SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“…reverence is the greatest virtue because it attracts the Grace of God…If someone neglects the little things the danger is that he’ll start neglecting the greater, holier things. And then, without realizing it, rationalizing it all to himself—‘ This is nothing, that doesn’t matter’—he can end up, God forbid, totally neglecting the things of God and becoming irreverent, arrogant, and atheistic.” (St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain) “Many people today treat religious ideas and

“Obedience is the tomb of the will and the resurrection of humility”… Let us beseech the Lord without hesitation for the grace to defeat our own will and to follow His directions always, so that Christ may have full dominion over our lives.” (Dynamis 12/11/2019, Saint John Climacus) “Humility is a Divine property and the perfection of the Christian life. It is attained through obedience. He who is not obedient cannot attain humility. There are very few in the world today who

“The people of Bethsaida were unbelieving (Mt 11:21); thus, Jesus leads the blind man out of the town to heal him, so that the people would not scoff at the miracle and bring upon themselves greater condemnation. That the blind man was healed in stages (Mark 8:23–25) shows that he had only a small amount of faith, for healing occurs according to one's faith (Mark 6:5, 6); yet this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Christ. Christ's command not to retu

“made perfect. This phrase means “made complete.” (Foundation Study bible, Hebrew 11:40) “The road to perfection is not through efforts of self-improvement, at least not in the way most people think. Perfection to Christians means being made complete, not achieving an exalted state of excellence. Self-improvement to Christians is achieved through sacrifice and self-denial. We strive to deny ourselves and our own ego based cravings to unite ourselves to Christ and love others.

“I have often thought that people generally have narrow interests. We want to work, to play, to love our family, to live in peace with some modest level of comfort. Of course, a consumer economy cannot operate in a world of satisfaction. Modern consumption with an ever-expanding economy requires that our dissatisfaction remain somewhat steady.” (Father Stephen Freeman) “The “modern” mindset also holds that “…as our knowledge becomes both broader and more unified, we will expe

“ ‘Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,…’ ( 2 Thessalonians 1:11). What is this, ‘work of faith in power’? Patient endurance through persecutions. How? He gives us power and strength; for patience is a work of faith.” (Blessed Theophylact) “ ‘By your endurance you will gain your lives’ (2 Thessalonians 1:19, New English Translation). “By yo