SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“Man follows his desire. One can even say that man is desire, and this fundamental psychological truth about human nature is acknowledged by the Gospel: ‘Where your treasure is,’ says Christ, ‘there shall your heart be.’ A strong desire overcomes the natural limitations of man; he does things of which ‘normally’ he is incapable…The only question, therefore, is whether we desire the right things, whether the power of desire in us is aimed at the right goal or whether—in the wo

“It is that divine initiative, that self-offering by God Himself, which elicits from us faith manifested as repentance and good deeds. The work of atonement—achieving redemption and reconciliation between ourselves and God—is wholly God’s: it is not our offering to the Father, but His gracious offering to us. In His boundless mercy and love, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor 5:19).” (Fr. John Breck) “Reconciling people, not dividing them, is the goa

“ ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar, and God has graciously granted you the safety of all who are sailing with you.’ The safety of all who are sailing with you" (Acts 27:24 NET Bible). In a sense, Paul’s presence protects them all. For Luke, it serves as a picture of what the Gospel does through Christ and through the one who brings the message…[and] the importance of having holy people dwell among us, for they guide us to safety according to the will of G

“The Holy Spirit, one of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity comes to abide in us, God’s people, if we are receptive to having the Spirit abide in us…We make ourselves receptive to God through humility, love and by following Christ’s commandments to love God and neighbor. God is revealed to us through those in whom the Spirit abides. In God’s Holy Ones we find God’s holiness. Humans are capable of being God-bearers, of being a light to the world as is our God.” (Fr. Ted Bob

“I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness…God has not called me to be successful. He has called me to be faithful.” (Mother Teresa) “God expects each disciple to endure and be faithful in this life. Our first task as Christians is not to acquire an education, get a job, or tend a business. Nor is it instructing our children in the faith, nor teaching them how to love the Lord. Before any of these worthy goals, we must tend our own soul by seeking purity, living uprig

“In our information age, many resources are readily available for us to seek the Lord—too many. A story from the desert fathers gives good advice…wandering from book to book, spiritual advisor to spiritual advisor, or church father to church father is a form of groping for the truth. A tree cannot grow and bear fruit if one keeps digging it up and planting it somewhere else.” (Fr. Basil) “Embracing God and His Kingdom requires more than processing information—even information

“There will be good days – those days when things fall into place and you feel that God is using the gifts that He has given you for His purposes. You will sense that He has placed you in a certain situation for which you are uniquely prepared. You will succeed and hopefully you will honor Him with your success, knowing that all that you accomplish has come from Him. There will be bad days – those days when the world seems to reward those who do not honor God or His commandme

“Knowledge is a state of being. It is transformative. When we acquire true knowledge (not just information) it is a form of participation in that which we know. Christ said: “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jn. 8:32. This is not a promise that He will provide “actionable information.” Rather, as we continue in His word [keep His commandments], the truth that abides in His commandments work

“Apart from humility of heart, God desires mercy and peace from us. That is the sacrifice God asks of us. But to offer this, we must acknowledge first that we have fallen short of God’s mercy and peace. We must turn to God in repentance, put aside all hatred and animosity, all pride and injustice, and be reconciled with one another. For we cannot offer mercy and peace if we have none.” (Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou) “The temptation towards hatred is very great and we

“Among the weakest things in the world of social relations is the truth. That might seem to be an odd statement. However, the weakness of the truth is the limitations placed upon it by its very nature. It cannot say just anything, nor can it ever pretend to be something that it is not. Those restrictions are not shared by lies. It is the nature of a lie that it can assume any shape required by the objects of its suasion. “Whatever it takes” would be an excellent description o