SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“We go to church… in order to have our eyes opened to see the goodness which God bestowed upon creation… We begin to see God revealed in and through God’s own creation… It is this vision which we lost through sin – it is not the case that the world is totally depraved because of sin but rather that we have lost the ability to see and to have our proper place in creation.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh) “We see the world of God’s creation spread before us, its splendor awakening us to offer

“The vast majority of Christians through the ages probably knew less “theology” than today’s catechumenal converts. The Church has not thrived or survived through its mastery of such things. It is, instead, the character of Christ, acquired through the sacraments and the patient keeping of the Commandments that has preserved the faith. Such a foundation can fathom mysteries. Only the character of Christ can understand the mysteries of the faith. The words of books, often the

“God never allows pain without a purpose in the lives of His children. He never allows Satan, nor circumstances, nor any ill-intending person to afflict us unless He uses that affliction for our good. God never wastes pain…Regardless of the source of our pain, we must accept that God knows, God loves and God is at work” (Jerry Bridges, Charles Stanley) “God uses the desert of the soul—our suffering and difficulties, our pain, our dark nights (call them what you will)—to form

“…I begin my day with prayer and some beneficial reading, opening my heart to the divine energies of the Holy Spirit. This is a sort of re-charging of my heart in the morning, which helps it stay on course.” (Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin) “The heart, the seat of a person’s will and emotions, is the place where spiritual renewal begins. There God plants love and patience, traits that will produce a harvest of good works.” (Foundation Study Bible, 2 Thessalonians 3:5) “Christ actually r

“God loves us more than a father, mother, friend, or any else could love, and even more than we are able to love ourselves…We need to understand as human beings that our personal value and the value of our so-called accomplishments is first and foremost rooted in God’s love for us.” (St. John Chrysostom, Father David L. Fontes, PsyD) “The challenge then is to take our sense of Godliness and transfer it over to every encounter with every person we meet today, to see God in the

“God the Father illumines our hearts to know Christ, so"that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor 4:11), and His grace"spread through the many [and] cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God” (vs. 15). The light of God shines through one human being and then spreads to another, and another,"through the many.” (Dynamis 9/12/2015) "He [Christ] does not praise the foresight of the worldly, savvy individual, but rather that of one who seeks