St. Isaac the Syrian reminds us of the consequences which follow if we do not take care of those in need, such as those who are sick: “He who despises the sick will not see light, and the day of him who turns his face from a man straitened by affliction will become darkness; and he who scorns the voice of one suffering hardship, the sons of his house will grope their way in blindness.”[1] Not only is it dangerous... Read more
We have many temptations and sins which we fall into throughout our lives. While we can understand why many sins are wrong to do,others challenge us, as we do not understand why they are so bad. We might avoid them, but do so the same way we avoid breaking the law: we fear the consequences which come if we do them, not because we think we shouldn’t do them. This kind of approach to sin has led us to engage... Read more
It is hard to imagine how different Christianity would have been without all the contributions women gave to the faith, especially when their contributions were respected and encouraged by various apostles like St. Paul. Yes, Jesus’ disciples showed confusion and misunderstanding concerning his relationship with women during his earthly ministry, but they seemed to have learned from it, and promoted the role of women in the church after Pentecost. This was one of the things which made Christianity quite different,... Read more
Humanity has had, and continues to have, many kinds of relationships with God. Many of them come from us and how we seek after and choose to understand God. For example, when we think of God as the creator, that produces all kinds of notions about God, notions which suggest our own relationship with God is primarily that of a created subject. Similarly, when we consider God as the absolute source and foundation of all things, we see the divine... Read more
Sophists like to generate generalizations; through them, they find it easier to create the equivocations they need for the rhetorical flourishes they like to use in their arguments. While they often act as if truth, or facts, are what they are interested in pursuing, their rhetoric serves to undermine it. Their arguments come for the sake of one ideology or another, one which they have either come to accept, or one which promises them the most personal gain if they... Read more
Often, people misunderstand the message given in the story of Sts Mary and Martha. They think that the point of it is that it is better to resort to some sort of quietist retreat from the world, doing nothing other than sit, meditate, and pray, basking in the experience of that prayer, than it is to embrace an active life of engagement, rendering loving service to the world. Mary, it is said, followed the better path as she put herself... Read more
Faith, hope and love go together. Love encourages us to do all kinds of amazing things. It gives us strength and courage. It supports and promotes our faith. Faith without works is dead, and yet, where do those works come from, but out of love? And, with faith, we have reasons to hope, not just for ourselves, but for the good of all. We are, therefore, encouraged by Paul to: “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be... Read more
When talking about sacraments, we must distinguish the ritual aspect of the sacrament, the accidents associated with the sacrament, and the grace or the thing of the sacrament itself. The ritual elements and the accidents can be had without the grace or thing of the sacrament, for example, because the intention to perform the sacraments is not there. This is why baptizing someone in a play or a movie is not actually engaging the sacramental thing of baptism: their intention... Read more
There seems to be two different approaches to life in the modern world. One is of a selfish, individualistic nihilism; it seeks no greater good than one’s own pleasures; those who follow this approach tend to be libertarian or authoritarian in their political stand, that is, they are libertarian in regards people telling them what to do, but they become authoritarian when they want others to be forced to do something that will please them and their particular desires. The... Read more
Prudence in spiritual matters recognizes the need for flexibility instead of expecting everyone to follow a particular, and very rigid, discipline. Not everyone, in all places, and at all times, should be doing the exact same thing. Indeed, it can be counter-productive, if not spiritually dangerous, to try to create universal, highly-generalized disciplines. This is because disciplines should be established to deal with the needs of the person or people involved, and those needs are not always one and the... Read more
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