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Harlots and Drunkards at the Last Banquet
Read more: Harlots and Drunkards at the Last BanquetSince we were thinking about Dostoevsky… Once a week I teach a class at a local alcohol and drug treatment program. It is on the “spirituality of recovery.” Recently I shared Marmaladov’s speech from Crime and Punishment (at the end of this article). There were tears in the room. For many, the version of the gospel they […]
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The Marriage of Love and Hate
Read more: The Marriage of Love and HateThe genius of Dostoevsky lies in the profound theological insight of his tumbled novels. They can be difficult reads for many people – particularly in our modern setting. He has “too many characters” and they “talk a lot.” His characters are complex: I was a scoundrel, and yet, I loved God… Good and evil are […]
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We Will Not Make the World a Better Place
Read more: We Will Not Make the World a Better PlaceI have written previously about various aspects of the “Modern Project.” It is the world we live in. Its ideas and assumptions enter our thoughts with no critical inspection or hesitancy. We are modern. However, the gospel is not modern and many ideas of Modernity are contrary to the gospel. It is necessary, therefore, as […]
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A Generous Repentance
Read more: A Generous RepentanceI have learned over time to expect cultural expressions of the Orthodox faith that are mentioned nowhere in books and articles. Many of these surround major life events and their sacraments: Baptism, Marriage, Funerals. And so I was not surprised when the family of a recently deceased Romanian in my community called me for help […]
Enemies, Existence, Modernity, Morality, Orthodox Christianity, Repentance, Thankfulness, Union with God
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The American Apocalypse
Read more: The American ApocalypseAmerica was founded by religious people – their imagination became a nation. Among their most powerful ideas was an apocalyptic hunger: they believed God was doing something new in the world and that they were its harbingers. One visionary described his colony as “a city set on a hill.” It’s a heady thing to invent […]
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The Babel Syndrome
Read more: The Babel SyndromeIn the liturgical life of the Church, the event of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and they began to speak in various languages, is linked to the story of the Tower of Babel in the Old Testament. There, too, people began to speak in different languages but with an entirely different […]
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Some Poems for Pentecost
Read more: Some Poems for PentecostSt. Porphyrios said that to become a Christian one needed first to be a poet. This has nothing to do with arranging words, but everything to do with hearing words. Words, like everything else in our world, hide far more than they reveal. God has so arranged His world that its treasure is reserved for those […]
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Pentecost and the Liturgy of Hades
Read more: Pentecost and the Liturgy of HadesPascha (Easter) comes with a great note of joy in the Christian world. Christ is risen from the dead and our hearts rejoice. That joy begins to wane as the days pass. Our lives settle back down to the mundane tasks at hand. After 40 days, the Church marks the Feast of the Ascension, often […]
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The Erotic Language of Prayer
Read more: The Erotic Language of PrayerThe very heart of true prayer is desire, love. In the language of the Fathers this desire is called eros. Modern usage has corrupted the meaning of “erotic” to only mean sexual desire – but it is a profound word, without substitute in the language of the Church. I offer a quote from Dr. Timothy […]
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I guess I did! I suppose I just needed you to confirm it. I really appreciate the comments section; I…
Kate, “Successful” is a word that covers a wide range. I think you’ve answered your own question.
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Thank you Esmée I will take a look at those
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Esmée, et al: I have started reading one of the books you recommended (The Sunflower). I’m not sure about the…