SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“If you are a scholar, a student in any educational establishment, or an official in some ministry, an officer in any of the branches of the military service, or a technologist, a painter, a sculptor, a manufacturer, a mechanic - remember that the first science for each one of you is to be a true Christian, to believe sincerely in the Holy Trinity, to converse daily with God in prayer, to take part in the Divine service, to observe the rules and regulations of the Church, and

“If Jesus is our Lord, our Savior, and the Son of God, then in Him we see God, and know God. In Him we see God’s Love and know God’s Love. In Him we see God’s forgiveness and know God’s forgiveness. In Him we know God’s grace, God’s unbounded Love and experience God’s transforming grace and power. In Him we become sons and daughters of God and can call God Father. In Him we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit that testifies to our heart that we are truly sons and daughters an

“…God…[is] Unconditional Love personified…God…feels no need or desire to punish anyone. He is not a God Whose love must be bought; nor is He so angry with us that He must kill Himself to assuage His displeasure…God…became Incarnate for the sole purpose of rescuing us from our self-chosen death, so that he might graft us into the life of the Holy Trinity.” (Matthew Gallatin) And the truth is, when someone is pursuing, investigating, and attempting to understand the Son of God,

“Some men attain great esteem in this world—their accomplishments are significant in the eyes of men. But at the end of their lives, how many of these men rest in peace? How many of these men satisfy that deep hunger each of us has for purpose, meaning, and significance?” (Patrick Morley) “Give man everything which he desires and he will enjoy it for a while, but afterwards he will become indifferent to it, because he feels that something else, much more elevated, is missing.

“It is important to note that the first two times Christ inquires of Peter, “Do you love Me?” He uses a form of the word agape, which denotes the highest form of sacrificial and self-emptying love, the kind of love God has for man and that man can develop only through maturing in God's grace. Each time, however, Peter is unable to claim such a lofty love. When Peter answers, “You know that I love You,” he uses the term philo, which is a lesser form of love, akin to brotherly

“A driving thirst for God is our starting point. Such thirst comes to all of us naturally, but because we are fallen and sick, we easily confuse our thirst for God with fleshly or psychological cravings. The Church Fathers speak of our unbridled physical passions, which lead us to seek short-lived gratification in flattery, vanity, pride, gossip, temporal goods, and material success. Any one of these passions can supplant our natural thirst for the living God.” (Dynamis 6/8/2

“The concept of stewardship permeates Scripture…As creatures who are able to alter and reshape the world, we are bound by the Creator to be good stewards.” (David Kinnaman, Abbot Tryphon) “We were created to “rule” the earth, not in a tyrannical way, but rather as images of God. In other words, we are to govern the earth in love, to take care of the physical world that God has given to us.” (Clark Carlton) “…the very existence of the universe depends on the creative power of

“ ‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ (John 3:30). John expresses a humility that serves as an example for all believers. He renounces all earthly glory and reputation for the sake of Christ. By allowing Christ to increase in him, John himself finds true glory. This statement further indicates the end of the old covenant. As the law vanishes, the grace of Jesus Christ abounds. John's declaration is revealed in the liturgical calendar, wherein his birth is celebrated at a

“Repentance (Act 19:4) is good, but apart from Christ Jesus, it does not secure salvation. Repentance is enough to stay people from sin, but it cannot restore us from corruption. Only the Incarnation of the Son of God has the power to overthrow both sin and its subsequent corruption (AthanG). Thus, a person needs to be joined to Christ in baptism and the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Acts 19:2-4) “Let us consider the apostle’s claim that the Lor

“The word theophany means “appearance of God.” We celebrate the Lord God’s baptism [on January 6] as a theophany, because on that occasion the three Persons of the Trinity were at last disclosed by name.” (Dynamis 1/6/2015) “...the world—absolutely everything in the world—is Theophany. This means that everything in creation, from angels to atomic particles, is the revelation of God. The Greek word theophania means something like “God made apparent” or “God shining forth.” (He