The Morning Offering
The Healing of the Nous
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The reactivation of the memory of the “eye of the soul” Humanities mishandling of the memory of God led to the fall, and the reactivation of that memory through the healing of the “nous” (the eye of the soul), is necessary for the restoration of that memory. We must be made holy for communion with God to be restored, and…
Faith Encouraged
Consider Jesus
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Ever thought about giving up? Yeah, I know. What time is it? I confess to struggling with this temptation all the time. And the temptation to give up seems to come in all sorts of shapes and sizes; from small things to big things. Plus, it seems we live in a modern culture that celebrates and even encourages “giving up.” The “easy path” of abandoning that which is hard flows from the…
The Morning Offering
Authentic Authority
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Political vs Spiritual Authority It is a temptation for those who serve the Church to think their parishioners should adhere to the political ideals of their priest or bishop. This is a gross temptation that can lead to the alienation of some members of their flock, especially the young. The society at large has seen great changes in many areas…
Faith Encouraged
All Who Wander Aren’t Lost
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Have you ever heard of the story of the donkey who saved a prophet’s life by talking to him? And you thought your dreams were strange! Seriously, this powerful story in the First Testament is worth your time! Read the whole story in Numbers 22. To make a long story short, Balaam is something of a prophet and some enemies of the Jews in the area want to hire him to curse…
The Whole Counsel Blog
The Saints in Glory
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The word which we commonly read in English translation as ‘saint’ or ‘saints’, derived from the Latin ‘sanctus’, translates the Greek word ‘agios’ (plural ‘agiois’) which is seen constantly in the inscriptions of iconography. In the New Testament, this word is used to describe both the worshipping community of the church in its sojourn on earth and the ‘dead in Christ’ (cf. Acts 9:13, 32, 41, Rom 1:7, 12:13, 1 Cor 14:33, 2 Cor 9:12, Eph 2:19). This Greek term is actually the substantive form of the adjective ‘holy’, and could simply be translated ‘holy one’ or ‘holy ones’. The reason it has traditionally been translated as ‘saints’ is to indicate that by the time of the New Testament, the…
The Morning Offering
Dressing for Church
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Proper attire in the House of God The Church is our home, a place where we should feel comfortable, and at ease. It is also God’s house and is a temple set aside for worship of the Holy Trinity. Although times have changed and we have become a very casual society, this attitude can not be allowed to influence how…
Glory to God for All Things
Orthodoxy Represents Our Original Incompetency
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There is one thing to be said about Church-shopping: you can always find a better one… I often see examples of what I would describe as “comparative denominationalism.” It is the comparison of one Church to another (yes, I know that Orthodoxy is not a denomination). Indeed, the drive for a “better Church,” a “more authentic Church,” the “true Church,” the “New Testament Church,” is little more than a game invented in…
Faith Encouraged
The Whole World in One Word
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“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones, after all.” So says the author of Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder. But life is so very often not simple. It’s complicated and difficult and filled with so many motivations all mixed together and hard to tease out the good from the bad. So, how do we live in this complicated world with the truth that…
The Morning Offering
The Expression of True Unity in Christ
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The Church is forever united with Christ and is Christ like If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 1 John 4:20 The Church Fathers saw Orthodoxy as a Way of Life,…
No Other Foundation
Baptismal Boundaries (2)
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In my previous blog piece I examined the question of how converts to Orthodoxy should be received. One set of criteria which suggested that non-Chalcedonians should be received by confession alone, that those “who previously have been baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity in a manner recognized as authentic” should be received by chrismation alone, and that those “from non-Christian religions who do not believe in the Holy Trinity, or…
Faith Encouraged
A Selfless Liberty
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You’ve seen the bumper sticker “Practice Random Acts of Kindness.” I confess I’ve seen them all over and my reaction to this altruistic admonition ranges (depending on my mood) from mild annoyance to a twinge of guilt. But rarely does this bumper sticker psychology move me to action. But, hey, that’s the weakness of a bumper sticker mindset! So, why is it so easy to be moved but never changed? Why do…
The Morning Offering
Genuine Piety
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How to be a pious Orthodox Christian without stoking the flames of pride And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be like the hypocrites, who are fond of standing up in the synagogues and at the corners of streets to pray, so that they may be seen by people. Verily I say to you, they have gotten their reward. (Matthew…
The Morning Offering
Our Struggle for Repentance
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Our struggle for repentance must begin with an honest appraisal of our self In our struggle on the path to God, repentance must be the central theme. Only in repentance will we find the true meaning of life, for only in repentance can one enter into communion with God. This life has been given to us for one purpose, that…
Eastern Christian Insights
A New Creation Through the Cross: Homily for the After-Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos and the Sunday Before the Elevation of the Cross in the Orthodox Church
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Galatians 6:11-18; John 3:13-17 Our worst arguments are often with the people closest to us, especially members of our own family. Perhaps the more we have in common with others, the easier it is to disagree about how things should be done and about what is really most important. That is true not only in our families and marriages, but also when it comes to religion. In today’s epistle reading, St.…
The Morning Offering
The Oneness of Creation
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What will we experience in the after life? There is no formal doctrine in the Orthodox Church concerning the afterlife for animals, including our pets. Those Fathers of the Church who have expressed themselves on this matter were simply expressing theological opinions that have not become universally accepted, and remain known as “theologoumena” (personal opinion). The Church has wisely refrained…
Time Eternal
"My First Death": Time Eternal Episode 1 of Season 4
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Every interview I’ve conducted for this season of Time Eternal begins with the same question: “What was the first death you experienced?” Just as death entered the world through one man (Adam, according to Romans 5), so death typically enters our personal experiences through one person. This first experience with death has a profound impact on how we view not…
Father Bill's Blog
82. Three Saints who made me love them: David the Tree-dwller, Martin the Merciful, the Venerable Bede
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When God first made himself known to me it was like a swift kick where I needed it. Later when out of the blue the Lord Jesus showed me he loved me, it was sweet and gentle, and ever since I have loved him back with all my heart. Someday maybe I’ll tell you those stories. Maybe not. The point is that God works with us in different ways. Likewise with his saints.…
Faith Encouraged
What ARE You Thinking?
