I’ve recently begun re-reading the Acts of the Apostles, a book that I confess I don’t read as often as most of the rest of the New Testament. But it seems that now the time is right. There are two things I read in the very first chapter that I think are worthy of reflection [...]
The Gospel passage I’ve chosen for the sacrificial level of spiritual life is the following: “Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.” I could have also chosen Jesus’ call to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile, to take up our cross and follow [...]
[This is an article I wrote a few years ago, but I thought it worth recycling since it deals with themes that are ever-present in our spiritual lives and that are also ever-challenging, because we are ever-failing to get it right! So here's another reminder.] “The road is long, with many a winding turn,” as [...]
Immediately after the consecration of the Holy Gifts in the Divine Liturgy, the priest prays this prayer: “So that, to those who partake of them, they may be for the cleansing of the soul, for the remission of sins, for the fellowship of your Holy Spirit, for the fullness of the kingdom of heaven, for [...]
The following are a few more texts on the subject of spiritual warfare and the struggle against sin. It seems to me that this is a topic that ought to be approached from as many angles as possible, since the myriad deceptions of the devil are attempts to unhinge or counter our established defenses, so [...]
A few days after the feast of Theophany we came to that memorable liturgical entity called the “Saturday after Theophany.” This occurs every year on the Saturday after Theophany. It is not a mere random day of the post-feast but has its own special readings. And the readings are what make it special. This is [...]
We find ourselves this Sunday in a kind of liturgical no-man’s land. Last Sunday was the Sunday after Theophany, and a few days ago we liturgically “took leave” of the feast, coming to the end of its post-festal period. Thus we have effectively completed the Christmas-Theophany cycle. Next Sunday we begin the Lenten-Paschal cycle with [...]
I’d like to share something here from Elisabeth Elliot’s book, Be Still My Soul. This will be a few snippets from the chapter entitled “Acceptance and Peace.” Perhaps this can be considered an extension of my last post on trust. In any case, I know that I (and maybe you, too) need to keep hearing [...]
I suppose one can hardly hear enough about trusting in God, since it is so necessary for our life and salvation, and yet so difficult at times. It’s the only thing that can bring us true peace, yet it seems that our desires and fears and hopes sometimes cloud our view so much that we [...]
We all have a vested interest in the answer to that question, especially since in at least one place Scripture answers in the negative. There’s a passage in the Gospel of John that probably most people pass over lightly, but which usually troubles me somewhat when I read it. It is this: “We know that [...]
