-
Psalm 124:6-8 – Good News for the Day
Read more: Psalm 124:6-8 – Good News for the DayBlessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. May God keep us […]
-
What Are You Eating? Or, Whose Food Are You?
Read more: What Are You Eating? Or, Whose Food Are You?During the first week of Great Lent, in praying the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, I noticed the recurring phrase one night, that we not be possessed nor become the food of demons. That’s a very reasonable prayer, considering the fact that Scripture warns us that “your adversary the devil prowls around like […]
-
At the Annunciation – The Cause of All Things
Read more: At the Annunciation – The Cause of All ThingsI treasure the small volume of George Gabriel, Mary the Untrodden Portal of God. Gabriel occasionally strikes hard at the West and the book would perhaps be strengthened with a less combative approach to the differences of East and West in the faith (my own opinion), but I liked the book and found Gabriel addressing many […]
-
He Burst the Yawning Gates of Hell
Read more: He Burst the Yawning Gates of HellWhom have we, Lord, like you – The Great One who became small, the Wakeful who slept, The Pure One who was baptized, the Living One who died, The King who abased himself to ensure honor for all. Blessed is your honor! St. Ephrem the Syrian For the West, today is Holy Saturday. Thus I […]
-
Of Calendars and Christians
Read more: Of Calendars and ChristiansThis year the Gregorian Calendar and the Julian (and the Revised Julian) differ on the date of Pascha (Easter) by about as much as possible. The story of the calendars, both in the East and West is a very convoluted tale, sometimes requiring a knowledge of math (hence my reluctance to go into the matter). […]
-
The Passions and the Reading of Scripture
Read more: The Passions and the Reading of ScriptureThe following comes from Dumitru Staniloae’s Orthodox Spirituality. It underscores the need for the struggle against the passions if we are to read Scripture rightly. “Man,” says St. Maximus, “has the absolute need for these two things, if he wants to keep the right way to God without error: the spiritual understanding of Scripture and […]
-
The Lost Tradition
Read more: The Lost TraditionMany people think of the loss of various pieces of “Tradition” when they think of the modern, non-Orthodox, churches. Some may think of the loss of liturgical riches or the loss of the canons. Others may see a wholesale change in the spiritual teachings of the Christian faith. When I think of the loss of […]
-
Milestones and Thank You’s
Read more: Milestones and Thank You’sThese things seem to be happening with increasing frequency. I offer my thanks to my many readers. The blog surpassed 600,000 views yesterday. Thank you for continuing to read and for sharing this site with others.
-
The Passion to Consume
Read more: The Passion to ConsumeI have mentioned the role that the passions play in our consumer culture. I would like to write in greater depth about that phenomenon. It permeates our culture – and yet, strangely, I do not find it to be a dominant concern of people when they think about their sins or when they think of […]
-
Means and Ends
Read more: Means and EndsSt. Seraphim of Sarov is quoted as saying, “You cannot achieve good ends through evil means.” I have taken this to be a given since I first read it. It does not mean that God does not work all things together for good. But it does mean that I must consider carefully how I go […]
Michael, Kevin, Abortion is a good example of the law of unintended consequences. For years, conservative voters championed pro-life candidates,…