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Reading Scripture in the Kingdom
Read more: Reading Scripture in the KingdomThat which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (Joh 3:6) It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (Joh 6:63) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh […]
Allegory, Interpretation, Morality, Mystical Theology, Orthodox Christianity, Reflections, Repentance, Scripture, Tradition
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The Contradictions of Scripture
Read more: The Contradictions of ScriptureWe can, however, only express the Truth if we foresee the extreme expression of all the contradictions inherent in it, from which it follows that Truth itself encompasses the ultimate projection of all its invalidations, is antonymic and cannot be otherwise. -Pavel Florensky I wrote in a previous article about the importance of contradictions in […]
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Reading by the Light of Christ
Read more: Reading by the Light of ChristLet us suppose that you have heard the story of Jesus, in a fairly bare form, nothing like as complete as any of the gospels – just a general outline. And then let us suppose that the only Scriptures you have access to are the Old Testament. You have never seen a New Testament […]
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The Greatness of a Lesser World
Read more: The Greatness of a Lesser WorldNothing could be more “cozy” than Tolkien’s description of the Shire. Many think the Shire is an idealization of rural England, and, no doubt, it certainly resembles it. Though the English do not seem to live in holes, they, nevertheless do like their gardens. And though the major cities resemble major cities elsewhere, rural villages […]
C.S. Lewis, Incarnation, Modernity, Orthodox Christianity, Reflections, Solzhenitsyn, The Sacraments, Tolkien
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A Writer’s Reflection
Read more: A Writer’s ReflectionThe composed and uninterrupted remembrance of our absolute weakness and sinfulness is truly the, par excellence, (yet admittedly peculiar) means to permanent, spiritual joy. – Dino (in the comments) Readers of this blog who stay around for a time discover that often the best “meat” is found after you crack the shell – that is, 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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The Renunciation of Reason
Read more: The Renunciation of ReasonI grew up in a house of contradictions. We loved each other and we fought. I had a brother who was five years my senior, and we somehow developed a style of contradiction. If he said white, I said black. If I said red, he said blue. Or after either of us made a perfectly […]
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Everywhere Present
Read more: Everywhere PresentEverything you do, all your work, can contribute towards your salvation. It depends on you, on the way you do it. History is replete with monks who became great saints while working in the kitchen or washing sheets. The way of salvation consists in working without passion, in prayer…. May God give you the strength […]
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To Become My Enemy
Read more: To Become My EnemyWith the unending political cycle that is America’s public life, there is also an endless identification of enemies. And, of course, this year the enemies seem to come out of central casting – it would be hard to invent characters more susceptible to caricature. The Church has entered something of a political season as well. […]
Church, Communion, Enemies, Forgiveness, Reflections, Repentance, Salvation, The Church, Union with God
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The Holy and Great Council and the Hidden Work of God
Read more: The Holy and Great Council and the Hidden Work of GodThe science of psychology had its beginnings in the 19th century. It has since gone through many changes, complete with clinical science of the brain and its chemistry. However, in its earliest days it had something of a mystical twist. Freud, Jung and their cohort could see the surface of the personality and the various […]
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Thank you Father! I wholeheartedly agree.
Dee, I’ll add a small observation. My suggestion that we “drink water from our own cistern” primarily has in view…
Father, Similar to your comment to Mary and Matthew W., we are taught to be aware of and wary of…
Thank you, Fr. Stephen, for your kind and helpful response. I do like the proverb, “drink from your own cistern”…
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Father, I think this relates to your article: Archimandrite Zacharias mentions that in the period when he was studying Orthodox…