Category: Reflections
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You Do Not Have a Modern Heart
You do not have a modern heart. Regardless of what any of us might think of modernity – love it, hate it, mistrust it, cheer it – it is not the stuff of which we are made. Like all cultures of every time, modernity is fleeting, nothing more than a puff of wind. Who we…
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Healing the Soul and Unbelief
I have long been convinced that “believing” is grounded in something other than intellectual activity. I am simply unimpressed by most of the intellectual arguments that I see regarding both belief and unbelief. In both, I hear so much that is unspoken, and even much that is likely hidden from the speakers themselves. That being…
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Finding God Amidst the Noise
If I say one hundred prayers a day in the silence of Katounakia and you say three prayers amidst the tumult of the city and your professional and family obligations, then we are equal. St. Ephraim of Katounakia I ran across this small quote recently and was struck by its insight and typical Orthodox generosity.…
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The Goal of a Lesser Life
From my earliest childhood, I always heard the future spoken of in superlatives: the best, the best possible, etc. There was an unspoken assumption that each human being was uniquely suited to something and that if they found that unique thing and worked at it, they could become the best at something. Some of my…
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Amateur Christianity
For years, there was a term that described non-professional sports (sports played without pay). The term was “amateur,” from the Latin root for “love.” Amateurs were those who played for the “love of the game.” They played at their leisure. There is not an assumption that professionals have no love of the game – but,…
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The Ascetic Imperative – A Matter of Communion
Among the more interesting experiences in my life was the two years spent in a Christian commune. It was not West Coast fancy, much less connected to anything historic such as the Bruderhof. It started with two very zealous Jesus freaks (myself and a friend), an apartment, and something of a necessity thrust on us…
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Playing with God
There are things that children understand instinctively. And the things that children know and understand are worth consideration. They have much to teach us. Among the most natural things children do is play. Depending on how you define play, it is among the first activities in which we engage. It comes to dominate the lives…
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Our Conciliar Existence – Love
We all live in an ecumenical council. We are not all bishops summoned by an Emperor, nor are we great fathers of the Church gathered to declare the deepest wisdom. Nevertheless, we live in an ecumenical council – every minute of every day – and the same test that ever faced the luminaries of the…
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Remembering the End
Orthodox Christianity often seems inherently conservative. The unyielding place that tradition holds within its life seems ready-made for a conservative bulwark against a world all-too-ready to forget everything that is good or beautiful. There are subtle but important distinctions that make this treatment of Orthodoxy misleading and can lead to the distortion of the faith…
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The Sacrament of All Things
How many sacraments does the Orthodox Church have? This is a question that an inquiring 16th century European might have posed. The Catholics had seven, while the Lutherans (and some other Protestants) said there were only two. “Of course,” thought the Orthodox in struggling to answer a question that had never been spoken in the…
Hi Dee…it was in my Amazon recommended books because of past clicks and purchases. Simon: Thank you for your response.…