SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“Before speaking of the sinfulness of consumerism, it is important to understand: consumption in itself is not evil. Consumption is a natural element of our human life. Man is a dependent and needy being; therefore it is natural for him to take and consume, especially in childhood. But as he matures, man increasingly begins to give to others—to create, to help, to care. A mature person is a responsible, creative personality who loves God and his neighbor and is guided by the

“The gift of speech is the greatest gift and corresponds to man’s need for expressing feelings, for exchanging thoughts, impressions, and conversations. But nothing can do more harm to one’s neighbor and nothing can so easily destroy as verbosity, which the enemy uses cunningly and especially successfully to catch people in his nets.” (St. Seraphim Chichagov) “We live in a remarkable and frightening time—the age of an information flood. Every day, through the screens of our s

“In thinking about darkness and light – and their role in our apprehension of the truth – I cannot but think about Beauty, which is a primary place in which the light of God is made manifest among us (if rightly perceived). The heart that is full of darkness cannot truly perceive beauty: the heart which is full of light, cannot help but perceive it. Perhaps a measure of our heart can be found in how we perceive the world around us: is it primarily a place of beauty or darknes

“I have no desire to wake up every day and look at the world and see only hopelessness. God did not create us to be hopeless. He created us, knowing us even before we were born, because of His infinite love and mercy. We too, are called to have love and mercy for each other.” (Jackie Morfesis) “Christ’s resurrection forced His disciples into a true paradigm shift: the finality of death was gone forever. Yet, life with all its trials and problems was still ongoing and the disc

“Today… we often take theology out of the theanthropic mystery of the Church in which it was sung by the Fathers. We transfer it to the field of mere academic discussions, where each person, remaining an individual, an isolated authority, states his opinion and goes his way. The resultant “theology,” however, is not the very theology of the Church…The divine Spirt breathes in the organism of human speech. Thus it becomes possible for man to utter words of God, to speak of God

“Christianity is not a religion of external demands and taboos; it is the worship of God “in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4.23). Our faith must first of all renew the inner person. Then, the inner peace that results from this correction and purification will inevitably manifest itself externally, healing and shaping the outer world aright. Strictly speaking, the external world can only undergo changes for the good, when acting in it are people who have themselves been renewed inter

“Self-deception can be defined as a false belief concerning oneself. It is a repercussion from the wound of rejection. When we think we are right for long enough, but are actually wrong, no one can tell us differently. Because of this, self-deception is a trap. It is extremely difficult for one to extricate himself from deception of any kind, especially when it is being directed from within.” (Frank Hammond) “We ought, however, to be aware that to live in self-deception is sp

“We must never forget that Christ was Himself the Word of God, in the sense that He was expressive wisdom itself, whose expressions carried the force of actions. His utterances were at one and the same time word and action. The activity of His body was the direct consequence of the activity of His mind.” (Matthew the Poor) “A true and faithful practice of the Christian faith should be grounded in the body and in the givenness of life. Biology is not our enemy nor is it someth

“Many people mistakenly believe that faith is the absence of doubt. In reality, faith is the ability to move forward despite doubts. The Apostle Thomas did not reject faith; he just required personal confirmation to strengthen it—he needed a personal meeting with Christ. His doubts did not make him weak; on the contrary, they helped him come to a deeper understanding. And Christ did not condemn St. Thomas for this—He gave him what he needed. Similarly, everybody should experi

“The question of whether atheism or godly devotion lodges in our soul is answered when we acknowledge the image of God in everyone we meet. We are to seek Christ in everyone, from the holiest of saints down to the most depraved souls…A person of peace is one devoted to God, committed to doing good. Unlike them, “The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death” (Psalm 37:32). This means if we are constantly watching others to find fault with them, we are doi