Tag: Orthodox Christianity

Christmas Throughout the Ages

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 19 Leave a Comment on %s
I’ll have to ask for forgiveness at the outset on this post – mostly because of its speculative nature – something I generally prefer not to engage in – at least not for others to read. The Incarnation of Christ is significant in the course of our salvation – but we all too easily look at the story from a mere moral or soteriological point of view and fail to stop and…

To See the Heavenly Country

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 18 Leave a Comment on %s
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they…

Brighter Than Any Royal Chamber

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 29 Leave a Comment on %s
At the end of the Great Entrance, when the priest places the Holy Gifts on the altar, there are several verses which he repeats quietly. They are all deeply meaningful to me, but one has been on my heart much of late: “Bearing life and more fruitful than paradise, brighter than any royal chamber: Thy tomb, O Christ, is the fountain of our resurrection.” For me, these words point to the true…

The Doorway to Bethlehem

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 12 Leave a Comment on %s
As we draw near to the feast of the Nativity, Bethlehem looms ever larger in my mind. At the same time, the entrance to Bethlehem appears as well. This article, posted on Christmas of last year, draws attention to the unusual feature of the entrance of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. We all have a journey to complete before we reach the manger of the Christ Child. This article describes…

The Heart of Forgiveness

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 16 Leave a Comment on %s
Nothing is more difficult to our heart than forgiveness of our enemies. I cannot complete this small series on the heart without a few words on this topic. This post was written last March. I cannot think that any of my readers is a stranger to forgiveness, either the need to be forgiven or the need to forgive. The need to forgive, according to the commandment of Christ, extends well beyond those…

Guard Your Heart

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 25 Leave a Comment on %s
I often think about the admonition of the fathers to “guard your heart.” It seems so obvious to me that the disposition of my heart has everything to do with how I will perceive and react to everything around me. An anxious heart perceives everything as a threat – a disaster or vexation in the making. An angry heart perceives the slightest hindrance as a great provocation. A sad heart can have…

A Heart Without Exits

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 18 Leave a Comment on %s
The following is a short collection of sayings from the Elder Epiphanios of Athens (1930-1989). They are quoted from the text, Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit. True love is like the flame of a candle. However many candles you light from the flame, the initial flame remains unaffected. It doesn’t lessen at all. And every freshly lit candle has as much flame as the others do. I want whoever is near…

Ever Being Formed in our Heart

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 42 Leave a Comment on %s
In our modern world we sometimes forget that a single person is not able to do much on their own. If Wittgenstein was right, then we really can’t do anything on our own. We live, for good or ill, within a culture, within a social matrix that makes most aspects of our life possible. Language is a social construct; world-views are a social construct; family is a social construct and I could…

The Treasures of the Heart

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 19 Leave a Comment on %s
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34-35 The heart itself is but a small vessel, yet dragons are there, and there are also lions; there are poisonous beasts and all the treasures of evil. But there too…

The Heart is Everything

· Fr. Stephen Freeman 48 Leave a Comment on %s
As a conversational note… there is no “rational” form of conversation between believer and non-believer (or for that matter between believer and believer).  The word “rational” alone does not sufficiently describe nor set proper parameters for conversations. “Rational” is a very broad term. I would recommend the American philosopher, Alastair MacIntyre (Whose Justice, Which Rationality?) for those who still hold the mistaken opinion that rationality has any universality in its meaning. The…