Christians are to follow Christ in the fact that they are to give of themselves to others, and to the world as a whole, in acts of loving service. “Let all that you do be done in love” (1Cor. 16:14 RSV). This is what it means to take up our cross, even as it was the reason why Jesus took up his cross. Because of the expectations which are placed upon us due to what love requires from us, we... Read more
Bede, in his History of the English Church and People, recorded Pope St. Gregory’s letter to Mellitus, explaining in part, the method of inculturation which St. Gregory suggested for the conversion of the English peoples: Therefore, when by God’s help you reach our most reverend brother, Bishop Augustine, we wish you to inform him that we have been giving careful thought to the affairs of the English, and have come to the conclusion that the temples of idols among that... Read more
When St. Francis of Assisi heard Christ speak to him from a crucifix in a dilapidated Italo-Greek church, saying, “Build up my church,” he believed he was meant to repair the church he was in. At that moment, Francis did not consider that he was being given a greater mission, to help the universal church, which, like the parish he was in, was crumbling apart from within. And yet, the two ways of interpreting the message were related. To build... Read more
When Trump went to the United Nations, he pretended to be interested in religious liberty.  He gave the claim that religious liberty is being weakened around the world, and that the United States wants to do what it can to overcome religious persecution.  It is in this spirit, that the Ambassador to the Vatican, Callista Gingrich, with Mike Pompeo, are at a symposium at the Vatican, “Pathways to Achieving Human Dignity: Partnering with Faith-Based Organizations,” which is said to promote... Read more
Most holy Mother of God, today we Orthodox joyfully celebrate thy coming among us. As we gaze at thy icon we cry with compunction: Shelter us under thy protection, deliver us from evil, and pray thy Son Christ our God to save our souls (Troparion of the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God). In the tenth century, the Fool for Christ, St. Andrew, had a vision of the Theotokos praying for the world while spreading her veil... Read more
From September 1 to October 4, many churches have established a time called The Season of Creation during which Christians are called to consider their relationship with the rest of creation, pray for it, indeed, work for its improvement. The Season of Creation begins on September 1 because that day was chosen by the Ecumenical Patriarch, Demetrios I. in 1989 to be a day to honor and pray for creation,[1] while it ends on October 4th because that is the... Read more
Unteachable Lessons: Why Wisdom Can’t Be Taught (And Why That’s Okay) by Carl McColman (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Erdman’s Publishing Company, 2019), 163+x pages. How do we love, how do we trust others (including, and especially God), how, indeed, do we reach out to others, showing them our compassion and love, without appearing narcissistic, nor while neglecting our own proper needs? It’s easy to give some nice, simple advice, but what we need is prudential wisdom, wisdom which cannot... Read more
The oceans are warming.  We have known this for some time. The oceans are warming, and like other aspects of global warming, this is bound to lead to disaster for the world. Not only are there new types of heat waves threatening the lives of the ocean’s inhabitants, destroying ecosystems within the ocean, there is also the constant threat of melting ice and cataclysmic storms to come. The birds are disappearing. Within fifty years, the North American bird population has... Read more
How many people will be saved? Will it be a few? Many? Most of humanity? All of humanity? All of creation? While many Christians assume the answer is, “A few,” throughout Christian history, this has not been the only answer which has been given to this question. Some key thinkers from Origen to St. Gregory of Nyssa to Julian of Norwich have given hope that the answer might really be “all.” Hans Urs von Balthasar  said that we cannot really... Read more
For a long time, suicide has been considered to be one of the worst sins possible. It was viewed as one of the freest acts possible, that is, there was no external influence upon the person to kill themselves, so that a suicidal person was entirely culpable for their actions.  Suicide was similar to an act of murder, the unjust taking away of life, with the life being one’s own. If an attempted act of suicide was successful, there would... Read more
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