Glory to God for All Things
The Orthodox Reading of Scripture
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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 theā¦
Glory to God for All Things
Usefulness and Beauty
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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 isā¦
Glory to God for All Things
With What Little We Know - It Is Enough
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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 especiallyā¦
Glory to God for All Things
To Gain Paradise
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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 ) didā¦. Almsgiving, love, and fasting sanctify man, enrich him in both soul and body, and bring him toā¦
Glory to God for All Things
The Fascination of Wickedness
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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.ā¦
Praying in the Rain
Last Day in Palm Springs: Heavenly Visions
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Itās 7:00 pm and 108ā° outside. The conference is over. Iām 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 aā¦
Glory to God for All Things
The Ancestors of God
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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 ofā¦
Praying in the Rain
Discontent in Palm Springs
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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 nowā¦
Praying in the Rain
Explosion in the Philippines
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Business meetings all day today. I did learn that an āOld 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 groupsā¦
Glory to God for All Things
True Knowledge of God - Living the Tradition
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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 isā¦
Praying in the Rain
A Man Plans His Ways, But...
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Proverbs 16: 9–A man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps. Or, to put it another way: Life (Godās 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 Divineā¦
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Religion's Changing Face in Emmaus
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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 wasā¦
Glory to God for All Things
At The Edge of Tradition - More Notes from the Edge
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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 comeā¦
Praying in the Rain
Clergy Meeting with the Metropolitan
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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, andā¦
Glory to God for All Things
More Notes from the Edge
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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 ourselvesā¦
Praying in the Rain
Restore to Me the Joy
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Most people think the opposite of joy is sadness. I donāt think so. Joy and sadness can coexistādo coexist. One of the names for the feeling of mixed joy and sadness often used in the Orthodox Tradition is ābright 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. Whatā¦
Glory to God for All Things
At the Edge
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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 inherentā¦
Praying in the Rain
Am I an Evangelical?
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In my Protestant days, when I began reading Medieval writers, I was often confused by their use of the adjective, āevangelical.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 quiteā¦
Glory to God for All Things
In the Grasp of Wonder
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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 isā¦
Glory to God for All Things
The End of History
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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 toā¦
Glory to God for All Things
Miracles and Creation
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There is an aspect of the modern use of the word “miracle,” that is more than a little problematic. While it is true that a number of Orthodox hymns in referring to certain dramatic events use the phrase, “the order of nature is overthrown,” this is far from being a complete theological account of what we know as the miraculous. A common understanding in the secular world of the miraculous is thatā¦
Glory to God for All Things
The Monk and the Bird
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While we’re at it – here’s a photo of one of the brothers at Mar Saba Monastery in the Judaean Desert. It seems clear that right relationship with God and right relationship with nature are normal. We met this monastic last year when we traveled in the Holy Land. It’s good to know that the stories of St. Seraphim and the bear or St. Francis and various animals are not things ofā¦
Praying in the Rain
A Redemptive Clint Eastwood Movie?
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(Spoiler Alert!) I saw Gran Torino last night. Normally I do not watch Clint Eastwood movies. I struggle enough with thoughts of vengeance and violent impulses in my own soul: I do not need to stir up those passions by watching a misunderstood but basically good loner be pushed by evil men to acts of vengeance and murder which seem unquestionably noble in the context of the movie. At least that’s whatā¦
Glory to God for All Things
Serbian Monk and a Wolf
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I do not understand the narration – but no words are necessary in this video. The reality speaks for itself. [vodpod id=Groupvideo.2926564&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26] About this same monk and wolf, Fr. Milovan Katanic writes: In Kovilje Monastery, at the foot of the Javor mountains, there were once many monks, during the time of the Turks there was even a monastic school here. Today, in the recently renovated late 12th century monastery, there is onlyā¦
Glory to God for All Things
The Whole of Spiritual Warfare Wages Around Humility
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From the Elder Sophrony’s Widsom from Mount Athos: Thus the whole spiritual warfare wages round humility. The enemy fell from pride, and would draw us to perdition by the same means. The enemy praises us, and should the soul listen to his praise grace withdraws until she repents. Thus throughout her life the soul is occupied with the lesson of Christ-like humility. So long as she has not humility wrong thoughts andā¦
Praying in the Rain
On Washing Feet
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St. John records for us the washing of the Disciplesā feet by Jesus before the Last Supper. Peter is embarrassed and doesnāt want to let Jesus wash his feetānot realizing that Jesus has already washed him entirely, for they are already clean because of the word Jesus had spoken to them [15:3]. Peter is already clean, he just needs a little clean up. That Peter needed a little cleaning is, of course,ā¦
Praying in the Rain
Money Problems?
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āWeāve figured out how to solve the problem of our overcrowded little chapel. It will only take five million dollars.ā With these words I greeted Lourie and her two small children as she swung by the coffee shop to pick up Andrew. Andrew and I had spent an hour and a half solving all of the worldās problemsāespecially as they touched our little parishāwhile Lourie took the car to run around townā¦
