While Christians all have one and the same calling – that is, to be united with God and participate in the divine life, each person will find the way they do this will be different from each other. God’s nature infinitely transcends the capacity of human nature, so that there is an infinite variety of ways for human persons to interact with and integrate themselves into the divine life. Thus, every Christian, indeed, every human person, will have a different... Read more
It was not long after I was chrismated, becoming Byzantine Catholic, that I was in the classical section of a local music store and discovered John Tavener. This was long before he before he became famous due to his involvement Princess Diana’s funeral. I bought my first Tavener CD, and quickly found myself becoming a fan of his work. This is not to say I connected with all the music he made, as I have not, but I have found... Read more
Extremes can destroy us. We can find many examples where something which is good loses its goodness when it is taken to an extreme. We can see this in the foods we eat. Many nutritious foods will end up being poisonous if we eat too much of them at a time. We can see this also with medicine. The right dose can save lives; too high a dose, and they can kill. The same, then, is also with many other... Read more
Christians are called to peacemakers, but to do that, they must not confuse peacemaking with doing nothing to confront the forces of darkness and injustice, that is, the forces of sin. They are to be bridge-builders, doing what they can to restore what sin has broken apart or destroyed. They are to work for and promote justice, doing so without falling for some new form of injustice themselves. This is why they must not embrace retributive justice as a means... Read more
While we tend to think of Judas in hindsight, that is, as the one who betrayed Jesus, it is important to remember he was also an apostle, chosen by Jesus. Indeed, as Sergius Bulgakov reminds us in his examination of Judas, Judas even loved Jesus. We must not think of Judas merely as a villain, as someone who came to Jesus with false pretenses, with the express purpose of betraying Jesus. Bulgakov put it succinctly: despite his betrayal, Judas was... Read more
One of the most frequent responses I have been given by many American Christians when I ask them about what Trump plans to do with migrants and refugees is that they deserve what is coming to them because they are criminals. That is, they claim, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that all Trump wants to do is deport all migrants who are here illegally, and that because they are here illegally, they are criminals who deserve to be... Read more
Too many Catholics misunderstand the eucharist, not because they reject the real presence, but because they have ignored the main purpose of communion. We are called to share in the life of Christ, to have Christ residing in us (and us in Christ), which happens when we partake of the eucharist. The eucharist is spiritual food; we are told to eat it. Jesus did not tell us to set it aside in some corner and have it act as some... Read more
It is impossible to study patristic theology, to study the teachings of the early church mothers and fathers, without recognizing the tremendous influence Origen had on the development of Christian thought. Origen taught and inspired many who came after him; indeed, even those who would criticize some of his speculative theology would, in order circumstances, find themselves studying what he said and applying it in their own writings. Both Theophilus of Alexandria and St. Jerome, known for their crusade against... Read more
We are to look after and care for the living. Yes, we are to learn from the past, but we must not become so attached to it, for if we do, we become, as it were, one of the living dead. We must live in the present which, embracing those who are alive now and engage them instead of just focusing on the past and those who came before us. The past is behind us, and even if those in... Read more
On the feast of St. John Chrysostom, it is important to remember the reasons why he was recognized as a saint, but also to keep in mind the things which he did wrong and not ignore them. He was, like many in his time, struggling to understand the implications of his faith as it is put in practice; he could, and often would, speak on social justice issues, criticize the powers that be. Many times, he preached to comfort Christians... Read more
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