Frederica Here and Now

As people make their way toward the ancient church, sooner of later they have to make a decision: Orthodox or Catholic? And they wonder, What about St. Peter? Did the Lord intend that he and his successors would govern the church worldwide? The Orthodox have a different take on that, which may be unexpected.

Josh David Jordan, is a filmmaker and convert to Orthodoxy from St Seraphim Cathedral. Dallas is working on a movie about an abbott who is a fool-for-Christ. Josh got a lot of critical praise for his first movie, "This World Won't Break," which was screened at festivals around the world and won many awards. It is streaming now on every platform. Thanks to the positive response to "This World Won't Break," Josh was able to draw Hollywood professionals from every discipline to "El Tonto." It's an impressive film and I think will do much to introduce people everywhere to Orthodoxy. https://www.eltontoporcristo.com

Most people experience some fear of death. In this episode, I look first at "fear of the unknown" (exploring scriptures that might apply) and then at "fear of the known." I hope this helps alleviate some fears.

Listen to the final of five interviews Frederica has with monks from Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, West Virginia.

Here's the fourth of five interviews Frederica has with monks from Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, West Virginia.

Here's the third of five interviews Frederica has with monks from Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, West Virginia.

Here's the second of five interviews Frederica has with monks from Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, West Virginia.

Here's the first of five interviews Frederica has with monks from Holy Cross Monastery in Wayne, West Virginia.

The second-biggest problem Protestants have with Orthodox Christianity (after our love for Jesus' mother Mary) is our icons--not so much the fact of them, but the way we venerate them, bowing, kissing, and lighting candles. But they misinterpret those actions, which are simply continuations from an earlier time. I hope this video will help Protestants understand how we really relate to icons--with affection and honor, and not as objects of worship.

Frederica Mathewes-Green shares reflections about the Annunciation on the weekend of the Feast of the Holy Cross.

Frederica speaks with the Orthodox Christian Book Club about the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete and the topic of prayer.

Frederica Mathewes-Green shares a few words about the meaning of love.

Orthodoxy in America is in revival, and that makes it a lively place to be. In other times and places revival has been a temporary state, so it can’t be expected to last forever. At the moment, though, it’s a great time to become Orthodox.

Frederica Mathewes-Green reads the first essay she ever published, a secular, feminist presentation of the pro-life cause.

Frederica Mathewes-Green explains that traditions can be beneficial for a family or community, and that all churches have their own “tradition.”

Frederica Mathewes-Green ponders the tremendous amount of work it took to weave fabric by hand, and how it felt to be clothed in someone’s labor; what we miss, by living entirely amid machine-made things.

The Mother of our Lord is often a stumbling block for Protestants who are exploring Orthodoxy. Frederica Mathewes-Green discusses how to disregard medieval excesses, and see how the early Christians saw her.

Frederica Mathewes-Green presents a Romanian elder’s take on the simple faith that is held by many Americans, and how God responds to it, and she also reports a prayer experience that conveyed the same idea.

Recently, I uploaded an old video to YouTube, of one of the strangest and funniest experiences I ever had with an interview. It was 1996. A producer for a viewer-call-in political talk show, "Capital Watch," phoned me about the work I was doing with a group called Common Ground for Life and Choice. We brought pro-life and pro-choice people together in dialogue, to get better understanding of each other's beliefs. (To get past misunderstanding so we could arrive at genuine disagreement, I used to say.) I put it on my calendar, and drove to the studio on Capital Hill. But while I was standing just off the set, waiting to be introduced, I heard the host say I was going to talk about common ground between Republicans and Democrats. I knew nothing about that. I didn't follow politics at all. But in a matter of seconds I had to walk on the set, sit down, and basically fake it for 20 minutes. I guess the producer had written "Common Ground" on the schedule without any further explanation, and that's what the hosts thought I was there to talk about. It's pretty funny. You can see me making guesses about what answer the hosts expected me to give, trying to sound like I actually knew something about the topic. Afterward I wrote a column about it, and how you can see someone on a talk show who appears to not know what they're talking about, "the idiot beside the potted plant." Well, that would be me. Watch the interview at www.youtube.com/watch?v=SneiaHIiogA. Read the column at: frederica.com/writings/whos-that-idiot-next-to-the-potted-plant.html.

Frederica Mathewes-Green explores, in three parts, her experience as a beekeeper. She mispronounces “propolis” every time!

Frederica Mathewes-Green explores, in three parts, her experience as a beekeeper. She mispronounces “propolis” every time!

