SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“…it is easy to forget the sober truth of God’s eternal love and care for us. But history shows we humans have faced epidemics and pandemics before. Each time panic has only worsened the situation. History also shows that we Christians were never ones to lose our peace during times like these. The spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire was partially due to how Christians ministered to the poor and dying during disease outbreaks in the Empire. We Christians were seen takin

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13). The word of God and the sword here are living and powerful. The phrase His sight (v. 13) tells us this refere

“I am sure you are all aware of the word “devil.” It’s meaning is “to dissipate, or create chaos.” When our life is pulled in so many directions, it is easy to lose sight of Christ.” (Antiochian Archdiocese) “…what the Scriptures show us repeated again and again…is that we as human persons were created as kings. Every one of us was born rich, not necessarily in the worldly sense, but filled with the blessings that God has poured out on us in His love for each and for every hu

“So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you extremely sorrowful? And why has your countenance fallen? Did you not sin, even though you brought it rightly, but did not divide it rightly? Be still; his recourse shall be to you; and you shall rule over him” (Genesis 4:6-7 LXX). Because the Lord loved Cain, He sought to bring him to repentance (did you not sin). He commended him for having the right worship (brought it rightly), but reproved him for not having a right heart (did not

“The secular worldview says there is only this world. The here-and-now material universe is the only reality. The natural is real, there is no supernatural. The immanent is real, there is no transcendent..." (Pastor Timothy Keller) “The “modern” mindset also holds that “…as our knowledge becomes both broader and more unified, we will experience continued progress (and they have in mind not only technological progress, but also social, political, and moral progress)….In the mo

“Forgetfulness is the forgetting of Wisdom's laws concerning virtue, and the beginning of its cure is obedience from the heart to Wisdom. Such obedience is the road to life and peace.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Proverbs 3:1,2) “In the 1981 film Excalibur, the wizard Merlin tells King Arthur and his knights that ‘it is the doom of men that they forget.’ This is true. Due to the virus of sin in us we tend to easily forget all of the wrong things we say or do, while easily remember

“God finished the making of heaven and earth for man's sake. He rested from His creative activity on the seventh day to show His love and providential care for man, and to invite man to enjoy this Sabbath-rest. For as Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27). Man failed to keep this Sabbath-rest. But Jesus fulfilled it for man by resting in the tomb on Great and Holy Saturday, after He said on the cross, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). Fo

“The holy man, Simeon, took the Child Jesus in his arms and blessed God Who revealed the Child to the eyes of Simeon’s heart as the Light of nations and glory for God’s People (Lk. 2:28-32)… Submission to God is the essential mark of Saint Simeon’s holiness, clearly shown in his hymn. Consider: he lived in Jerusalem (vs. 25). Many, many times he was in the Temple. However, when the Virgin came with the Holy Infant to make the required sacrifice, Simeon “...came by the Spirit

“Two matters concerning forgiveness must be settled prior to commencing the Lenten Fast: our need to be forgiven and our need to forgive. The aim of the fast is to assist us in embracing the Lord’s “propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 Jn 2:2) which does cleanse “from all unrighteousness” (vs. 1:9). God calls us to repent and confess (Acts 3:19), for He forgives when we forgive. And “if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neit