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What a Caveman Said: To Perceive That Which Is Eternal
Read more: What a Caveman Said: To Perceive That Which Is EternalFr. Alexander Schmemann described “secularism” as the greatest heresy of our time. He didn’t describe it as a political movement, nor a threat from the world outside Christianity. Rather, he described it as a “heresy,” that is, a false teaching from within the Christian faith. What is secularism? Secularism is the belief that the world […]
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Preaching the Gospel to the Poor
Read more: Preaching the Gospel to the PoorA conversation on social media gave rise to this post. ________ And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the […]
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Guilt and Shame – What’s The Difference?
Read more: Guilt and Shame – What’s The Difference?There is a very handy saying that differentiates between guilt and shame. Guilt is about what I have done – shame is about who I am. They are not unrelated, particularly in a culture in which what we do is often given as an answer to the question, “Who are you?” Traditional American culture has […]
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Morality, Shame, and the Acquisition of Virtue
Read more: Morality, Shame, and the Acquisition of Virtue“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” (Matthew 6:3) The experience of shame has many dynamics, permeating the larger part of human behavior. Though some psychologists have dubbed it the “master emotion” it is often unacknowledged and unrecognized. It should come as […]
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Grace Enough
Read more: Grace EnoughSome years ago I was in hospital for a time and not in the least bit happy about it. One sleepless night I was walking the halls of the unit, unable to sleep, and tempted with self-pity. I thought to myself (in rebuke), “Father Arseny endured the Soviet Gulag with more hope and patience than […]
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The Poetry of God
Read more: The Poetry of GodWhoever wants to become a Christian must first become a poet. – St. Pophyrios of Kavsokalyvia St. Porphyrios made this statement in the context of love and suffering: That’s what it is! You must suffer. You must love and suffer–suffer for the one you love. Love makes effort for the loved one. She runs all through […]
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From Desire to Necessity
Read more: From Desire to NecessityI recently re-watched one of the most eye-opening programs on the 20th century, The Century of the Self (BBC 2002). It looks at the development of advertising, particularly the theories and work of Edward Bernays. You’ve seen his work, but you didn’t know it. He was one of the pioneers of modern advertising as […]
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What To Do With What You Know
Read more: What To Do With What You KnowIn a world driven by information, it is more than a little easy to mistake knowing something as important and good in and of itself. As such, the acquisition of spiritual information is something of a going industry. In a Russian novel written back in the 90’s, a woman intellectual encounters a monk who is […]
Breathtaking how after a lifetime of thinking myself a normally thoughtful person, I encounter an insightful interpretation as if for…