Frederica Mathewes-Green explores, in three parts, her experience as a beekeeper. She mispronounces “propolis” every time!

Frederica Mathewes-Green reads the life of St. Mary of Egypt as found in her book First Fruits of Prayer.

Frederica Mathewes-Green recounts an unusual and somber dream.

Frederica Mathewes-Green offers an analogy for the way prayer sometimes “clicks” and becomes a genuine connection with God.

Frederica Mathewes-Green explores the ways the 22nd/23rd Psalm reflects a year of shepherding a sheep.

Frederica Mathewes-Green defends pro-lifers’ right to wear that name, and choose for themselves what causes to support.

Doxacon is a gathering of Orthodox Christians with an interest in fantasy, sci-fi, and gaming. This year they asked me to deliver the lay keynote (conference theme: "Making Virtuous Decisions in Fiction"), and I confessed that I don't know much about those popular forms of media. So we compromised. First, I speak about Charles Dickens, and how some non-virtuous personal decisions affected his life and his writing; then my son, Fr. Stephen Mathewes, relates the "virtuous decisions" question to some popular books, movies, and videogames. At the end I came back with a few thoughts about bees. Enjoy!

Frederica reads from and reflects on St. Basil the Great's writings on praying without ceasing.

Frederica is in the car today with two friends and struck up a conversation with one of them about her trip to Rome. They had so much to talk about, it is divided into two parts with part 1 today and part 2 next week.

We are walking with Frederica in a shopping mall today only to be bombarded by inappropriate images from a certain famous store.

Today Frederica is in her car on the way to a speaking engagement. While we are thinking about the Dormition of the Theotokos, Frederica reflects on an aspect of our mortality that is very comforting.

An informal chat with the wives of two priests from Western Rite parishes in the Antiochian Archdiocese.

Frederica's home parish recently hosted the regional Parish Life Conference and she took the opportunity to give thanks for the warm reception given her and Fr. Gregory when they came into Orthodoxy January 30, 1992.

Today Frederica is in Spokane and has an enlightening visit with a Coptic monk. Don't miss his intoned prayer at the end!

Frederica is in Spokane again for today's episode and chats with icnonographer Heather Kochamma Durka.

Frederica reflects on how music can penetrate through the fog of advanced years and even senility to focus our minds on the worship of God.

Well, today Frederica isn't at the "Corner of East and Now", but she is at the corner of Taco Bell and K-Mart. You know the place.

Is there a consistent morality or ethical system planted in human beings? If so, why doesn't this sytem include the protection of baby girls?

We catch up with Frederica at a quaint Virginia Barbeque where she is chatting with a reporter who chooses to stay in the Episcopal Church. Douglas LeBlanc of the blog site Get Religion began covering religion in June 1984 as religion editor of the Morning Advocate in Baton Rouge, LA. Since then he has worked as an editor for Compassion International, Episcopalians United (now Anglicans United), and Christianity Today. His work has appeared in Christian Research Journal, The Weekly Standard, and The Wall Street Journal.

Frederica enjoys shopping for clothes at her local re-sale shops and has found it to be a good way to save and conserve. She also reflects on the clothing industry in general: where are they made and under what conditions?

Recycled molecules and atoms from the foundation of the world present a wonderful perspective on the shed blood of Christ.

This week we catch Frederica in her car driving to Washington, D.C., and reflecting on the differences between the Orthodox Church and other Christian churches when it comes to the involvement of men.

We are strolling with Frederica through a cemetery on the campus of the seminary she attended several years ago.

Frederica is in the fourth floor apartment of a friend who recently came to Orthodoxy from the Mennonite church and participated in an excursion to the Middle East with a group intent on apologizing to Eastern faiths for the Crusades.

Why do some people feel that "converts" to Orthodoxy are so obnoxious? Today Frederica reflects on the practices of some Orthodox Christians compared with the path to spiritual healing that Orthodoxy represents.

The poor in many other countries often rely on skills handed down to them by their ancestors. But what about the poor in America?

Frederica likes the new Disney movie, Enchanted, and provides an enchanting review for our AFR listeners.

Frederica previewed the new movie starring John Cusack, Grace is Gone, and offers this analysis.

Don't miss this rich and inspiring reading by Frederica of the entire Nativity Kontakion written by St. Romanos the Melodist and translated by Fr. Ephrem Lash. It was taken from the book On the Life of Christ: Kontakia, published in 1994.