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  • Glory to God for All Things

    Transfiguration and the Bridal Chamber

    August 6, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    There is a propensity in our modern world to break things down – to analyze. We have gained a certain mastery over many things by analyzing various components of their structure and manipulating what we find. It has become the default position of modern thought. This power of analysis, however, is weakened by its very success. Frequently the truth of something lies not in the summary of its parts but in the…

  • Praying in the Rain

    50 Years And Not Much Like a Saint

    August 5, 2009June 25, 2015 · Fr. Michael Gillis

    Today is my birthday—big 5-0. Am I an adult yet? Bonnie and I were talking this morning over oatmeal and blueberries (the blueberries this year are awesome) about the bishops and the scandals and the various responses. She said, ā€œI wonder what St. Nektarios would do?ā€ That was a word to my heart. St. Nektarios didn’t fight, he bore and prayed—and became holy. May God grant us wisdom to speak our conscience,…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    The Fullness of Faith

    August 4, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    I prefer to use the term “fullness” when describing the Orthodox faith because it is far more explanatory than simply saying that we are the “true Church,” etc. “Fullness,” of course does not deny this, but it moves us onto more fruitful ground. In this post I offer a short list of what seem to me important consequences of giving one’s life to the “fullness of the faith.”Ā  This is a reprint…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    Speaking With Authority

    August 3, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,Ā for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes (Matt. 7:28-29). Authority is an interesting phenomenon – though not often what people may think. I remember the first few years of my ministry – fresh from seminary. There is probably no one in the religious world who knows more than a newly-graduated seminarian. I was…

  • Praying in the Rain

    Me and Elder Prophyrios

    August 1, 2009June 25, 2015 · Fr. Michael Gillis

    No, I have never physically met Elder Prophyrios. My relationship with the Elder began the first time his book, Wounded by Love came into my house. Everyone, it seemed, was talking about it, so I got a copy. I jumped right in when my copy arrived and was quickly disturbed by what I read. Obedience is the theme of the Elder’s monastic training, and I found that disturbing. It was disturbing not…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    Rightly Reading - Yet Again

    July 31, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    I am reprinting this short article on “rightly reading” in response to comments on my last post. I suspect that this article will be reprinted often when the subject of the study of Scripture arises. The course of your reading should be parallel to the aim of your way of life…. Most books that contain instructions in doctrine are not useful for purification. The reading of many diverse books brings distraction of…

  • Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

    "This ancient and honorable name"

    July 31, 2009July 23, 2016 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

    The image above is of the Knauss Homestead, one of the founding family homes in Emmaus, established in 1777. It was the patriarch of the clan, Sebastian Knauss, who first donated land in 1759 on which Emmaus was to be built. The Homestead property borders directly on that of St. Paul Orthodox Church, where I am pastor. It’s probably a decent assumption that we…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    The Orthodox Reading of Scripture

    July 31, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    The following quote is from the Christian history website maintained by Christianity Today (anĀ evangelical source).Ā Ā It describes the crucial teaching role of St. Irenaeus of Lyons, an early Bishop of the Church and later a martyr, and perhaps the most articulate spokesman of Orthodox theology in the 2nd century. The article discusses Irenaeus’ refutation of the Gnostic heretics, particularly their misuse of Scripture. It sheds light on how the Church rightly divides the…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    Usefulness and Beauty

    July 30, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    The recent questions about knowing God – which I have described as something that often comes to me in the “peripheral vision” of my life – seems somehow related to the perception of beauty as well. Beauty often seems to be “greater than the sum of its parts.” We see beauty not simply byĀ looking at a thing – but byĀ seeing it. Many people look at icons – a rightly prepared heart is…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    With What Little We Know - It Is Enough

    July 28, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    The question was offered earlier today:Ā What is the place of asceticism in the life of a family? Should we learn to guard the intellect, strive for pure prayer, etc. in a similar way as a monastic would? I offer here a reprint that speaks to the question. For the truth is, we will know little about the deeper forms of asceticism – even if we read books on the subject (or especially…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    To Gain Paradise

    July 28, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    I stumbled across the following quote from St. Cosmos of Aetolia: The Martyrs earned paradise with their blood; the Monastics, with their ascetic life. Now we, my brethren, who beget children, how shall we earn paradise? With hospitality, by relieving the poor, the blind, the lame, as Joachim (the father of the Theotokos ) did…. Almsgiving, love, and fasting sanctify man, enrich him in both soul and body, and bring him to…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    The Fascination of Wickedness

    July 27, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good (Wisdom 4:12) Man has such powers that he can transmit good or evil to his environment. These matters are very delicate. Great care is needed. We need to see everything in a positive frame of mind. We mustn’t think anything evil about others. Even a simple glance or a sigh influences those around us. And even the slightest anger or indignation does harm.…

  • Praying in the Rain

    Last Day in Palm Springs: Heavenly Visions

    July 27, 2009June 25, 2015 · Fr. Michael Gillis

    It’s 7:00 pm and 108⁰ outside. The conference is over. I’m tired. The hierarchical Divine Liturgy this morning was an amazing experience for me. I have seen and concelebrated many hierarchical Divine Liturgies. This one, for me, was different. Perhaps it was different because I was standing at the side, instead of in front, and I saw more of the movement of subdeacons, altar boys and non-celebrating priests. It seemed for a…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    The Ancestors of God

    July 25, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    Part of the consciousness of the Orthodox faith was forged in the defense of the Divinity of Christ. The Church was clear in its understanding that Christ is truly God – truly God and truly man. The great councils of the early centuries of the Church stated this understanding time and again, refining each statement as various challenges were offered to the fundamentals of the faith. It is in the context of…

