Spiritual Growth and Maturity
“…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
Spiritual Fruit
“…let us heed Jesus’ warning to the fig tree. When He finds a lush but fruitless tree, He curses it to wither away (Matthew 21:19) and...
Prune/Pruning
“Life in Christ is never a bed of roses. He promised pruning. But if we respond to the Gardener’s tending as fruitful branches, yielding...
Accomplishment
“Great things aren’t just the legacy of unusually gifted great men and women. Great things are what you will accomplish when you put God...
Theosis/Union with God
“Our quest for communion with the everlasting God reorients our vision, directing it toward the eternal destiny of all mankind. We...