Category: Orthodox Christianity
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Traditions and the Keeping of Family
It would be easy to speak of families keeping traditions – we all have them – some of them silly – some of them profound. Some are inherited from generations, others develop completely independent of what has gone before. What I know, as the father of four (most now grown), is at least two things:…
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The Forefathers of Christ
Among the greatest blasphemies ever constructed by humankind was that of Nazi Germany. Not satisfied with their political dominance, they also sought a religious dominance as well. The notion of an “Aryan Christ” was perhaps the depths of their theological blasphemies mirrored in their dehumanization and murder of the Jews. At many points in the…
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Keeping It Real
I have mentioned in earlier posts the new work by Aristotle Papanikolaou Being with God. It is not an easy read but brings its rewards. Papanikolaou offers the first comprehensive study of the works of Met. John Zizioulas and Vladimir Lossky, two of the 20th century’s most important Orthodox theologians, and offers a very helpful…
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Apparently the Stakes are Being Raised
In a society marked by tragedies, it cannot be surprising that another lone gunman has let loose on a crowd (last week it was a mall, this week it was a Church and a Missions Center). More alarming was the reported “rant” that the young shooter posted on the internet in between the shooting at…
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If We Walk in the Light…
Some further thoughts beyond nature… In my previous post I quoted: “For the Fathers, indeed, personhood is freedom in relation to nature: it eludes all conditioning.” Perhaps my favorite and most reliable theological “buddy” is my wife. No one has the same shared history (we’ve known each other since I was 19 – we met…
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Beyond Nature
Doing a little less than light reading today, I came across the following quote: “For the Fathers, indeed, personhood is freedom in relation to nature: it eludes all conditioning.” The true person then is one that is free, not so much to do something, but from the limitations of nature. From Papanikolaou’s Being with God,…
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Change of Plans
Thank you to those who prayed for my trip to the monastery for early this week. Minor health issues intervened and we’ve postponed that outing. May God put the kindness of your prayers to His own good use.
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A Poem
Come, Lord Jesus, and enter these spaces profaned and yet made holy, Come and abide in us and quicken us with the Light of Thy Presence. Amen. Amen. Amen. Bread and Cup and the Hidden God made manifest, Given to the Hidden Bride manifested only as the hidden faith of broken hearts. “In the fear…
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Silent Sentinels and the Saints Among Us
Like many, I recall my highschool years somewhat vividly. Our school was of moderate size with a personal history for most students that increased its impact. It opened in 1965 with grades 7 through 12, among the earliest accomodations in our county to the “baby boom” phenomenon. Existing schools simply could not handle the growing…
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St. Nikolai Velimirovich – A Saint of the Modern World
Rachel, My wife asks me the same question, and has offered to help me with that task. So the answer…