Lord of Spirits - Purifications of the Law [Ep. 108]

[@EmbracingTradition100]

Loved this! So helpful! Thank you Fathers! ☺️

[@MihajloB]

Like always, excellent episode and great work Father's. Thank you. ☦️👍🇷🇸

[@ellemnop123]

One of your best episodes. Thank you!

[@setsappa1540]

Amazing, thank you both.

[@kevinfarrell9678]

I mean are you kidding me? Another a+ episode packed with meaning and love from two amazing Orthodox fathers thank you thank you thank you.

[@mikebaker2436]

I was once able to get a Spam T-shirt from all of my proofs of purchase.

[@erykpaulmahaaruna1200]

I saw a video of the alligators keeping their snouts above frozen water

[@BenClemens-ok9fp]

How about the ultimate mikveh, the lake of fire?

[@ellemnop123]

Thank you again for this excellent episode. It’s clear that both priests were trying to be diplomatic and reassuring while addressing some very “hot” issues within the church, topics of conversation that don’t have clear answers. When approaching the topic of purity, I think we first need to address the topic of frequency of communion. Is frequent communion always better? For those of us who cannot commune as frequently due to purity laws (menstruation), there needs to be a clear statement regarding the inherent worth of an individual if s/he is not permitted to commune as frequently as others. In many communities, the unspoken assumption is that those who commune more frequently are holier, as the general teaching is that the body and blood of Christ always purifies and sanctifies. Then there is the question posed by Saint Paul; essentially, which communities are bound by Jewish purity laws? We can look at this in a modern context with leprosy, for instance. Many community members suffer from severe skin conditions affecting their faces, chests, and backs. Do these boils and pustules - which could be anything from syphilis to acne - prevent someone from approaching the chalice? Never once, in my observation. We can look at continuous practices. The hand of St Elizabeth the New Martyr traveled to my community. We all venerated her relics during the evening Vigil and then again in the morning before partaking of the Gifts. Do we observe old Jewish purity laws regarding contact with the deceased? No, of course not; Christ has conquered death. We can speculate about the theology of the “incorruption” of the Theotokos during her birthgiving, as certain historic Fathers did. I find this distasteful at best; the question of whether her body was “incorrupt” because her body was different than other female bodies during birth giving (some fathers speculated this) or whether the wisdom is that female bodies are not corrupted by birthgiving, because of Mary’s feat. Instead, I’d like to pose the question in the context of the crucifixion. We know that Christ was dirty, bloody, gushing lymph/water, and utterly humiliated at the very moment he conquered death and saved the Church. I personally have faith that Christ transformed Jewish purity laws in that moment, witnessed again and again by the sordid details of martyrs through the centuries (St Catherine’s severed head gushing milk, etc.). While I respect history and tradition and personally shower every day, I’m not Jewish. As a woman who has access to tampons so that blood might never come out of my body, I’m not exactly sure how or why purity laws would be applied to me (as they absolutely are), and I don’t think that it is acceptable for the Orthodox tradition to say that these matters are private; e.g., solely between a woman and her priest. In America, we already operate in a Protestant culture where every Priest runs his own church, but I can certainly see how that might be an acceptable answer in the interim, as women leave churches with inconsistent purity laws (e.g., those that in practice only apply to women’s birth and menstruation) in favor of churches with consistent purity laws whose theology makes sense. Thank you for addressing this topic! I look forward to hearing more about Saint Paul.

[@ethanb2554]

Regarding the evangelical/puritans: this is the issue of "equality," or rather, the absence of hierarchy -As Father was talking about earlier in the show. But yes, the whole world *should* be holy (_pray without ceasing_), thus the mystery of the Incarnation. Christ was human, and engaged in the profane while the profane remained the profane. One should never engage in activity explicitly intended to be distinct or in separation from Christ.

[@kevinfarrell9678]

Just out of curiosity how do you do that?

[@ethanb2554]

@kevinfarrell9678 I would imagine it starts with sacramental participation and works its way outward -important to remember it's a mystery. _Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner_ Is going to be your best friend.

[@kevinfarrell9678]

@@ethanb2554 I was more curious how one never participates/engages in activity explicitly intended to be distinct or in separation from Christ? Almost everything we do on a daily basis is in separation from Christ? Or am I missing something?

[@ethanb2554]

@kevinfarrell9678 Everything we do must be in Christ. That is The purpose of the Christian.

[@kevinfarrell9678]

@@ethanb2554 thank you for restating your position but I'm wondering how you personally do that?

[@YannisH]

Thank you for going over the Torah laws. I converted from Messanic Judaism and this makes me more zealot in a holy way. Is there a book you can recommended in the Orthodox bookstore?

[@AncientFaithMinistries]

Father Stephen's book The Religion of the Apostles covers this topic of early Christianity and its emergence from Jewish roots, here is a link to the book if you are interested: store.ancientfaith.com/the-religion-of-the-apostles/

[@mikaylagabel5254]

Ive read that book and it was very helpful

[@DCWoodWorking]

​@@AncientFaithMinistries A great book

[@annalynn9325]

Carob isn’t my cup of tea but don’t diss it too hard, Greeks have carob syrup, it’s a traditional food

[@ascender144k]

honest critique: this show is full of informative educational content, but its drawn out conversational tone isn't my cup of tea. I almost lost my faith in finding out how not different from the average American an Orthodox priest really is, and all that. But anyway, the scholarly core of what is said in the shows could be condensed into a much more compact show that doesn't waste as much time beating around the bush with stale jokes that don't make us laugh anyway.

[@andreaurelius45]

Fr De Young definitely looks like he could shut down a Cain's drive thru! ....invoking 20 minute wait times...😂