SACRAMENTAL LIVING

Understanding Christianity as a Way of Life

Cross

“The crucified Christ is the fullness of the revelation of God. There is no further revelation to be made known, no unveiling of a wrath to come. The crucified Christ is what the wrath of God looks like…Christ is moving towards His end, the consummation of the Incarnation. As He is increasingly revealed, everything around Him is revealed as well. Things are shown to be more clearly what they are. Those who hate Him, begin to be revealed as plotters and murderers. What was onc

Jesus and Judas

“Jesus clearly knew that Judas felt no kindness or wise consideration for his master. He also knew that Judas was full of devilishly bitter poison, and even while [his feet were being washed by Jesus] he was devising the means to betray him. Nevertheless, Jesus honored him just as much as the rest of the disciples and washed his feet as well, continually exhibiting His own unique love…That Jesus put a thief [Judas Iscariot] in charge of the money shows that by every means He

Affliction

“Those who are afflicted in various ways because of Christ and who persevere to the end have their faith tested and proved. They ought therefore to rejoice, even if some of their labor appears to be involuntary. Peter calls this kind of labor grief, a word which he uses in one of the two meanings described by the apostle Paul, who said [in 2Co 7:10] that there is one grief which leads to death and another which leads to repentance…There is no greater witness to the love of Go

Compassion

“We see the ultimate magnitude and power of that compassion in the Cross of Christ. But as our baptism into the dying and rising of Christ symbolizes, our rescue from sin and corruption is not accomplished when we merely stand at the foot of the Cross and watch. It is achieved when we participate in the Lord’s sufferings.” (Fr. Basil) “…the bright-sadness — of which the fathers and the mothers speak. Even in the dryness of our desert journey, we are offered a sustaining taste

Inner and Outer Self

“You see the greatness of Job’s external wealth; but his internal wealth was even greater. The visible riches were splendid, but the invisible riches were even more splendid because they last; visible riches grow old, lose their value and continually collapse into the most pitiful corruption and destruction.” (St. Hesychius of Jerusalem) “…there is an inversely proportionate relationship between virtue and the law: the more virtuous someone is—that is, the more they have an i

Daily

“…seek the eternal within the temporal…Welcoming the eternal God into every moment of their lives, the patriarchs allow the light of eternity to shine upon whatever occurs. Indeed, God’s uncreated light illumines the activities of all mortal men when we awaken to His presence. “Even to your gray hairs, I Am. I bear you; I made you and will forgive you. I will take up and save you” (Is 46:4).…we yearn to be united heart, soul, and body with the eternal God – to realize our tru

Circumstances

“When Esau and Jacob were born, Scripture records that the younger son, Jacob, follows so quickly that he grasps onto the heel of his older brother. His name, Jacob, means “heel holder” …Idiomatically, Jacob may also mean “supplanter,” as Esau bitterly notes when his birthright is stolen by Jacob’s deception…However, God changes deceivers and manipulators into devout servants. Saul, the persecutor and self-proclaimed “chief of sinners,” becomes the Apostle Paul; Simon, who de

Purpose

“Each of us is born into this world with an instinctive desire to find meaning and purpose in our lives…I say, as do all Christian men, that it is a divine purpose that rules, and not fate…Many people have accepted that life must be meaningless on the basis of the secular worldview, but hardly any of them live consistently with that belief. People who believe life has no meaning or purpose and that objective truth is a delusion will actually take on convincing you that it is

Movement

“The only way we can genuinely live in reality is by discovering and surrendering to the natural movement toward God within each of us. The more this movement takes root in our lives, the more we are able to contemplate the nature of God and His creation…We shouldn’t view our struggles or problems as a bad thing just because they don’t feel good at the time. A wise elderly woman once told me all problems are an opportunity for growth. The obstacles we think are derailing can

God's Will vs Self Will

“What lies hidden in the designs of God I confess I do not know—I am only a man—but this I know with full certainty, that, whatever it is, it is more just, more wise, and more solidly based on incomparable perfection than all the judgments of people….God’s will is determined by His wisdom which always perceives, and His goodness which always embraces, the intrinsically good.” (St. Augustine, C.S. Lewis) “The story of Isaac blessing his son Jacob illustrates the intense meanin

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