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“It is a great achievement not to be attracted by things. But it is a far greater achievement to remain dispassionate in the face both of things and of the conceptual images we derive from them.” St. Maximos the Confessor Isn’t that great? The ability to be free from a slavery to desires, but not just desires; to be free from the ideas these desires conjure in our minds! That’s the kind…
The Morning Offering
Emulating Christ
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What does the Lord require of us? As we examine how we live our lives as Christians, we look to those who leave an impression of goodness, kindness, and humility, as examples of the person we would like to become. That saintly person, by their every example, exudes the humbleness of the Lord, and love seems to be palpable when…
Praying in the Rain
On Perceiving God's Glory in Another
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According to Serafim Seppälä*, St. Isaac the Syrian understands the perception of the angelic orders to be limited by their own natures. That is, each rank of the heavenly orders—angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, powers, etc.— is able to perceive a higher rank, but only in so far as its own nature, it’s own ability to perceive God’s glory, allows it. I admit that this is a rather esoteric observation, one that…
Faith Encouraged
Revealed to Babes and Not to the Wise
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It started with what I thought was a simple explanation. But he didn’t “get” it. So, I tried again to make it even simpler. And still the quizzical look on this PhD.’s face wouldn’t go away. He didn’t understand what i was trying to say. Frustrated, I told him “Your just too educated to understand!” With that, he smiled, and asked some questions that helped me a great deal. My grandmother use…
The Morning Offering
The Need to Mourn
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Our humanity binds us together when we suffer sorrow and loss One of the most tremendously rewarding and challenging aspects of the priesthood is comforting people in their darkest moments of sorrow. Do not be mistaken, and think that priests, monks and chaplains are exempt from the pain of those whom they try to comfort, or that we have magical…
Glory to God for All Things
Saved in Weakness - Redux
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We are not saved by our talents and gifts nor by our excellence – we are saved by our weakness and our failure. I have made this point many times over the years – and the question comes up – but what does that look like? How do I live like that? The question can be urgent for some because the message is so utterly contrary to cultural assumptions that have been…
Faith Encouraged
God Made a Covenant with Himself!
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“I am sick of this! I mean it, this is the very last time!” I hear these words in my head and I know they are a lie. I’m having to clean up another mess someone else has made! And I feel the resentment and anger rising in my heart and mind, and starting to feel the intoxicating effects of that anger making me say and think things that are both unhelpful…
The Morning Offering
Incense
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Let my prayer arise as incense before Thee From Old Testament times believers have burned incense as an offering when worshiping God. The ancient temple in Jerusalem even had priests whose sole duty was to keep the censer burning twenty-four hours a day. Ancient pagan kings were often escorted with large fans of peacock feathers and burning incense when entering…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Humans in the Divine Council
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In last week’s post, God’s divine council, the angelic beings surrounding his throne with whom He shares graciously his governance of the heavens and the earth, was introduced. There are several ways in which human persons in the Old Testament encounter and interact with the divine council. These encounters and modes of interaction lay the groundwork for a transformed relationship in the New Covenant, which will be the subject of next week’s post. Simply put, every encounter with God the Father in the Old Testament is mediated either through God the Son, as was discussed in a previous series on this blog, or by angelic beings, as will be discussed here. Though these encounters are far from common, the most…
Faith Encouraged
The Purpose of the Cross
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Years ago a Protestant mega-pastor wrote the book “The Purpose Driven Life.” The subtitle was “What on Earth am I here For?” Great title and a great question. The content of the book was helpful in places and, frankly, a bit theologically shallow and even questionable in places. But, come on, the greatest value in the book was finally raising the issue in a generation of people who had become gripped by…
