SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“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

“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

“Whatever circumstances I am in, I can serve God. We may think that serving God means successfully accomplishing great and miraculous things. But St Paul saw himself serving God even when he languished in a prison cell. Even through the many disasters he endured (2 Corinthians 11:23-28), he believed he was there to do God’s will. The spiritual life is not always about success as the world measures it. Sometimes it is about remaining faithful no matter what.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)

“Today we continue to celebrate the most fundamental and joyful proclamation of our faith: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life! He is our Pascha, our Passover, from death to life, for Hades and the grave could not contain the God-Man Who shares with us His victory over corruption and decay in all their forms. In a world enslaved to the fear of the grave, He has illumined even the dark night of the tomb with

“And here was the turning point. He did not say to me, “Jackie, you have to forgive.” The words that so many well-meaning friends and even clergy have said to me through the years. Here is what he said: “Jackie, you can choose to forgive.” “Choose” being the operative word. Choose. It was up to me. It was up to me to make the conscious decision to forgive. I was ready. I was ready to choose to forgive.” (Jackie Morfesis) “If we “forgive men their trespasses, [so] your heavenl

“Spiritual warfare is what we fight against daily; but let us remember that in fighting the darkness and the adverse powers, we must not open the portals in our armor to become agents of the darkness itself. How is this possible? This is possible when we foment hatred and anger in our hearts. When we judge our brothers and sisters because we see them as the enemy, as someone to overcome and defeat. Christ already defeated death with death. The thief comes but to steal, and to

“Christians must embody the struggle for holiness in every dimension of their lives and support one another as they pursue the difficult journey to the life of the Kingdom….each of our lives should be seen as a quest or a pilgrimage, which can only be understood in terms of a narrative. Our life-journey is a life-story.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters, Joseph Pearce) “Life in Christ is thus not a journey that happens with angels and demons on the periphery. Rather, it means that He re

“—The Lord tells us, For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required (Lk. 12:48)…What will I be held accountable for? That’s what’s important. And I will be asked for what the Lord has entrusted to me and what He has revealed to me. Why should I look at others? Remember what the Lord said to the Apostle Peter in response to his question: “But Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You fo