Father Deacon Basil Ryan Balke
Productivity vs. Death
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Just before writing this article, I was spending some time listening to several podcasts and books on productivity. There are all sorts of resources in this space, and all sorts of ways of becoming more efficient and more effective as a person, work or whatever you may find yourself as. For me, as a younger Read More
Crowning in Marriage
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It is that time of the year again when weddings seem to happen every Saturday in our churches. During this time of year, I think back about how marriage is viewed between the East and the West, and how that plays out in our liturgies. The most profound difference between the East and the West Read More
Grief in the Holidays
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I began my career as a mental health counselor at a hospice doing grief counseling and support. During the holiday season, I think more about grief and death than at any other time of the year. Starting in early November, we would talk with our clients about “getting through the holidays,” and the uniqueness of Read More
Psychology of the Psalms
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In addition to my work as a deacon, I am a therapist with a counseling practice in Colorado and work to unify the spiritual and psychological in my work with clients. This work has often turned me back to the writing of the early Church Fathers, who spoke about psychological and spiritual lives with amazing Read More
Martyrdom in the Diaconate
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At this time of year, many of us are celebrating ordination anniversaries, and this got me thinking about the ordination rite of the deacon in the Byzantine rite. While there are many different symbols and prayers that we could spend a long time meditating on through this passage, there are three prayers that stand out Read More
Lamentations of the Assumption
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Summertime in the Byzantine rite always ends with the great feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos on Aug. 15. Most people might know this feast by the name Assumption. There is a great deal of debate about this feast between the churches, including questions about if the Theotokos died and what the ramifications of Read More
Politics of St. Kassiani and St. Theodora
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At least when I wrote this column, we are still in an election year and facing a pandemic. This has made me think a lot about the ways in which the saints viewed the politics of their day, and how they worked within, and outside, of the political establishment of their time. I can think Read More
A Time for Self-Assessment
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Preparation for Pascha (Easter) is somewhat different between the Eastern and Western Churches. The Byzantine Churches increase the liturgical cycle of the week considerably with the use of canons, Psalms and troparia. One such prayer is considered the greatest example of repentance in the Eastern tradition: the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. This Read More