There is something very interesting which happens when Holy Monday, a day on which the Byzantine tradition remembers Jesus’ reaction to the barren fig tree, is celebrated on the same day as that of the Annunciation: we are shown that, contrary to the way some read Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree as indicating that the Jews should be considered accursed because they produced no spiritual fruit, they produced the greatest fruit of all, Jesus himself, even as their whole... Read more
While it might often be difficult, because of the trials and tribulations of life, including those given to us by our fellow Christians, we should always strive to find the good things we have in our life and use them to help us experience the joy God wants for us. Human nature, in and of itself, is good, and even if we individually have cut ourselves off from that goodness due to our sins, we can find ourselves restored back... Read more
God created the world, and therefore created us, out of love. Through what the God-man did in his temporal ministry, we are shown the extant of God’s love for us. One of the ways he did this is through his friendship with Lazarus. When he went to see Lazarus in his death, Jesus wept (cf. Jn. 11:35). Even though Jesus knew Lazarus would partake of eternal glory, and that he would soon bring back Lazarus from the dead, he still... Read more
Throughout Christian history, we find Christians promoting the value of women, indicating how and why their dignity and honor should not be neglected. But, sadly, that is not the whole story. While Christians might have said such things, and on some level, believed them, their actions, and other words they said, contradicted such an important principle, showing that the reality of history is far from what apologists using only the noblest sentiments from the past would suggest. St. Paul told... Read more
“He who keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises the word will die” (Prov. 19:16 RSV). Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, if we love him, we will keep his commandments. They are not burdensome commandments, meant to break us down and keep us weary; rather, they are the reverse, they are meant to build us up, as they are the commandments of love. Jesus expressly told us that we should love both God and... Read more
Sometimes, the toxicity found within the Christian community is too much for those affected by it, and if it is, they need to find a way to get away from it all. That is, they might have to put some distance between themselves and the Christian community (and the institutional church). This does not mean they have abandoned Christ, nor that they deny the value of the institutional church (let alone, the mystical body of Christ), but it means they... Read more
As we must never let the perfect be the enemy of the good, we often have to embrace compromise, not only in our personal relationships, such as within marriage, but in society in general. This is especially true with politics. Politicians must make deals with each other, sometimes allowing things to be passed into law which they would otherwise oppose so that their initiatives also get approved. It is always better to promote the best of what is possible instead... Read more
What is given out of love is greater, more invaluable, than what is given in spite. “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it” (Prov. 15:17 RSV). Many people will do what is considered just because they know they have to do so, not because they want to do so. They don’t want to face the consequences which happens if they don’t. They might follow the law, but as their heart... Read more
We can learn about God by examining creation, and discerning within it the way God engages creation, that is, through our apprehension of the uncreated energies of God, we know there is a divine creator at work, even as we can apprehend various qualities about God because through the energies we learn how God works in and with creation itself. Similarly, we can learn something about God through the way created being can and does imagine God. Both of these... Read more
We have been told to avoid evil, and indeed, to expose what is evil, to bring it into the light: “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Eph. 5:11 RSV) We must read this admonition as primarily something we should do with ourselves, that is, we should expose our own inner darkness to the light so that we can change our ways. We must not see it as an exhortation to go around exposing... Read more
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