Glory to God For All Things

September 3, 2012

Icons in a Literal World

The Scripture tells us that the “pure in heart shall see God.” I have always assumed that this describes a present event and not a promise about a distant life after death. We do not see God now, because our hearts are not pure. In the same manner, we do not see the reality of […]
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Beauty, Heart, Icons, Orthodox Christianity
September 3, 2012

Keep the Peace

Preserve your inner peace at any cost. Do not trade your inner peace for anything in the world. Make peace with yourself, and heaven and earth will make peace with you. I recall an Anglican abbot once saying that during the Vietnam War his monastery had many visitors and inquirers. He noted many of the […]
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Heart, Orthodox Christianity
August 31, 2012

Justice Enough?

The human desire for justice is insatiable. And that is a problem. It is a problem because an insatiable desire can never be satisfied: there is no end to our desire for justice. It is a problem because many Christians use justice as a lens for understanding the work of our salvation. The fathers have a term for […]
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Atonement, Orthodox Christianity
August 28, 2012

On the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets

Now therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the […]
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Interpretation, Orthodox Christianity, Scripture
August 27, 2012

The Mystery of the Forerunner

There is a unanimous witness in the Christian gospels concerning the place of St. John the Baptist. In the Orthodox world he is generally referred to as the Forerunner. All of the gospels agree that he plays a key role in the coming of the Messiah. It is a role that is largely ignored by […]
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Feasts, Hell, Orthodox Christianity, Saints
August 21, 2012

Life in a Sacramental World

At the ordination of a priest, the consecrated Body of Christ is placed in his hands. He is told to “Guard this!” until the coming of Christ. It is a very solemn moment – the beginning of a lifetime in which a man’s relationship to bread will never be the same. It is also something […]
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Orthodox Christianity, The Sacraments
August 15, 2012

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Orthodox Christians (New Calendar) commemorate the death (Dormition) of the Virgin Mary today. For those for whom such feasts are foreign, it is easy to misunderstand what the Orthodox are about – and to assume that this is simply a feast to Mary because we like that sort of thing. Flippant attitudes fail to perceive […]
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Mother of God, Orthodox Christianity
August 8, 2012

The Sacrament of the Heart

Scholars of the New Testament occasionally conjecture about what is termed the ipsissima verba of Christ, the “very words themselves.” It is a term for those sayings that are considered historically authentic beyond question. One saying which in my opinion belongs to such a category are the so-called “words of institution” (“this is my body…this […]
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Heart, Orthodox Christianity, The Sacraments
July 25, 2012

God’s Grandmother

Today is the patronal feast of my parish, St. Anne. St. Anne (Anna) was the wife of St. Joachim. Joachim and Anna were the parents of the Virgin Mary, according to the early tradition of the Church. In Orthodox commemorations they are referred to as the “ancestors of God.” It is a shocking title, perhaps […]
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Mother of God, Orthodox Christianity, Saints
July 20, 2012

Rational Sheep and the Word of God

Any parent who has raised a child has witnessed the miracle of human language. Even children with handicaps find ways to communicate except in the most extreme circumstance. The genius of language is not something we learn – it is instinctual for human beings. Those who study linguistics and neurobiology recognize that we have an […]
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Beauty, Knowledge of God, Orthodox Christianity

Jenny, It’s not a problem. God give us all grace.

Father, I did not realize, as I was writing out my last comment, that in the light of Orthodoxy, its…

Thanks so much Mark, Justin, Drewster and Fr. Stephen!

Matthew, Over the years Fr. Stephen has spoken about healthy shame being the important and necessary respecting of boundaries. My…

Justin, Matthew, et al A key to “healthy” shame is simply the fact that it’s an emotion reacting to something…