People dealing with difficult situations often find themselves going to the same people, time and time, again, asking the same kinds of questions, and getting the same kinds of responses. They might fear they are wasting everyone’s time in doing so. But they are not. The more they hear the responses they need, the more they can be and are helped by them. Sometimes, we just need to hear things enough times to fully appreciate or understand what we are... Read more
While God has revealed various elements of the eschaton to us, and we can and do participate in it in part now because the eschaton has been immanentized, we must be careful and not claim to know more about it than we really do. We can, and will, develop theological opinions, using revelation as the foundation for our ideas. However, we must always be humble and recognize how limited we are in establishing our eschatological theories, accepting the fact that... Read more
Helping people deal with the wounds which makes them suffer, especially the wounds which paralyze them so much that they cannot get on with their lives, is very important. We must care about each other. We must take care of each other. We must do what we can to make sure no one needlessly suffers. Sadly, so many are paralyzed, not from physical wounds, but from social, psychological, and or spiritual wounds. People often find their lives restricted by society,... Read more
In the story of The Monkey’s Paw, as with many similar stories, the protagonist, Mr. White, finds that one must be careful for what they wish for, because wishes often are fulfilled through means which bring all kinds of terrible consequences with them. The wish might be for something good, but the good is corrupted by how the wish is fulfilled. Thus, when Mr. White is given a magical monkey’s paw, he is told the paw will grant him three... Read more
God is the source and foundation of every good. “Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (Jas. 1:17 RSV). Every created good, therefore, participates in and is united with the absolute good, the good which is found in God. This is because God, out of divine goodness, created the world and provided all that exists a way for them... Read more
God is merciful and kind; God loves us and does not want to put undue burdens and expectations on us. This is not to say sin is nothing to be concerned about, that we will not suffer some consequences for our sins. Obviously, we will. This is because sin creates its own suffering; it is the source and foundation for the pain and sorrow which follows, as it corrupts, harms, or destroys some of the good which comes in its... Read more
Christ established the church as the place where humanity could and should come together as one, reflecting the unity of the Trinity. The church, in its nature, exemplifies that unity. But the church subsists in a historical presence, a historical form, one which does not entirely demonstrate the harmony which Christ intended for it. Sadly, this means, throughout church history, Christians have been in conflict with each other, fighting instead of working together. While this likely will continue until the... Read more
On Good Friday, Pope Francis planned on having a Russian and a Ukrainian nurse, women who had become friends while in Rome, give a reflection that they wrote together at the 13th Station of the Cross. It was meant to be a contemplation which bemoaned the ravages of war: “Lord where are you? Speak to us amid the silence of death and division, and teach us to be peacemakers, brothers and sisters, and to rebuild what bombs tried to destroy.”[1]... Read more
Christianity, teaching us that we should love everyone, tells us that we are called to embrace everyone, lifting people up by our words and deeds. We are not to be selfish, looking only after ourselves. We must not place our inordinate desires above the needs of others. We truly should be concerned about others, looking after their welfare (cf. Philip. 2:4). If someone is in need, if someone has a great burden in their live, and we can help them,... Read more
While it was long attributed to St. Gregory the Illuminator, evidence suggests that The Oft-Repeated Discourses was written by an anonymous 6th century Armenian author. As the work is clearly one engaged with monastic discipline and ideas, exhorting its readers to embrace or continue on with an ascetic journey, we often find contained in it the kind of harsh exhortations which is normally associated with monastic literature, including various warnings of what could happen to someone if they do not... Read more
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