Orthodoxy Live August 9, 2026

This is Orthodoxy Live with Father Evan Armitage, a live interactive call-in program where your questions about the Orthodox faith are addressed. Father Evan is the priest at St. Spirit and Greek Orthodox Church in Loveland, Colorado. Call in your question at 1-855-AF radio. That's 1-855-237-2346. Here now is Father Evan. Well good evening and welcome to Orthodoxy Live, your live call-in show about the Orthodox faith or teachings and traditions. I'm your host Father Evan and we're streaming to live here on ancient faith radio. I'm glad that you are with us. We look forward to hearing from you tonight by calling in and reaching us at 1-855-AF radio. That's 1-855-237-2346. I hope you have a chance tonight as we open up the program with open lines to dial in. Love hearing from you and speaking with you on air. If you are unable to call us but you are streaming and you'd like to ask your question in the chat box. If you're watching us here on YouTube or Facebook you can just put your question in the chat room and our producer Mike will get those over to me. If you've emailed me in the past you can still do that at Orthodoxy Live at ancientfaith.com and you can record a question while we're off air or email me off air with your question. If you're going to record a question just go to ancientfaith.com radio find Orthodoxy Live and use the microphone button to record a question for me for you to set a program in the future. Of course always love hearing from you. The number again is 1-855-AF radio 1-855-237-2346. Listening again to this program or any past episodes of Orthodoxy Live is pretty easy. If you have a the Orthodoxy Live app or if you've got or sorry podcast or if you've got the ancientfaith radio app you just can tune into any program that we have recorded going back almost 14 years which will happen here this fall. Thanks for tuning in and for supporting ancientfaith ministries. I was thinking about this just today so in November on the 14th of November the parish that I serve will hit its 25th year it's it's rather a young parish. I arrived five years into that journey and showed up and have been at the parish for approximately 20 years and we're going to celebrate our 25th anniversary likewise the first program of Orthodoxy Live aired in November so I kind of hit two anniversaries each year both the number of years I've been in my parish and then of course the number of years I've been on air here at ancientfaith radio. A couple of other things just to note this past week on Thursday we celebrated the feast of the transfiguration as we do every year it's a fixed feast and there's always a period of time after any great feast of the church that we in a sense continue in the feast and that is exactly what is going on. We are just coming out of the feast and so you may hear in the hymns and also in the dismissal prayer said by the priest that there's still a mentioning of the feast itself which happens for several days after the feast. Coming up this Saturday we'll commemorate another great feast of the church the falling asleep of the Virgin Mary and so anyway thanks for tuning in tonight again you'll listen to Orthodoxy Live it's August 9th, 2026 and we're streaming to you live here on ancientfaith radio. Looks like there's a number of you have already messaged us with questions and I do have a couple left over questions from last week that I wanted to get to. The first is a question on Daniel 2 and Kitty last week wrote in to ask is specifically Daniel chapter 2 verses 33 and 35 about Rome and here I'm assuming by referencing Rome she means you know the Roman Catholic Church and perhaps even the papacy. You know I don't think that that's fair or a correct way to look at Daniel 2. You know primarily the theme in Daniel chapter 2 is you know God's sovereignty you know over let's say earthly kingdoms and human history right that's that's the way we we we think about that and and what we could say is that you know there's this comparison and contrast between you know sort of temporal kingdoms and the eternal kingdom you know wisdom of humans and wisdom of God I don't think Daniel when that book was written and those events occurred and that revelation happened that what was in view there was the Roman Catholic Church of course I just I don't think that fits but thanks for the question um in addition we also received a question about uh and in some ways maybe these are related someone named Patrick wrote in to say you know I have an eight by ten print of the image of the shroud of Turin as a portrait of Christ I wanted to hang that next to my pando crater icon but would that be inappropriate a pando crater icon is an icon of Christ as the Almighty and so for those of you who have not seen that icon before you can go on to google images and you can type in icon of pando crater p a n t o k r a t o r that's just the phonetic way of of saying the Greek Almighty or you can look it up under Almighty and this is typically the icon that is displayed inside a North Park church in the center dome right where the the if you will the north and south and the east west uh transeps hit right right in the center there typically that icon is displayed um you know as far as you know that question goes uh it depends here you know are we displaying the shroud of Turin or the icon as sort of artwork if that's the case I would say any display there would be inappropriate right these are not pieces of art in the way that many of us think of them today these are sacred objects that we use within our prayer time and in a way to frame our prayer these are not things that the church looked at as sort of not only you know artwork but things that we would hang casually in our homes or hallways you know and such but rather they were used and are still used in the church uh within the framework of a Christian life so now as far as depicting you know or I shouldn't say depicting hanging religious artwork like perhaps the Shroud of Turin next to an Orthodox icon I don't think there's anything inherently inappropriate you know if one is using the Shroud of Turin as a way of directing themselves towards Christ uh except to say that you know this is not traditionally done so I don't know you know appropriate inappropriate I would just say that it's not typical uh and not found within the tradition of the church to hang those two pieces of artwork side by side right uh and that's why you know the artwork of the church is not up for personal taste or personal orientation or direction in fact the iconography of the church uh within the churches that even are