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The Tangled Web
Read more: The Tangled WebSir Walter Scott (1808) famously wrote: “O what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” A modern pundit has rephrased it: “Always tell the truth…it’s easier to remember.” Lies inevitably create a web of false narratives. In many ways, it’s a metaphor for sin itself. Sin begets sin that begets sin […]
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The Mount of Transfiguration and the Bridal Chamber of Christ
Read more: The Mount of Transfiguration and the Bridal Chamber of ChristThere is a propensity in our modern world to break things down – to analyze. We have gained a certain mastery over many things by analyzing the various components of their structure and manipulating what we find. It has become the default position for modern thought. This power of analysis, however, is weakened by its […]
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Saving Knowledge and Blessed Ignorance
Read more: Saving Knowledge and Blessed IgnoranceA friend of mine recently noted that the middle of the road is the “narrowest way,” being but a single line. Increasingly, it has been clear to me that it is a path that requires true self-control and sobriety. When we speak of what we know, we must remember what we do not know. And […]
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A Particular Scandal
Read more: A Particular ScandalA character in a Peanuts cartoon once declared, “I love mankind! It’s people I can’t stand!” The statement accurately describes our problems with the particular. It is easy to love almost anything in general – it is the particular that brings problems. Nowhere could this be more true than with God. Speaking about God in the […]
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A Truly Rational Faith
Read more: A Truly Rational FaithSt. Paul notes that “faith works through love” (Gal. 5:6). This describes the very heart of the ascetic life. Only love extends itself in the self-emptying struggle against the passions without becoming lost in the solipsism of asceticism for its own sake. It is love that endures the contradictions of reality without turning away or […]
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Abraham, the Righteous, and the Prayers of Our Holy Fathers
Read more: Abraham, the Righteous, and the Prayers of Our Holy FathersMany services of the Church conclude with this prayer: “Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and save us!” Since we ourselves are praying directly to Christ, why do we invoke the prayers of others? Are our prayers so weak, or is His mercy so hard to […]
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Saving My Neighbor – Just How Connected Are We?
Read more: Saving My Neighbor – Just How Connected Are We?If you are in the “helping professions,” confronting problems in people’s lives, it doesn’t take long to realize that no one is purely and simply an individual. The problems we suffer may occasionally appear to be “of our own making,” but that is the exception rather than the rule. Whether we are thinking of […]
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The Goal of a Lesser Life
Read more: The Goal of a Lesser LifeFrom 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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Finding God Amidst the Noise
Read more: Finding God Amidst the NoiseIf 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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Healing the Soul and Unbelief
Read more: Healing the Soul and UnbeliefI 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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Thank you so much Michael. May He also bless you with His Grace!
Thank you, Dee. May the Lord’s blessing continue for you.
“Grace can enable us to discern the Cross in places where we least expect it. And, sometimes, grace can enable…
Also, I was looking through several prayers from the Antiochian Red Prayer Book that emphasize our heart’s proper orientation and…
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Thanks for your thoughts Dee. Be blessed.