  • Praying in the Rain

    Discontent in Palm Springs

    July 25, 2009June 25, 2015 · Fr. Michael Gillis

    So the discontent emerged. Unfortunately, it was not handled as well as it could have been. To start with, however, I must commend the Metropolitan for recommending an audit before one was recommended from the floor. Personally, I am happy with this step. Probably, the audit will not be as thorough as some want, but it is a big first step. Once the Archdiocese gets used to having external audits, and now…

  • Praying in the Rain

    Explosion in the Philippines

    July 24, 2009June 25, 2015 · Fr. Michael Gillis

    Business meetings all day today. I did learn that an ā€œOld Catholicā€ university in the Philippines has asked to come under the Episcopal oversight of the Antiochian Orthodox Church. The Metropolitan of Australia Chrismated 250 of the 800 student earlier this year. There has been an explosion of interest in Orthodoxy in the Philippines. They have had to bring in a celibate priest (archimandrite) just to go around teaching (catechising) the groups…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    True Knowledge of God - Living the Tradition

    July 24, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    Tradition (the subject of my last post) is understood within the Orthodox faith in a manner that is quite different than the word’s use in the vocabulary of many other Christians. Tradition is the continuous Life of God in the Church. There are many things that give expression to this life – but Tradition itself is not the expression but the content that gives rise to the expression. The Christian faith is…

  • Praying in the Rain

    A Man Plans His Ways, But...

    July 23, 2009June 25, 2015 · Fr. Michael Gillis

    Proverbs 16: 9–A man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps. Or, to put it another way: Life (God’s life, the life of faith, the life that we live and give to God) is what happens after we make our plans. This morning I looked at the conference schedule and realized that there were no meetings that I had to attend, so I decided that I would go for Divine…

  • Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

    Religion's Changing Face in Emmaus

    July 22, 2009 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

    My koumbaro (fancy Greek term for “ecclesiastical relative,” in this case, my daughter’s godfather) is visiting with us here for a few days, and this afternoon, he and I visited my favorite local coffeehouse to get a little caffeination and chat in. While we were there, we talked a bit with the proprietor, as well as with a fellow who stopped in and was…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    At The Edge of Tradition - More Notes from the Edge

    July 22, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    There are many things that we see in our lives to which the word “traditional” may be attached. It can refer to a style of dress or an understanding of relationships. In Church it may refer to the use of certain kinds of music or a sytle of worship. Many years ago, pastoring my first parish as an Episcopal priest, I had a young couple who were Roman Catholics, who had come…

  • Praying in the Rain

    Clergy Meeting with the Metropolitan

    July 22, 2009June 25, 2015 · Fr. Michael Gillis

    Today I was impressed by Metropolitan Philip. I watch him answer questions from the clergy, some of whom were aggressive in their questioning, with openness and willingness to accept suggestions. Metropolitan Philip’s answers were clear (although sometimes off point) and for the most part satisfactory. I do not agree with all he has done or is doing, but to my satisfaction he has explained why he has done what he has, and…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    More Notes from the Edge

    July 20, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    I began last week with an article on the End of the World and the Orthodox view of the “last things.” I have followed this with thoughts about life on the “edge.” That image, a common metaphor within a number of 20th century Orthodox writers, is continued in this post – and likely in several more to come. Perhaps it is an aspect of our modern life that we frequently find ourselves…

  • Praying in the Rain

    Restore to Me the Joy

    July 19, 2009June 25, 2015 · Fr. Michael Gillis

    Most people think the opposite of joy is sadness. I don’t think so. Joy and sadness can coexist—do coexist. One of the names for the feeling of mixed joy and sadness often used in the Orthodox Tradition is ā€œbright sadness.ā€ It is one of those feelings, or I might better say it is one of those experiences, for which words seem completely inadequate; so I will not try to explain it. What…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    At the Edge

    July 18, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    A reprint…since we were discussing the end of the world… One of the peculiar marks of life in the modern world is the sense one has of standing on the edge. We are always (it seems) either standing on the edge of disaster or on the edge of some great discovery. Of course, a lot of this is simply the way we market the world to ourselves. But it is an inherent…

  • Praying in the Rain

    Am I an Evangelical?

    July 16, 2009June 25, 2015 · Fr. Michael Gillis

    In my Protestant days, when I began reading Medieval writers, I was often confused by their use of the adjective, ā€œevangelical.ā€ The reference was often made of monks and other holy people that they lived an evangelical life. At that time, the only meaning for evangelical I knew was based on my understanding of Evangelical Protestants. An Evangelical, I thought, was a Christian who emphasized evangelism: aka proselytzation. It took me quite…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    In the Grasp of Wonder

    July 16, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    Concepts create idols; only wonder grasps anything. St. Gregory of Nyssa St. Gregory of Nyssa’s marvelous dictum is among a handful of things that describe what is required for the Christian life. So much of Christian history has been marked with a bifurcation – a split between those who study the faith and those who live it. It is not a necessary split – only a common one. Of course there is…

  • Glory to God for All Things

    The End of History

    July 15, 2009 · Fr. Stephen Freeman

    The first part of this article is from one of my earliest posts. Appended to it are some current reflections. If it was worth reading the first time… O, Mama, can this really be the end? To be stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues again. Bob Dylan Ok. I’ll confess it right up front – I’m a Dylan fan. It shows my age and generation. My children have had to…

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