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Begotten of the Father
Read more: Begotten of the FatherNo revelation is more central to the Christian faith than God as Father. Some might immediately respond that the Trinity should be seen as the central revelation. But, in Orthodox understanding, the Trinity has its source (πηγή) in the Father. We should understand this not only as a matter of Trinitarian thought, but as the […]
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Like A Refugee
Read more: Like A RefugeeIt was June 13, 1940. A young Vladimir Lossky (later to be author of The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church) was making his way on foot with the crowds from Paris who were fleeing from a victorious, invading German army. The invasion was sudden, surprising, and completely overwhelming in its success. The entire operation took no […]
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An Audience of None
Read more: An Audience of NoneIn the 1980’s sci-fi comedy, Short Circuit, a charming military robot character, “Number 5,” is awakened into consciousness by a lightning strike. He fears going back to his military keepers where he will be re-programmed. And so, with help from human friends, he begins his touching effort to stay free. His famous line, repeated often, […]
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The Way of Shame and the Way of Thanksgiving
Read more: The Way of Shame and the Way of ThanksgivingThe language of “self-emptying” can have a sort of Buddhist ring. It sounds as we are referencing a move towards becoming a vessel without content – the non-self. Given our multicultural world, such a reference is understandable. It is, however, unfortunate and requires that we visit the true nature of Christian self-emptying. Our self-emptying is […]
Asceticism, Atonement, Knowledge of God, Mystical Theology, Reflections, Thankfulness, Union with God
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Life as a Fractal
Read more: Life as a FractalI have found the term “fractal” to be increasingly useful. Rather than thinking of one thing as a “copy” of another, I see the similarities that are, nevertheless, unique. I have three adult daughters, all of whom resemble their mother (and each other) with each them still being quite unique. Interestingly, I did not recognize […]
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The Sacrament of Humility – Part Two
Read more: The Sacrament of Humility – Part TwoIn my earlier article, I described humility as “our willingness to receive with thanksgiving those things (of whatever size) that come our way.” This describes humility as a virtue, but the article’s title described it as a “sacrament.” Oddly, I seemed not to have unpacked what that means. There are several ways to think about […]
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The Sacrament of Humility – Part One
Read more: The Sacrament of Humility – Part OneSome things are so obvious that you cannot see them. Their powers of invisibility do not lie so much within themselves as within those who cannot see them. We are hard-wired for danger, our eyes attuned to threats. We overlook the power of weakness and the vulnerability of humility – the queen and fount of […]
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The Sword that Pierces the Soul
Read more: The Sword that Pierces the SoulMary, the Theotokos, was described by St. Irenaeus in the 2nd century, as the “New Eve.” Like Eve, she is the “mother of us all,” if we have the eyes to see her properly. She is a quiet figure in the New Testament – not a preacher or worker of miracles. We see the […]
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Mother of Us All
Read more: Mother of Us AllA young friend recently lost his mother. It has been an occasion of reflection for me, thinking about the emptiness created by such a loss. Despite all of the confusion and conundrums in our contemporary culture surrounding gender issues – they only serve to underscore the fact that male-and-female, on the most fundamental level of […]
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Playing with God
Read more: Playing with GodThere are things that children understand instinctively. And the things that children know and understand are worth consideration. They have much to teach us. Among the most natural things children do is play. Depending on how you define play, it is among the first activities in which we engage. It comes to dominate the lives […]
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I think it says that you’re normal – and the healthiest sort of way. For it all is perfectly natural,…
Don’t know what this says about me, but the entire scene seems perfectly natural, completely plausible, factual and in keeping…
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Jenny, What a beautiful reflection, so much of which really resonated with me! Thank you for sharing. “…prayer must mean…
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To think that Elijah prayed to die and yet in Grace was talking to Christ about resurrection….How great the Wisdom,…