here in America is really under the direction of the hierarchy you know and the bishops they approve or disapprove of the iconography that is hung in a church or painted in a church and its placement now when we go into our homes and we use them in our prayer corners icons there's a traditional way that those icons are hung uh and you can go online to find images of that but I would say you know basically within our home we probably would hang a cross in in the top center of the wall that that forms our prayer corner and then uh to the you know as you're looking at the cross to the right of the cross we would place the icon of Christ um and then to the left of the cross the icon of the Virgin Mary that is how we will see those icons depicted inside the church now if we don't put it cross in the middle we may hang right above that you know the icon of more spacious than the heavens or perhaps maybe the pondercroft or icon to the right of Christ would be the icon of st john and to the left of the Virgin would be an icon of let's say our patron saint or the patron saint of the parish that we attend that would be typically how we would arrange you know in the most basic sense you know icons in our home and in our prayer corner um so uh appreciate the question about that and uh I hope I've helped so let's see here again if you're listening to us uh here tonight if you're streaming you can type in your question in the chat box on youtube or you can call in at 1855 237 2346 okay so Lisa uh listening I think with us on youtube writes in Adam and Jesus both referred to themselves as flesh and bone Adam before the fall Jesus after the resurrection uh referring to his glorified flesh uh connections well I mean first of all the idea of flesh and bone is you know a description of real humanity you know we we used that today it was used back in the day you know to be of flesh and bone means that one is material you know not immaterial like the angelic host so you know I'm a human being I have flesh and bones uh Adam had the spirit uh of God breathed into him which animated the material and he himself is still human he's flesh and bones even though God breathed his life into him and he remains a human being uh no matter what right um at no point do we escape the reality uh that we are created and that we are human the separation of the soul uh of one's spirit soul from their body results in a corpse the corpse is still flesh and bone uh but it is not as God intended right and then at the general resurrection the the soul and the body are reunited and one is a human being again uh if you have just a body you have a corpse if you have just the spirit you're the soul you have a spirit right and human beings are that unique combination of both now Christ's incarnation is the same uh we say that Christ had a human soul right uh he is a human being but he is also God and he united uh as we say theanthropos the god man uh a unique reality in the history of the universe the second person of the trinity took on flesh and became flesh and bones and when he returned from the dead there was of course the danger that someone would see Christ as a spirit right and he is in that post-resurrectional appearance and and the and the quotation flesh and bones you you know I you know spirit doesn't have flesh and bones as you see that I have that's I'm recalling the biblical text there that that mentions the resurrection and so you know Christ now eternally is still in the flesh right and his ascension you know solidifies the reality that a human body goes to be enthroned uh in the heavens right God enthroned has a has a human body and so you know the church constantly reflects on this mystery um and even would say uh display it in its art for example that's why we have icons because of the incarnation uh it's why if you if you see uh one of the great chandeliers it's known as a puliellios many mercies uh if you see one of those chandeliers in the center of a church at the bottom of the chandelier is the hand of Christ extending his blessing you know because there is a body in heaven right and so you know is there connection yeah because Christ is the new Adam you know he came to restore the fallen Adam he came to redirect the fallen Adam to its rightful place and he Christ has connected himself to the human race just as we are human and our flesh and bones so is Christ uh so there there is that deep connection there right um so thanks uh Lisa for that question um all right um uh it the the question that Lisa's asking goes on it is said that flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven so in the Eucharist I've heard it said that it's not the pre-crossed Jesus body and blood but his glorified body and blood but how can this be if his glorified human body is flesh and bone and not flesh and blood uh I'm confused but trying to understand uh yeah I think you've got yourself wrapped around the axle there uh look Christ who is fully human and fully God has entered the kingdom and he has opened up a pathway for all of humanity to enter into the kingdom right um so we need not concern ourselves that you know a human being can enter cannot enter into the kingdom no a human being can and has in Christ and you know he has trampled down death by death and bestowed life to those in the tombs and all the dead shall be raised in Christ those who are righteous into uh the eternal kingdom and those who are not righteous into uh eternal separation right and the kingdom is populated by by human beings right we we enter into the kingdom now when you're referring to the Eucharist the Eucharist is understood as the body and the blood of Christ uh and you're correct in in noting that in receiving the Eucharist it is not that we are receiving the dead Christ right the one who died upon the cross but we are receiving his resurrected body and blood now okay he's celebrated that Eucharist with his disciples prior to his crucifixion right that's clear in the synoptic gospels uh there is no accounting of the mystical supper often labeled in the west as the last supper uh we don't use that term in the orthodox church because it's not the last supper that we have with the Lord that supper continues as the Lord indicated in the gospel of Luke you know how he had longed to eat this supper with his disciples and how he would not eat it anew until he ate it with them in his father's kingdom so yes he celebrated the Eucharist prior to his crucifixion and shared his body and blood in the chalice and in the bread with his disciples and then after the resurrection he shares that Eucharist with them again most notably