I have pondered, from time to time, the oddity of Christ’s “last” temptation. The first temptation was that of turning stones into bread, the second, that of throwing Himself down from the Temple. The third and last temptation, however, was to be given “all the kingdoms of this world.” I understand hunger. Fasting for 40 days easily explains that the first temptation surrounds food. I have less comprehension regarding casting oneself downâŚ
The entire mystery of the economy of our salvation consists in the self-emptying and abasement of the Son of God â St. Cyril of Alexandria Trust in the providence of God is much more than a general theory of how things are arranged in our lives and in the world. We tend to discuss the notion in the abstract, wondering whether this action or event is to be properly attributed to God.âŚ
My attention was drawn to the event of the Transfiguration during my college years. It was then that I first read a book on St. Seraphim of Sarov, who himself was transfigured in a famous incident in his conversation with Motivilov. There, on a snowy winterâs day, the saint shown with a brilliant light, and Motivilov felt effused with warmth and joy. It caught my attention in the most obvious way. IâŚ
âActually I am a Christian,â Tolkien wrote of himself, âand indeed a Roman Catholic, so that I do not expect âhistoryâ to be anything but a âlong defeatââ though it contains (and in legend may contain more clearly and movingly) some samples or glimpses of final victoryâ (Letters 255). +++ History as a long defeat â I can think of nothing that is more anti-modern than this sentiment expressed by J.R.R. Tolkien. ItâŚ
From time to time, I read articles on the â10 Worst Cities in America,â or the State. There are similar articles on the âbest.â The thoughts offered remind me of the article published earlier this year in which the Orthodox (worldwide) were described as the âleast happyâ people of any religious group. If you scratch the surface of these musings, you quickly discover that the scale of best and worst, happy andâŚ
An excerpt from a commencement address at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 2007, given by Fr. Thomas Hopko. It is deeply worthy of conversation. I first posted this back in June, 2007, when it was “new.” That which is true is always new and timeless. …I can tell you that being loved by God, and loving Him in return, is the greatest joy given to creatures, and that without it there is noâŚ
Thy Kingdom Come Blessed are You on the throne of the glory of Your Kingdom, seated upon the Cherubim; always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. It was You Who brought us from non-existence into being, and when we had fallen away You raised us up again, and did not cease to do all things until You had brought us up to heaven, and had endowed us with Your kingdomâŚ
Some decades ago in my early (Anglican) priesthood, a parishioner brought a crucifix back from South America. The question for me as a priest was whether I would accept the crucifix as a gift and place it in the Church. I like crucifixes, my taste was always towards the Catholic direction. But, you have to bear in mind that Spanish/Latin crucifixes have a tendency to be, well, rather gory. My congregation wasâŚ
The Saturday before Palm Sunday is known as Lazarus Saturday among the Orthodox, and they celebrate Christ raising him from the dead just prior to His entrance into Jerusalem (gospel of John). It is a feast that offers something of a preview of Christâs resurrection, and a foretaste of the General Resurrection at the End of the Age. Some years back I sat in a cave that is purported to be the grave ofâŚ
The entire mystery of the economy of our salvation consists in the self-emptying and abasement of the Son of God â St. Cyril of Alexandria Trust in the providence of God is much more than a general theory of how things are arranged in our lives and in the world. We tend to discuss the notion in the abstract, wondering whether this action or event is to be properly attributed to God.âŚ