Converting to Orthodoxy, I suddenly realized just how much abuse the Orthodox Church and her people were subjected to by American power. The American National Security State has been neck-deep in global Orthodoxy for decades.
https://orthodoxreflections.com/the-divorce-of-american-conservatism-and-the-national-security-intelligence-

Teenage daughter having issues because even though she is back in school in-person, the environment is awful. No one talks, everyone is afraid, the teachers spend all their time yelling at kids online. Where are our leaders?
https://orthodoxreflections.com/lockdowns-kill-why-do-orthodox-bishops-ignore-the-victims/

“Communism would have worked if we had just killed more of the right people.” The man who says things like that, entirely too frequently, is a relative of mine. A close one. A former high-ranking Eastern European police official, he ran a huge region at the height of the Cold War. Millions of people had been under his control. Given the chance, and some vodka, he will lecture you for hours about how he could have built an actual workers’ paradise if he had been allowed to really deal with those no-good dissenters and trade unionists. His commitment to Marxism is just as great today as it was in 1963 when he first got his party card. The collapse of the system has dimmed none of his enthusiasm. Neither did the 20 years he spent running a bank for a notorious oligarch. Somehow, Marxism and Capitalism seem to blend together quite harmoniously at a certain level.

In 2020 gold gained 25.1% and silver 47.9%. Inflation is accelerating due to all the money printing to prop up stock markets, banks, and big corps. But precious little of that money goes to average workers.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/lockdowns-kill-why-do-orthodox-bishops-ignore-the-victims/

COVID, Climate Change, income redistribution, anti-populism, the need to “build back better,” the need to “reimagine” the economy, the need to erase borders and national sovereignty (particularly American), the need to manage things globally – the same “coded words” permeate our political, social, and even religious discourse now. As we have noted in multiple articles, Orthodox bishops associated with the Ecumenical Patriarchate (though most of the others have not done much better) have been particularly reluctant to push back against COVID closings of churches and other restrictions. The Greek Orthodox organizations have also, among all the Orthodox, made the most prodigious use of the “coded words” of The Great Reset.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/does-greek-orthodoxy-support-the-great-reset/

Meanwhile in Orthodox parishes, the Faithful are arguing, sometimes viciously, over masks, social distancing and lock downs. Some parishioners are turning into Orthodox Karens, trying to police other people’s mask and social distance compliance. Others are leaving masked-up parishes for ones that do not have such requirements. Some people are skipping church altogether. Potential catechumens are confused, wondering is this really the Church of Christ who conquered death by death? All the while, pro-mask parishioners accuse others of not loving people or understanding the Orthodox Faith, while anti-maskers accuse the other side of giving in to hysteria and falling for a hoax.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/orthodox-bishops-join-politicians-in-covid-hypocrisy/

Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen! is our Paschal greeting. It is the message your flocks need to hear immediately, to counter the months of fear whispered in their ears by politicians and the mass media. It is the message the world needs to hear. The Christian message has been muzzled by months of fear, sanctions, and a state-imposed chaos on par with a world war.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/why-are-the-orthodox-fiddling-while-earth-burns-an-open-letter-to-bishops-and-priests/

If you are concerned about taking a vaccine, and are facing some kind of mandate that requires vaccination, here are two suggestions for getting an exemption – medical and religious. As an Orthodox Christian, you qualify for a religious exemption to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. (Assuming the law / regulations where you are recognize freedom of religion. If not, a medical exemption is a good back-up plan.)
https://orthodoxreflections.com/exemptions-to-covid-vaccines-for-orthodox-christians/

A bishop must NEVER, under any circumstances, convey fear. He should stride into our churches with the manly majesty of an Apostle, gather God’s People into his arms, press them to his pastoral breast, and protect them from the social and political demons that are currently destroying the Church.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/faith-over-fear-apostolic-boldness-in-the-age-of-covid/

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled that businesses can compel their employees to get vaccinated, and may fire those who refuse. However, must allow for medical exemptions and “offer reasonable accommodations based on religion or disability.”
https://orthodoxreflections.com/exemptions-to-covid-vaccines-for-orthodox-christians/

Fr. Mark Hodges has now become a international story. We have already called the diocese to share our support. Please call and/or email.
Diocese of the Midwest
5037 W 83rd St
Burbank, IL 60459
Phone: +1 (312) 202-0420
chancery@domoca.org

CNN takes down its death counter. WHO recognizes false positives on PCR and changes guidelines 1 hour after Biden takes over. Lock downs are getting negative press coverage. Biden acknowledges he can’t stop a virus. Face it - we were played.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/orthodox-bishops-accept-you-were-duped-on-covid-and-move-on/

With the suspension of Fr. Mark Hodges being attributed to "guilty by association," are we seeing the birth of an Orthodox cancel culture? What would happen if we applied that standard not only to priests, but to bishops?
https://orthodoxreflections.com/guilty-by-association-the-persecution-of-fr-mark-hodges/

To read St. Dionysius’ Paschal Encyclical (261 AD) describing the Church’s response to the persecution and the plague that followed is to be confronted with the tragic reality that the Hierarchs of the Orthodox Church, in responding to the virus, have followed the path of the heathens, not the Christians, as described in St. Dionysius’ Encyclical.

To read St. Dionysius’ Paschal Encyclical (261 AD) describing the Church’s response to the persecution and the plague that followed is to be confronted with the tragic reality that the Hierarchs of the Orthodox Church, in responding to the virus, have followed the path of the heathens, not the Christians, as described in St. Dionysius’ Encyclical. https://orthodoxreflections.com/st-dionysius-paschal-encyclical-orthodox-faith-in-time-of-plague/

Why did Gamestop happen? Why is the stock market completely untethered from the real economy? Why is income inequality accelerating as money pools at the top while middle and working class families struggle? One word - inflation. #GME
https://orthodoxreflections.com/the-theft-that-theologians-always-overlook/

An group of OCA clergy provides a devastating, insider critique of the bishops’ leadership during the past year. All Orthodox Christians in the United States and Canada should read this article today, and share it with everyone they know.
https://orthodoxreflections.com/orthodox-priests-joining-the-fight-will-change-everything/