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The Inherent Violence of Modernity
Read more: The Inherent Violence of ModernityThe calm voice at the helm says, “Make it so…” and with it, the mantra of modernity is invoked. The philosophy that governs our culture is rooted in violence, the ability to make things happen and to control the outcome. It is a deeply factual belief. We can indeed make things happen, and, in a […]
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A Single Moment
Read more: A Single MomentGrushenka, a character in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, relates a now-famous fable about an old woman: Once upon a time there was a woman, and she was wicked as wicked could be, and she died. And not one good deed was left behind her. The devils took her and threw her into the lake […]
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A Full Life
Read more: A Full LifeWhat constitutes a full life? In a consumer culture, I would suppose a full life to be one of maximum consumption, enjoyment, and productivity. We like being happy. Would a full life include suffering? The answer to such questions, for Christians, are found in Christ Himself. Christ alone fulfills what it means to be truly human. […]
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The Wisdom to Know the Difference
Read more: The Wisdom to Know the DifferenceOur culture changes things. One of its myths is that changing things results in a better world. And so we endure unending advertisements for the newest, the latest, and the improved. Very few things, apart from medications, are tested for their consequences. As such, we are a society in perpetual experiment. It reminds me of […]
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The Erotic Language of Prayer
Read more: The Erotic Language of PrayerThe very heart of true prayer is desire, love. In the language of the Fathers this desire is called eros. Modern usage has corrupted the meaning of “erotic” to only mean sexual desire – but it is a profound word, without substitute in the language of the Church. I offer a quote from Dr. Timothy […]
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Drag My Soul to Paradise
Read more: Drag My Soul to ParadiseA Prayer to Our Lord Jesus Christ My most merciful and all-merciful God, O Lord Jesus Christ! In Thy great love, Thou didst come down and become flesh in order to save all. Again, I pray Thee, save me by Grace! If Thou shouldst save me because of my deeds, it would not be a […]
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Do You Ever Think About Being A Hobbit?
Read more: Do You Ever Think About Being A Hobbit?I stumbled into the Tolkien novels as a teenager (in the 60’s). They were a gift from an Aunt and so collected dust on a shelf for a year or more. A virus turned me into a shut-in for a short season, and I dusted them off out of sheer boredom. I extended my illness […]
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The Power in Thought – It’s Not What You Think
Read more: The Power in Thought – It’s Not What You ThinkAmong the dark little corners of the Orthodox world, particularly in its ethnic homelands, is a left-over trace of witchcraft (I don’t know what else to call it). It consists of a collection of superstitions, often mixed with semi-Orthodox notions. There are concerns about the “evil-eye,” “curses,” “spells,” and such. These things are “left-overs” […]
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Obstacles to Faith in the Modern World
Read more: Obstacles to Faith in the Modern WorldMy writing and thoughts often carry me to the “edges” – to the edge of unbelief and to the edge of the depths of belief. My instinct for these places is an instinct for the obstacles to faith. Why do some believe and others not? And what is the exact nature of belief and unbelief? […]
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Bookends and the Resurrection
Read more: Bookends and the ResurrectionA series of recent conversations with a parishioner turned up the problem of “bookends,” that is, questions of the beginning and the end. It is only natural in our day and age to attack problems in this manner. “How did it start?” is a way of saying, “What is it?” The end, of course, is […]
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I echo Owen´s words Michael.
Fr. Stephen, You both have been an inspiration to me. Two bright lights of faithful creativity in American Orthodoxy. For…
Owen, Jonathan is a dear friend. Some years back (maybe 2015-2016 or so) we did some speaking engagements together -…
The Canadian iconographer, Jonathan Pageau, specializes in icon carving. I think it’s an interesting middle ground between paint-on-board iconography and…
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Dear Fr. Stephen, thank you for this insightful post about the Orthodox view of religious experience. I had what I…