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All Dogs Go to Heaven
Read more: All Dogs Go to HeavenThe fathers do not agree utterly on the question of animals and eternal life – so the question of their eternal disposition is never answered in a manner that satisfies. But there are a few things worth pondering about the lives of animals (of which I have chosen dogs as representatives). Animals, like all creation, […]
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The Language of Silence
Read more: The Language of SilenceThe language of the heart is silence—not a bleak, empty silence, but a profound and meaningful silence that ceaselessly sings the glory of God. Archimandrite Meletios Webber +++ The language…is silence. I will violate this wonderful oxymoron by speaking about the silence. It is the inherent problem with all theology. We use words to speak […]
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The Mystery, Upborne, Fulfilled
Read more: The Mystery, Upborne, FulfilledOrthodoxy has a number of “favorite” words – all of which fall outside the bounds of normal speech. Though we commonly use the word “mystery” (for example), popular speech never uses it in the manner of the Church. I cannot remember using the word “fullness,” or even “fulfilled,” in normal speech. More contemporary words have […]
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The Presence in the Absence
Read more: The Presence in the AbsenceSince I’ve started the topic of mystical knowledge of God, I thought to repost this from 2010. I was reminded of it by a wonderful reflection by Jan Bear on OCN – an enjoyable read. There is a strange aspect to the presence of God in the world around us. That aspect is His apparent […]
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To Know What You Cannot Know
Read more: To Know What You Cannot KnowYou cannot know God – but you have to know Him to know that. – Fr. Thomas Hopko +++ This small quote from Fr. Thomas has stayed with me since I first heard it. It says so much by saying so little. I find two groups of people increasingly common in my conversations – those […]
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A Letter from Butyrskaya Prison – Pascha, 1928
Read more: A Letter from Butyrskaya Prison – Pascha, 1928Serge Schmemann, son of Fr. Alexander Schmemann, in his wonderful little book, Echoes of a Native Land, records a letter written from one of his family members of an earlier generation, who spent several years in the prisons of the Soviets and died there. The letter, written on the night of Pascha in 1928 is to […]
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Christos Voskrese! Christ is Risen!
Read more: Christos Voskrese! Christ is Risen!Pascha has begun (though about 12 hours away here in the Eastern United States). But if you listen carefully, you can begin to hear the bells sounding from the East. Christ is risen! This delightful youtube video is a favorite of mine. One of our readers and occasional commenter, Dejan, (without a doubt my favorite […]
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Preaching to the Dead
Read more: Preaching to the DeadThe Orthodox mark Holy Saturday (the day before Christ’s Resurrection) as the day in which He descends to the dead and preaches to the departed spirits (1 Peter 3:18-19). There is a long history of wonderful sermons on this topic. St. Cyril of Alexandria (early 5th century) says: “For having destroyed hell and opened the impassable […]
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Crying Stones
Read more: Crying StonesChrist’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, complete with cheering crowds and branches of palm, was upsetting to the religious authorities of the time. The salutation of “Hosanna to the Son of David,” was a direct reference to His messiahship – a claim of kingship that carried political overtones. The warning of the authorities (Luke 19:39) is […]
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In Lazarus’ Tomb
Read more: In Lazarus’ TombLargely ignored by much of Christendom, the Orthodox celebrate “Lazarus Saturday” on the day before Palm Sunday. It is something of a “prequel” to the next weekend’s Pascha. It is, indeed a little Pascha just before the greater one. And this, of course, was arranged by Christ Himself, who raised His friend Lazarus from the […]
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Thank you, Father Stephen. To clarify, I don’t think I entirely lack empathy because part of what I’m describing is…
Thanks so much Fr. Stephen as always.
Matthew, The sharing of communion is not problematic because of different understandings – it is because we are not in…
Thanks Fr. Stephen. I was only asking because you mentioned in a previous comment: “To a great extent, the difference…
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Mark, Don’t get me wrong – over the years, I’ve certainly been exhausted from time to time. But, generally, I…