums for Charlie Kirk are multiplying as the multitudes of people whom he touched come to terms with his death. There are some recurring themes in them – of Mr Kirk as a happy, Christian warrior advocating for a renewal of America; as a husband and father; and so on.

One of the most striking recurrences is the proclamation that Mr Kirk is a martyr.
https://orthodoxreflections.com/what-did-charlie-kirk-die-for/

The murder of Charlie Kirk on 9/10/2025 was an horrific, monstrous, and malicious act. At only 31 and the father of small children, Kirk’s life was cut entirely too short. His mortal life has ended. However, the battle over his complex, multi-faceted legacy has only just begun. Let’s look at that legacy from three sides – effective Christian evangelism, Zionism, and freedom.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/the-battle-over-the-legacy-of-charlie-kirk/

This Akathist was recently translated into English by Maxim, who kindly asks all Orthodox Christians to keep him in their prayers for his repentance and same for his grandfather who is gravely ill. To be prayed continually for someone or for yourself in order to obtain repentance and conversion to Christ before you or that person dies. Also to be prayed for souls who departed this world without being part of Christ’s True Church or people who died without repentance in sins so that they may eventually be spared from Hell. https://orthodoxreflections.com/akathist-to-saint-dismas-the-good-thief-on-the-cross/

This Akathist was recently translated into English by Maxim, who kindly asks all Orthodox Christians to keep him in their prayers for his repentance and same for his grandfather who is gravely ill. To be prayed continually for someone or for yourself in order to obtain repentance and conversion to Christ before you or that person dies. Also to be prayed for souls who departed this world without being part of Christ’s True Church or people who died without repentance in sins so that they may eventually be spared from Hell. https://orthodoxreflections.com/akathist-to-saint-dismas-the-good-thief-on-the-cross/

Francis is one of the few figures in the post-Orthodox West that bears even a slight resemblance to humanity’s first parents before the Fall or to the many Orthodox saints throughout Church history who have regained the ‘fragrance of Paradise’ and have lived in peace with wild animals and compassionately towards other men and women. Thus, they cling to Francis as their last living memory of such times and people. But they needn’t do that. All that is necessary is for them to step back into the Orthodox world where we often refresh ourselves with the lives of Saints of this kind, and where also these things are still an ongoing reality.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/the-true-spirit-of-francis-of-assisi/

Zen could be understood as a more refined version of Buddhism in the sense that if you burn away all the excess, Zen is what remains. Zen has no religious doctrines, but it does not deny that these exist either. It doesn’t seem to have the iconic Buddhist teachings of karma, reincarnation and nirvana, at least not with the clarity that these appear in other Oriental systems. Zen goes beyond logic and outside of logic. The only thing that Zen teaches is how to teach yourself. It transcends doctrines so that the category of doctrine is irrelevant.
https://orthodoxreflections.com/can-zen-buddhism-fit-within-orthodox-christianity-a-research-project/

In Christianity, to become a martyr is one of the highest achievements possible. However, in Mr Kirk’s case something other than Christian martyrdom seems to be at work. https://orthodoxreflections.com/what-did-charlie-kirk-die-for/

Kirk changed lives, and our national discourse, because in a sincere and authentic way, he put Christ at the center of his mission to the youth. That differentiated his organization, Turning Point USA, from all the others which have failed to gain any traction. Kirk’s replacement is quite likely to be a more standard political operator. If so, Turning Point is likely to become as relevant to the national discourse as the College Republicans. Which is to say, totally irrelevant. Politics do not save.

For effective evangelism, Kirk’s legacy looms large. He proved that young people are hungry for Christ, often without even realizing it, and that change is possible for any of these young people. Former gay, trans, and radical students have testified that Kirk’s encouragement led them seek out Christ, thus transforming their lives forever. The Orthodox Church, though already succeeding in evangelism to a degree in our post-Christian society, needs to take a page from the Charlie Kirk playbook to really reach the youth. We need to go out and meet them where they are, in person, with love and compassion. When it comes to outreach for Christ, we all need to be Charlie Kirk.
https://orthodoxreflections.com/the-battle-over-the-legacy-of-charlie-kirk/

In a recent post, OR staff mentioned that more resources for Orthodox military personnel were on the way. Today we are thrilled to bring attention to three of them - War Priest podcast, Faithful Centurion Website, and a new military chapel.
https://orthodoxreflections.com/orthodox-resources-for-the-military-war-priest-podcast-and-the-faithful-centurion/

The Roman Catholic Church has an understandable allure, as Mr Dreher points out: It retains many external rites that seem to point to its possession of a deep, venerable tradition that can impart stability to individuals, families, and whole societies. It is a deception.

We will dispense with the usual rationalistic arguments, however. For those who want a tête-à-tête
argument about the fundamental differences between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, we would direct folks to the recent debate between Jay Dyer and Tim Gordon.

We want to focus instead mainly on the arts and the saints of the two confessions. Roman Catholicism claims to be the straight plumb line, the measuring rod, against which all other religions must be tested. But there is something disconcerting about, something disturbingly bent and distorted within, Roman Catholic faith and practice, and this manifests in the aforementioned arts and saints.
https://orthodoxreflections.com/roman-catholicism-and-hopes-for-western-renewal/

The more Muslims learn about Islam, the less they want to be Muslim. It takes very little research to discover that the Standard Islamic Narrative of history (Muhammad’s biography, the hadiths or sayings of Muhammad, the commentaries surrounding the Koran, and the histories surrounding Muhammad and the Koran) is complete fiction. A complete fiction that Muslim imams and scholars are no longer able to hide from the average Muslim through lies, intimidation, and restricting access to Islamic texts.

The Koran is taught by Islamic scholars to be the literal word of God (Allah), revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. The Koran is said to be a perfect book, preserved without change throughout all ages. As most Muslims don’t read classical Arabic, historically they have had to take the imams’ word for all this. Imagine their reaction when they encounter readable translations online, only to discover that the Koran is a mess. It has been through multiple revisions. The book is boring, disorganized, and about 1/5th of the Koranic text is just plain incomprehensible. Koranic verses also contradict each other. Which one would expect as Islam began as a Christological heresy, but then needed to distance itself later in the history of the Arab Empire from the Christian faith of most of its subjects. To do otherwise risked assimilation. The Koran includes Pagan fables, superstition, and outright scientific inaccuracies. These are all things Islamic authorities have gone to great lengths historically to cover up, but the truth is now accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.

Muslims online also end up coming face-to-face with the shortcomings of Muhammad, the so-called final prophet of God. Some modern scholars have amassed impressive evidence that Muhammed did not exist at all, most likely being a composite figure created during the early stages of the Arab Empire (with embellishments added during the Ottoman Empire) to legitimize the developing Islamic faith. Also to support whatever it was the rulers, at the times of the various Koranic revisions, wished to emphasize or suppress. Even if Muhammad did exist, what Muslims learn about Muhammad is absolutely shocking to them after exposure to Western, Christian-based moral codes. Marrying a six year old, committing mass murder, meeting naked men in the desert to be ‘mounted’ by them‘, incorporating pre-existing Arab pagan practices with almost no change into Islam, changing his ‘revelations’ for his own convenience (or the convenience of Muslim rulers revising the text), lying, cheating – these are all just a few of Muhammad’s immoral activities. The more Western-influenced Muslims know, the less piously Muslim they become. https://orthodoxreflections.com/no-crusade-needed-time-to-help-islam-die-already/