Jesus came to bring everyone life; he did not come to judge and condemn us to death (cf. Jn. 12:47). It is the thief, he said, who comes to kill and steal, while he came to help us have an abundant life “I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may... Read more
Julian of Norwich’s spiritual experiences led her to question her own understanding of God. On the one hand, she did not want to deny the value and truth contained in traditional representations of God, but on the other hand she found how she understood them often contradicted what she learned about God and God’s nature. At the forefront of her experience was the realization of God’s love and what it means for God to be love. When she appreciated God’s... Read more
We live in a foolish era; everyone likes to speak, giving their opinion to everything, whether or not they should do so. The wisdom of silence is rejected. We want to be praised by others, and we have been led to believe the way to do so is to be heard. Sometimes, indeed, often, this includes shaming all those who think differently from us so as to make sure people focus their attention on us and listen to what we... Read more
Beauty, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder. One person will see beauty in what another person considers ugly. This is possible because everything which exists has its own beauty, a beauty which it has by nature, a beauty which some people are better able to ascertain it than others. God, of course, discerns that beauty, because, as St. Gregory of Nyssa explained, God knows all things in relation to their nature and the beauty or glory... Read more
Apparent orthodoxy, right belief, without orthopraxis, right action, is not true orthodoxy. What we do demonstrates who we are and what we believe. The defeat of iconoclasm, the heresy which denied the veneration of images, led to the restoration of icons and their proper use. Orthodoxy is tied with orthopraxis, and indeed, explains and justifies orthopraxis even as heresy is tied to and justifies bad actions (as seen in the example of iconoclasm where the rejection of the veneration of... Read more
What God made was good. “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day” (Gen. 1:31 RSV). It was, indeed, wonderful beauty to behold, as Louis Armstrong sung: I see trees of green Red roses too I see them bloom For me and you And I think to myself What a wonderful world I see skies of blue And clouds of white The bright... Read more
The reality of the eucharist is Christ; no matter what accidents are associated with the reception of the eucharist, be it bread or wine, it is always Christ, always fully Christ, and not a part of Christ which is received. While we might understand and believe the truth, in the “age to come,” we will continue to receive the reality of the eucharist, and we do so without the need of physical accidents symbolizing the truth which is being received:... Read more
Our spiritual struggle, our fight against our worst instincts and inclinations, cannot and will not be overcome by giving into them. Nor will they be overcome by mere appearances of holiness. We can try to look holy in front of others, doing various pious deeds, but for piety to be effective, it must be real and not done for show. Even then, we must not assume piety is enough. We need grace. We need to embrace the grace which is... Read more
Forgiveness is central to the Christian faith. Not only are we its recipients, we are expected to follow the example given to us by God and forgive others. With God, who is love, justice is bound with mercy. Forgiveness is available to all, but if we are to receive it, we must make ourselves vessels of mercy, offering the mercy we receive to others. Forgiveness is so important that the service which begins the Great Fast, Lent, in the Byzantine... Read more
War is always an evil. No matter who wins, humanity loses. “And let us not forget that war and terrorism are always a great loss for all humanity. They are the great defeat of humanity!”[1] Even the most just war is an evil which we should pray we never have to face, but when war comes to us, not everyone is equally guilty for the evil which follows. Those who intend to take what is not theirs and make it... Read more
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