Glory to God For All Things

October 26, 2008

The Meaning of Scripture

What is the meaning of Scripture? Where do we look for it and how is it found? It is interesting to listen to the disarray of voices on this subject. My early training, in college and later in a liberal protestant seminary, was to look, first, to “authorial intent” (to use a constitutional interpretive phrase), […]
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Icons, Liturgy, Orthodox Christianity, Scripture, Tradition
October 24, 2008

When Creation Speaks

An interesting theme within the holy Scriptures is the “voice of Creation.” The famous Old Testament Canticle, Song of the Three Young Men, in English traditionally known as the Benedicite, omnia opera Domini, and which in Orthodoxy forms the basis of the Seventh and Eighth odes of the Canon, very famously calls on creation to […]
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Knowledge of God, Orthodox Christianity, Scripture, The Sacraments, Union with God
October 23, 2008

The Mystery of Words – Prayers by the Lake XXVII

by St. Nikolai of Zicha Your birds awaken me in the morning, and the murmur of the lake lulls me to sleep in the evening. But it is not the birds that awaken me, nor the lake that lulls me to sleep, but You, O Lord, Master of the voice. You lend Your voice to […]
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Knowledge of God, Orthodox Christianity, The Journey of Faith
October 22, 2008

In the Image of God

In the life of the saints, “repetition” or “copying” is the most creative act: it is the mystery of the Tradition of the Holy Spirit. The way to the acquisition of this holy Tradition was first indicated by the great Apostle Paul, “Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 […]
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Knowledge of God, Orthodox Christianity, Prayer, The Church, The Journey of Faith
October 20, 2008

True Theology

From the book, The Enlargement of the Heart, by Archimandrite Zacharias: For Elder Sophrony [Sakharov], theology was the state of being in God….theology was for him the description of the event of his meeting with Christ when he was caught up and saw the divine Light. [as described earlier in the text]. (For him theology […]
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Knowledge of God, Orthodox Christianity, Prayer, The Journey of Faith
October 17, 2008

Reading Rightly

The course of your reading should be parallel to the aim of your way of life…. Most books that contain instructions in doctrine are not useful for purification. The reading of many diverse books brings distraction of mind down on you. Know, then, that not every book that teaches about religion is useful for the […]
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Knowledge of God, Orthodox Christianity, Scripture, The Journey of Faith
October 16, 2008

Without Distraction

A desert hermit, dear to God and often in prayer, was joined by two angels as he walked, one on each side. He tried to pay them no attention. He did not want to be distracted from his conversation with Christ. From the Desert Fathers This is one of the great religious tragedies of our […]
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Orthodox Christianity
October 16, 2008

What Can One Man Do?

In our modern world we sometimes forget that a single person is not able to do much on their own. If Wittgenstein was right, then we really can’t do anything on our own. We live, for good or ill, within a culture, within a social matrix that makes most aspects of our life possible. Language […]
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Culture, Orthodox Christianity, The Church, The Journey of Faith
October 14, 2008

Cultures of Remembrance

I grew up in a “culture of remembrance.” By that, I mean that the history of the place in which I lived was far more a matter of discussion and meaning than the present or the future. That culture was the American South. Much of the remembrance we discussed was not true – just a […]
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Culture, Icons, Last Things, Orthodox Christianity, Relics, The Journey of Faith
October 13, 2008

Remembrance

St. Macarius said, “If we remember the evil that others have done to us, we shut down our ability to remember God.” From the Desert Fathers Memory is a very powerful thing. The older I get, and the more of my earthly life lies behind me instead of before me, memory becomes indeed powerful. I […]
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Knowledge of God, Liturgy, Orthodox Christianity, Prayer, The Sacraments

Father , I love stories like this about Geoffrey Wainwright and your pursuit to study under his direction! Providentially almost…

Dee, You’re right, across the board. There are strengths and weaknesses everywhere. It’s one of the reasons I keep pointing…

Dear Father, I appreciate your elaboration about the scripture very much. Your guidance has always been a beacon of light.…

Mallory, Dee, I should note that both Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Damick have their bishop’s blessing in…

Mallory, Please forgive me for one more thought. I say this because of how you express your distress regarding what…