Knowing God
“Perhaps the most salient aspect of the sacramental life is something that has almost been forgotten within contemporary...
Center (Focus, Priority)
“And here is the crucial point: we begin with God as Being, Truth, Goodness, Beauty. The words and concepts only have meaning when...
Temptation
“Once, the monk John the Short told the desert father Poeman that he had asked the Lord to take away his passions. John said that the...
Self
“The story of ‘the Fall’ is the story of human self-will: we like to do what we want regardless of how our relationships or others are...
Despondency
“Beware of the spirit of despondency, for it gives birth to every evil. A thousand temptations come from it: agitation, rage, blame,...
Obedience
“While the rich man was probably being sincere when he insisted I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws [Mark 10:20], he had confined...
God's Will vs Self Will
“What lies hidden in the designs of God I confess I do not know—I am only a man—but this I know with full certainty, that, whatever it...
Obedience (and Freedom and Salvation)
“Obedience is not to carry out this or that order that you were given, while you object on the inside. Obedience is to subordinate your...
God's Will and Idols/Idolatry
“Knowing the will of God is one of the most delicate and complicated matter of our lives, especially for those who are trying to find it...
Attacks (Spiritual)
“The devil accuses the righteous before God “day and night” (Rev 12:10). With God's permission, he pummels our minds with evil thoughts...