we see that in Luke chapter 24 and the clear understanding that the resurrected Lord is known to us in the Eucharist right that comes from that passage and certainly accompanied the understanding of the apostles and the apostolic church all the way from the time of the apostles to the state right when we receive the Eucharist we receive the risen Lord right the glorified Lord but as your previous question indicated it is still the Lord who rose from the dead and is flesh and bone right the the reality that Christ is glorified and resurrected does not discount or disconnect Christ from the reality of still being human right except now in the resurrected state the body doesn't see corruption right and it's in its rightful place okay I hope I'm helping hard hard to know exactly the direction that you're you're taking this Lisa because of the fact that I'm reading this in a text finally you say I always thought when Jesus said he would not leave us and would never leave us he meant that he would send the Holy Spirit to be in us and with us that's true yes he does indeed send the comforter the paraclete right so can you explain how Jesus is imparted to us in the Eucharist what and how is this different in purpose of what the Spirit of God dwelling on us does thank you well it's participation in the Christ in the in the risen Christ literally as as detailed in John 6 so I would say to you is to understand what it means is to read John 6 and clearly in John chapter 6 we see that the eating of his flesh and the drinking of his blood brings to us immortality right he eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me right that's that's something that's important there and I and him and I will raise him up on the last day so that is why the early church themelessly called it the medicine of immortality right and so yeah thanks for those questions right let's take a short break under a minute and we'll come right back with a phone call orthodoxy live with Father Evan will be back in a moment in the meantime lines are open at 1-855-AF radio that's 1-855-237-2346 hello this is Father Evan Armitas in my book toolkit for spiritual growth I covered three fundamentals of orthodox practice for those seeking to strengthen the foundations of their faith prayer almsgiving and fasting and the sequel volume toolkit for spiritual growth to I cover three more gain a better understanding of the sacrament of confession the importance of reading the bible and the importance of living in the present where the eternal touches ordinary time my books draw upon the wisdom of the old and new testaments the orthodox church the saints and years of pastoral experience they mix theology with practical advice and personal stories to teach you about spiritual tools that will help you heal and become truly human if you're seeking support living a transfigured life in Christ try toolkit for spiritual growth too available now at store.ancientfaith.com again that is store.ancientfaith.com Father Evan is ready for your call and our lines are open at 1-855-AF radio that's 1-855-237-2346 here once again is Father Evan well welcome back to the program you're listening to orthodoxy live thanks for joining us this evening if you'd like to speak with me you can dial in at 1-855-AF radio that's 1-855-237-2346 all right we're going to go out to the phones and take a call from Jeannie Jeannie welcome to the program thank you father where you calling from Jeannie well I'm from the Annunciation Cathedral in Baltimore Maryland oh no way okay so your former parish priest Father Constantine Morales is now the Metropolitan here Metropolitan Constantine oh okay so were you were you a prisoner of his yes for many many years we saw him grow up in our community from a little boy ah no way so you knew him as a boy then as a teenager college student seminary and then eventually as a parish priest and that's correct and Jeannie what's your last name if I get a chance to tell him that you called I'll share that with him saculose saculose okay yeah s a k a l os t s a k a l o s saculose Jeannie saculose I'll remember that well it's great to have you on the program thanks for calling thank you thank you um yeah what's on your mind well I've been studying the book of Job ah yes and I I have a question in chapter two from where it begins I'll give you the background before my question first of all it says that the angels of God came to present themselves before the Lord and the devil also came among them to present himself before the Lord so there was a dialogue between the Lord and the devil and the Lord asks the devil uh where have you come from and he says I'm walking around under heaven and going about all the earth and then the Lord said uh to the devil have you considered my servant Job since there is none like him on the earth and innocent true blameless and God-faring man and who abstains from every evil thing I was just wondering being the Lord has considered Job blameless and righteous why would he offer Job to the devil and well we know what uh to the extent of what the devil did yes yeah yeah so that was one question why did the Lord offer him or did the Lord know that the devil looked at Job anyway the other thing is the angels of God came to present themselves but also the devil came among them I'm imagining the angels are good angels yeah so yeah anyway that's it the latter question is the easier one so as we understand uh Satan uh was an archangel Lucifer and so he is now a fallen angel which we call a demon right so you know he presents himself amongst those righteous angels right still those in obedience to God right so that's an easier question to answer um but when it comes to this particular question with Job you know to be honest with you Job chapter two causes all sorts of consternation for Christians through the centuries you know uh it is a difficult passage to move through and to understand right and really at work here is trying to understand basically the the the sort of the mystery of divine providence right um because as you as you look at this you think oh my it looks like God's allowing Satan to manipulate him into harming Job doesn't it right yeah and and the interpretation that the church takes is is different right uh we say in a sense you know God uh does not quote unquote offer Job to Satan in the sense of abandoning him like here here he is do what you want with him uh but rather it's to establish that Satan has no independent authority over Job that's how the the church reads this you know in both the first chapter of Job and the second chapter of Job Satan can't do whatever he wa