Abraham, following the directions given to him by God, left his homeland, and his extended family, to go out into the world at large: Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who... Read more
Translations serve an important purpose. They help people engage texts which are written in a language they cannot read. But this comes with a caveat. All translations are adaptations of the original text. All translators have to interpret the original text in order to render it into a new language. In doing so, no matter how careful they are, they modify the text. Possible meanings or interpretations are excluded as a result of translation, even as new meanings or interpretations... Read more
If we are not careful, law and order can be used as a tool to promote tyranny. This happens, for example, when we try to use the rule of law to undermine the common good, to find ways to lift ourselves up above others, or to protect our standing in society, through the establishment of laws which do not cause us any trouble but will cause others all kinds of difficulties, difficulties which will make it next to impossible for... Read more
Abba Poemen, whose name means, “shepherd,” was well regarded and remembered in the Alphabetical Sayings of the Desert Fathers, as can be seen in the fact that one seventh of the sayings in that collection are those attributed to him. It should not be surprising that this was, in part, because of how good a spiritual director he was; he could be said to have been a good shepherd, who helped and cared for all the monks who came to... Read more
While the great eschatological feast is yet to come, it is also something which we can participate in, now, in our present, temporal existence, thanks to the incarnation and the way it immanentized the eschaton. The liturgical celebration of the eucharist has us partake of the immanent eschaton. We will fully awaken to and realize all that we have experienced and participated in only when we find ourselves drawn beyond our own temporal existence, beyond time itself, that is, drawn... Read more
We have been warned, many times, not to let pride get the best of us, for it often makes us think we are capable of doing things which we really can’t do. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18 RSV). Thus, for example, just because someone only drives in a sparsely populated area, in the middle of the night, and does not get into an accident, this does not mean they are a good... Read more
Because God’s activity can be said to be not other than the divine essence, even if we apprehend the activity in a way which is less than the essence itself. saying God is love means God loves just as much as saying God loves means God is love. God’s love is a perfect love. God’s love is eternal. For God’s love to be perfect in eternity, it needs an eternal, as well as a temporal, subject who can experience and... Read more
We are made for greatness. We are made for righteousness. However, it is important for us to realize that to be all we can be, we must embrace true righteousness, true holiness, and not the similitude of it which we often make by the rules and obligations we demand for ourselves and others. We are to be holy even as God is holy (cf. 1 Ptr. 1:16). Such holiness is not established through laws and religious obligations, but rather, by... Read more
We should act with wisdom, doing what we can to make things better for all. We don’t have all the time in the world to do so. Our lives are short. Therefore, we should take the time we have to do those things which we believe are the most important to do. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16 RSV). This... Read more
Charity, love, is to be given to all. Those in in need, especially if they are in extreme need, should be given as much help as possible. We should not first question who they are, where they come from, what they believe. All those questions might come up later, but they should not come up when we see them in desperate need for aid. “But if any one has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes... Read more
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