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Mystery as Reality
Read more: Mystery as RealityC.S. Lewis once discussed the question of how angels (and such things) could pass through a wall. His response was intriguing: he suggested that they could do so not because they were less substantial, but because they were more substantial. Just as a rock is more substantial than water or air, so, he posited, an angel […]
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The Mystery of “Mystery”
Read more: The Mystery of “Mystery”Few words can be more misleading to the modern ear than the Orthodox use of the word “mystery.” It’s a fine New Testament word and is (technically) the proper name for the sacraments in Orthodoxy (though we most often say ‘sacrament’ in English). Its root meaning is that of something “hidden.” In our culture’s language, […]
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Healing the Inner Pharisee
Read more: Healing the Inner PhariseeI cannot remember the name of my kindergarten teacher. I cannot remember the names of any of my first grade classmates. However, I have a very vivid memory of the only word I messed up in a first grade reading group: cupboard. I read, “Cup board.” Old Mother Hubbard would have been dismayed. In the […]
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Hope: The Unashamed Virtue
Read more: Hope: The Unashamed VirtueThis past year, my wife and I developed a delightful habit of “Monday’s with Eli.” He is my soon-to-be 5 year-old grandson. He has a nearly 4 month-old baby brother, whose time in the womb was the occasion for our weekly baby-sitting duties. With my retirement, his presence was a new challenge to “find things […]
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The Religious Nature of Modern Life
Read more: The Religious Nature of Modern LifeOn a daily basis, I have become increasingly aware of the “religious” nature of almost the whole of modern life. That might seem to be an odd observation when the culture in which we live largely describes itself as “secular.” That designation, however, only has meaning in saying that the culture does not give allegiance […]
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The Essential Goodness of All Things
Read more: The Essential Goodness of All ThingsThere are certain foundational matters within the Orthodox teaching of the faith that should be settled in our hearts as we think about the faith, or even as we go through our day. Among those is the simple affirmation that all of creation is inherently and essentially good. We hear this first from the lips […]
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Does Goodness Require the Possibility of Evil?
Read more: Does Goodness Require the Possibility of Evil?In a world in which the action of choosing is exalted above all else, it is not surprising to hear that “evil is necessary in order to have the good.” I have seen this conversation, cast in a number of ways. It is stock-in-trade for some quasi-religious systems. I have seen it in spades […]
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The Meekness of God
Read more: The Meekness of GodWhen Cecil B. DeMille cast Charlton Heston in the role of Moses in the 1956 film, The Ten Commandments, he had in mind a very American version of the central story of the Old Testament. The 50’s were deep in the heart of the Cold War with Communism. The film became a vehicle for America’s […]
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Doing the Good You Can Do
Read more: Doing the Good You Can DoI re-publish articles from the past from time-to-time. Usually, they are from years back. This post is from last August. However, in light of recent conversations, it seemed worth re-posting much sooner… +++ St. John the Baptist confronted a difficult question. Soldiers came to him (it’s not clear what kind of soldiers these were). We […]
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The Last Temptation
Read more: The Last TemptationI have pondered, from time to time, the oddity of Christ’s “last” temptation. The first temptation was that of turning stones into bread, the second, that of throwing Himself down from the Temple. The third and last temptation, however, was to be given “all the kingdoms of this world.” I understand hunger. Fasting for 40 […]
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Thank you for your comment to Dee, Fr. Stephen. I could not sleep last night because of the violence I…
Thanks Fr. Stephen. Fr. Stephen said: “The terrible sins that erupt on a daily basis across the world are more…
Matthew, It was, doubtless a mixed bag.
Dee, The character, Father Zossima, in The Brothers Karamazov, teaches that “each man is guilty of the sins of the…
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Father Stephen, [quote]The character, Father Zossima, in The Brothers Karamazov, teaches that “each man is guilty of the sins of…