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Living with Ignorance
Read more: Living with IgnoranceFaith tells us some things – the Holy Scriptures serve as another source of revelation – the Holy Tradition of the Church also informs us of much – but, nevertheless, in the face of all these things our lives are still largely lived in ignorance. It’s not that we cannot memorize Scripture (some memorize much […]
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To Care for the Heart
Read more: To Care for the HeartThere is a term one runs across frequently, particularly in Russian spiritual writing. It is the word; prelest. I have seen it translated any number of ways – but at its heart it’s meaning is quite simple. It is failing or ceasing to care about the state of one’s spiritual life. It is a sort […]
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Forgiveness and the Kingdom
Read more: Forgiveness and the KingdomI am grateful for the patience of my readers – I have written less in the past few weeks – instead mostly posting quotes from the Fathers. It’s not a laziness on my part but an opportunity to go to a well that is far deeper than myself and a great help when I am […]
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Why We Fast
Read more: Why We FastI was asked last year by an acquaintance in town: “Does your Church observe Lent?” I quickly explained that we did. I was then asked how our Church fasted, and I explained something of the general outlines of Orthodox fasting. They then said to me that they needed their nourishment and instead had taken up […]
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Forgiveness and Paradise – Dostoevsky
Read more: Forgiveness and Paradise – DostoevskyThis small passage from Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov, has always been among my favorites within literature. It is the story of the death of Markel, the brother of Zossima, who will later become a great monastic elder. The words of his brother Markel serve as something of a summary of the elder’s theology and among the […]
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The Last Judgment
Read more: The Last JudgmentThis Sunday, as part of the pre-Lenten calendar in the Orthodox Church, is known as the Sunday of the Last Judgment, because the gospel reading is taken from the Parable of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25. It is a very proper subject for meditation as the Church makes preparation for Great Lent and its […]
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Holy Humility is Complete Trust in God – Elder Porphyrios
Read more: Holy Humility is Complete Trust in God – Elder PorphyriosFrom the Elder Porphyrios, Wounded by Love. Complete trust in God – that’s what holy humility is. Complete obedience to God, without protest, without reaction, even when some things seem difficult and unreasonable. Abandonment to the hands of God. The words we repeat during the Divine Liturgy say it all: ‘Let us commend our whole […]
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Fasting Without Force
Read more: Fasting Without ForceThe following is taken from Wounded by Love: the Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios You don’t become holy by fighting evil. Let evil be. Look towards Christ and that will save you. What makes a person saintly is love – the adoration of Christ which cannot be expressed, which is beyond expression, which is […]
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Salvation by Grace and Just Showing Up
Read more: Salvation by Grace and Just Showing UpThere has been a tendency in much teaching about the notion of salvation by grace to ground the image in a legal or forensic metaphor. Thus, we are saved by grace in the sense that someone else’s goodwill and kindness (God’s) has now freed us from the consequences of our actions. Thus we speak of […]
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To Hear the Word of God Frequently
Read more: To Hear the Word of God FrequentlyI would not want to give a wrong impression that an Orthodox Christian needs less Scripture. We need more – but it should be used in a right manner. Many so-called Bible studies simply increase information in an already information-overloaded world. We need not so much information as the powerful work of the Word of […]
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Wolfgang, I don’t know. Sorry.
Where I can find the Orthodox Catholic Review of the pioneer of Western Orthodoxy Julian Joseph Overbeck (1821-1905), formaly a…
Going off Mark’s musings about Judas, I suspect there are always more layers and nuances than can be transmitted through…
This was a great message and reminder of the depth of the betrayal of Christ and what this means for…
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I am wishing all of you well. Sadly I cannot attend the Pascha service here in my city. I don´t…