The Prayer of St. Ephraim and the Internet

It is Easier for a Camel to Pass Through the Eye of a Needle than a Man with a Cellphone to Enter the Gates of Heaven

This is the podcast and video recordings of a Lenten retreat I presented at the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Phoenix, AZ on April, 4, 2025.

(Links are below.)

The topic was “The Prayer of St. Ephraim in the Digital Age”.

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness/despair, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen.

Primitive warfare, bows and arrows, and social media.

How can zealotry be “sloth”?

Eye exams and faint-heartedness.

Sub-deacon’s cassocks and “lust of power”.

The Ladder of Comment Box Ascent.

What do Harley Davidsons at a red light have to do with “idle talk”?

Murderers, thieves and bishops…. oh my!

If “chastity” isn’t about virginity before marriage then what is it?

Is the last man standing the humblest of them all?

“Patience and love” is really about tofu, cheese and shopping carts…

Monks, fornication, cooking pots and judging.

Thoughts and prayers. Do you know the difference?

Thank you to Fr. Thomas Frisby for the trust and invitation to speak at his parish.

Listen to the podcast recording here:

Watch the videos on YouTube:

Part One HERE

Part Two HERE

A blessed Lent, Holy Week and Pascha to all my readers!