SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“To continue growing requires watchfulness, or inner attentiveness (nepsis), which is necessary for replacing the vices with virtues. We must know what is happening inside ourselves. Most of us are in a state of inner sleep (hypnos). We think of ourselves as conscious, but the Fathers call it sleep—an unawareness characterized by self-centeredness. What we need is a detached awareness of what’s happening inside in order to be more aware of the promptings of the conscience.” (

“There are two kinds of fear: one initial, and the other perfect… For example, he who fulfills the will of God out of fear of punishment is still a beginner, for he does not yet do good for the sake of goodness itself, but out of fear of punishment. But he who fulfills the will of God out of love for Him, loving Him simply in order to please Him—this one knows what true good is; he has understood what it means to be with God. Such a person fears God and fulfills His will no l

“He [Gadarene Demoniac – Luke 16:19-31] is an icon of our brokenness and represents us all in many ways. He did not ask Christ to deliver...

“Paul tells us in Galatians 6:2 to ‘bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.’ The law of Christ is to love God and love one another as He has loved us. This love is a voluntary sacrificial love. We are to bear our cross, to overcome pride with humility, and accept help from others when our cross is beyond our capacity to bear alone. Perhaps more importantly, we are to help others bear theirs when they cannot bear it alone, and to do so out of Christ like

“God and man looked at one another when Christ revealed Himself in truth to men…Through Christ we see as in a mirror the spotless and...

“Humans were made for fellowship with God: this is the first and primary affirmation in the Christian doctrine of the human person. But...

“When God created the heavens and the earth, and all the things that are in them, He gave them being, existence, goodness, and truth....

“ ‘…now my eye sees You” [Job 42:5]: The gift of spiritual knowledge—that is, when we begin to perceive the hidden things of God—is...

“We know intuitively that loneliness and being alone are not the same thing. Solitude can be lovely. Crowded parties can be agony. We...

“What are the implications for us of Jesus’ teaching on the heart? First, we may fool ourselves or others, but we can never fool God....