Category: Orthodox Christianity
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A Relationship With God?
What is the nature of a relationship with God? It is commonplace in our modern parlance to speak of a “personal relationship” which is either redundant, or a way of weakening the true meaning of “personal.” I suspect that the modern meaning of “relationship” is in fact not capable of bearing the true weight of…
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St. Nektarios of Aegina Sings (or wrote hymns)
Today is the feast day of St. Nektarios of Aegina, whose hymn “O Virgin Pure,” is among the most popular modern hymns in the Orthodox Church. Here it is sung by monks of Valaam Monastery (in Russian). An English translation follows. Saints sing. O Virgin Pure by St. Nectarios Plagal First Tone (Tone 5) Refrain:…
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Talking Theology
I learned during years of theological study that it is possible to give a “theological account” of almost anything and even make it sound cogent. Of course everything that sounds cogent is not necessarily true. In my morning paper I read the following account from a local Church. It was under the heading, “Cafe Worship”:…
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I Don’t Know About That
A hermit advised, “If someone speaks to you about a controversy, do not argue with him. If what he says makes sense, say, ‘Yes,’ If his comments are misguided, say, ‘I don’t know anything about that.’ If you refuse to dispute with his ideas, your mind will be at peace.” +++ There is an element…
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Wrong Turns and the Providence of God
The following is, in part, a response to a comment posted earlier today. It seemed worth sharing more prominently, since not everyone reads comments. These are some thoughts on the Providence of God and its work in our lives. I think there is absolutely such a thing as Providence (not that we have much of…
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Learning to Sin
This morning I had a chance in a conversation to remember Stanley Hauerwas with whom I studied in my time at Duke in the late 80’s (and early 90’s). This article begins with a reflection from a Hauerwas contention: “that sin is something you have to learn.” It is typical of his thought – startling…
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Words from an Elder – And a Thought about Trees
I am sharing here a few sayings from the Elder Amphilochios of Patmos, someone whose life and teachings I have heard spoken of before by Metropolitian Kallistos of Diocleia (Kallistos Ware). They are worth savoring. The quotes come from the volume Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit. I am especially fond of his attitude to trees.…
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Not to Judge
In a monastery there were two remarkable brothers who soon merited to see the grace of God descend upon each other. Now one day it happened that one of them went out of the monastery on a Friday and saw someone who was eating in the morning, and he said to him, ‘Why are you…
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The Argument
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. For many years, two hermits lived together without any conflict or disagreement. One suggested they have a quarrel to see how others live. The other answered, “I don’t know how to start a quarrel.” The first said, “Look, I’ll put this brick…
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To Live Without Distraction
Abba Arsenius avoided discussion of the Scripture, even though he was an excellent expositor. He was also reluctant to write letters to anyone. When he attended public worship, he sat behind a pillar to prevent himself or others from being distracted. Writing as I do is a great distraction (sometimes for me, sometimes for others).…
Fr. Stephen said: “I gave up any debate about evolution/creation long ago. Obviously, God is the Creator of heaven and…