Month: September 2009

Icons – Beauty and the Salvation of the World

“God will save the World Through Beauty.” This saying, often attributed to Fyodor Dostoevsky, never occurs in precisely this form in his novels – though the idea is present in such a strong sense that the phrase is correctly attributed to him. It is a phrase that is easily misunderstood. For Dostoevsky, in good Orthodox…

September 20, 2009
To See An Icon

My previous post spoke of the world existing “iconically” rather than “literally.” I do not mean that the world cannot be seen in a “literal” fashion – only that the world will not be truly seen if seen only in a literal fashion (there is probably a better word than “literal” to describe this secularized…

September 19, 2009
Is the World Literal or Iconic?

What do you see when you see the world and how do you see it? I have written much about the secular character of our culture and its “literal” view of the world. The world is what you see and nothing more. Significant events take their significance from their own relation to other literal events.…

September 17, 2009
Memory Eternal

A personal note: I received news this evening (September 14) of the falling asleep of my mother, Nancy Freeman, in her home in South Carolina. Her passing was peaceful and marked with words of love. My heart is very full. Earlier today I had given thanks for this 5th anniversary of my parents’ reception into…

September 15, 2009
The Precious and Life-Giving Cross of Christ

The Mystery of our Salvation is contained within the Cross of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. And it is correct to say the “mystery of our salvation,” for what is contained there is more than a cosmic transaction (Christ pays for our sins): it is also the whole of our way of life. It…

September 13, 2009
A Mother’s Word

Amma Syncletica said, “If you start a good work, do not let the enemy discourage you. Your endurance will defeat the enemy. When sailors encounter unfavorable winds they do not toss their cargo overboard or abandon ship. They struggle against the storm for a while and then reestablish their course. If you run into a…

September 12, 2009
The Religion of the Mind and the Religion of the Heart

I write frequently about what I term the Religion of the Heart. Archimandrite Meletios Webber has a short piece on what can be called the Religion of the Mind. The distinction between mind and heart is not a distinction between thought and feeling. Rather it is a distinction between the mind (seat of thoughts and…

September 11, 2009
Doctrines and Opinion

From the Desert Fathers: Malicious sceptics visited Abba Agathon to see if they could annoy him. They had heard that Agathon possessed great discretion and self-control. They spoke directly to him, “Agathon, we heard that you are an adulterer and full of pride.” He answered, “Yes, that’s true.” “Are you the same Agathom who gossips…

September 9, 2009
The Nativity of the Theotokos

Today marks the birth of the Mother of God on the calendar of the Orthodox Church (New Calendar). It is one of the twelve major feasts of the year. It is also a feast which shares a great deal in common with many other events in the course of Scripture – all of which emphasize…

September 8, 2009
The God Gene

September 7, 2009

P.Stephen, reading your response to Janine, my heart rejoiced, because that is exactly it ! Living near a monastery, I…

May God bless and keep you Dimitri. In my own experience after 37 years in the Holy Church only 3…

Wishing everyone a great Resurrection. It is so sad to see so many faces in church only on Holy Friday…

The disciples denied Him, But the thief cried out: “Remember me, O Lord, in Thy Kingdom!” Wow. This resonates.

Janine, Many do not realize the depths of the poetic theology in Orthodox services – we sing texts written by…