We cannot control the Holy Spirit. “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit” (Jn. 3:8 RSV). This is why we must be careful when promoting various spiritual techniques, making sure people realize that they are not ways to manipulate and control the Holy Spirit. When engaged properly, they leave us... Read more
Christ’s physical or corporeal presence is the presence which he had when he lived among us in the world, that is, the presence he had with us before his ascension. He had a physical body which people could see and touch, that is, one which was not hidden from them. The sacramental presence is the presence of Jesus in the eucharist. It is the presence of his which lies hidden from the senses. It does not come to us in... Read more
When Jesus met with and healed a man who was blind since birth, Jesus revealed that the man was not blind from something he did, nor from something which his parents did, meaning, he was not being punished for the wrong someone had done: As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that... Read more
While the church of Christ exists in history as an institution, we must make it clear that the institution is not in itself the that church. Rather, the church of Christ subsists in the institution; the two are intimately connected, which is why, through participation with the institution, we are able to participate in in and find ourselves within the church of Chris. Nonetheless, it is possible for someone to be within the church of Christ without being a part... Read more
The Christian faith is a missionary faith; Christians are expected to be ambassadors of Christ, sharing the good news and love of God with everyone. To do this right requires a delicate balance. Christians should hope others will come to know and experience God’s love for themselves, that is, to believe and find their life transformed by the grace and God. But they must also make sure they do not engage others merely out of the basis to convert them... Read more
Tolkien mentioned that those who believe in a personal God find themselves drawn to God with a desire to honor and worship their Creator above the way they honor anyone and anything else: Those who believe in a personal God, Creator, do not think the Universe is in itself worshipful, though devoted study of it may be one of the ways of honouring Him. And while as living creatures we are (in part) within it and part of it, our... Read more
In light of the resurrection, the Byzantine tradition reminds us of Christ’s universal charity. It does this by showing when he went beyond social boundaries of this time and lifted up those society denigrated. This is one of the reasons why Christ’s meeting with the Samaritan woman, St. Photina, is given to us at this point in the yearly cycle (the Fifth Sunday of Pascha): There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me... Read more
Jesus did many things in his temporal ministry from healing the sick, promoting those who have been unjustly oppressed (like the poor), to teaching everyone what God most expects of them, that is, to embrace the way of love. But we would be wrong to ignore that he also warned us of the consequences of unlove, of sin, if we continue to embrace it for perpetuity, that is, he warned us of the possibility of eternal perdition. God does not... Read more
There are many different reasons why someone could be homeless; no matter the reason, every homeless person should be treated with respect and given the help they need to get off the streets. Until such help is given, until they find themselves off the streets, not just with a temporary solution (such as a shelter which allows them to stay for only a few days), but a permanent one, they should not be pushed aside, or worse, fined or treated... Read more
We are called to be charitable with each other, but sadly, we often list our worst instincts get in the way of our charity. We let our worst thoughts and inclinations get the best of us, so that even minor things can end up leading us to be unjustly angry at someone else and wishing them harm. This is true, even if we have the best of intentions, even if we know we should be charitable, as two monks came... Read more
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