Faith, Trust, and Belief
“When we separate faith from everything else, we make it into belief. It becomes the assent to the truth of something that cannot be proven by empirical evidence. The Book of James addresses this mistaken thought directly when it says, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (OSB James 2:24)… Paul speaks of “faith active” in love. This poignant phrase indicates that Paul would agree with James, who wrote against the idea of “faith alone.” He ins
Effort
“God . . . set no limits for any of us on the spiritual plane . . . We are called to eternal life in the Kingdom of our Father which is in heaven.” Yet, as the Lord states, “entry into the Kingdom inevitably entails suffering. Many decline the Father’s gift of love precisely because the utmost effort is required.” (Archimandrite Sophrony, Dynamis 12/18/2020) “John 8:31-42, especially vs. 31: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” Today’s passage from Saint Jo
Protection
“Fear is a powerful enemy of our faith and a strong deterrent to the believer’s peace of mind… Faith in God keeps us from losing hope and helps us resist fear…yet faith needs time to mature…Fear disrupts faith and becomes the biggest obstacle to trusting and obeying God…Sometimes faith is the absence of fear. Other times faith may be choosing to believe God even when your heart is melting with fear…We can overcome fear by trusting God for His protection in our darkest hour.”
Family and Relationships
“...human life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbour and with the earth itself…Real relationships with others, with all the challenges they entail, now tend to be replaced by a type of internet communication which enables us to choose or eliminate relationships at whim, thus giving rise to a new type of contrived emotion which has more to do with devices and displays than with other people and with nature." (Pope
Loving Others
“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