SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“Why are we so afraid? Why are we so afraid to show our real selves to the world? Afraid to take a stand? Afraid to defend others? Fear. Fear. Fear. The answer is fairly simple. Because of the risk involved. Whenever we draw a line in the sand, we risk losing those who are uncomfortable with the line. We risk being judged…criticized. Misunderstood…most importantly, we risk not being accepted. It is an ancient and primal need of humankind to be accepted.” (Jackie Morfesis) “Am

“…this is how the path of religious life begins. As the holy fathers write, the soul passes through three stages: slave, hireling, and son. The stage of the slave—a person does not yet love God, but fears hell. He keeps the commandments because he has been horrified by the description of fiery gehenna. This is faith expressing the religious instinct of self-preservation. The stage of the hireling—a person already hopes for reward. He fasts in order to receive the Kingdom of H

“An evil person is not someone who is nothing but evil, someone with no redeeming features or virtues whatsoever. An evil person is not a...

“God needs a place in our hearts, to grab a hold of something in a man’s soul. Then the man can be helped. But if his heart and soul are...

“All good things come from God providentially, and those who bring them are the servants of what is good.” (St. Mark the Ascetic) “We do...

“I find the bits and pieces of everyday life much more precious than the hopes and dreams of an unlived future. Clouds passing in the sky...

“Human efforts alone achieve nothing in the Kingdom of God. Human efforts under the power of God the Holy Spirit yield everything God...

“St. John Chrysostom writes an encomium of Abraham, pointing out that nothing in his life prepared him for such faithfulness to God. For,...

“During times of struggle or fear …we can feel abandoned. Sometimes we just feel it and sometimes we verbalize it. When we verbalize it,...