Salvation
“…salvation is not merely an escape from sin and death. It is that, to be sure. But it is also so much more than that — which is why some of the Holy Fathers teach that Christ would still have become incarnate even if the Fall of Man had never occurred. It is one thing (and an indisputably needful thing!) to put our passions to death…even some of the pagan philosophers put us Christians to shame by their virtue and asceticism — yet these things by no means acquired for them t
Repentance
“What were God’s first words, having become man, in His peaching? ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ There are no hopeless...
Inner/Outer Life
“Inner watchfulness is a primary element of our life in Christ, and far more important than following outward events. Our Lord makes this...
Interior/Inner Life
“Sin works in the soul and heart, but most terribly in the mind (Romans 1:28) or nous, which is the center or eye of the heart according...
Circumstances
“When Esau and Jacob were born, Scripture records that the younger son, Jacob, follows so quickly that he grasps onto the heel of his...
Heart (Illumination)
“What is the heart? In biblical and patristic usage, the term “heart” does not correspond to the emotions. Rather, it is synonymous with...
Perseverance/Persistence
“We need to have perseverance in our petitions before God.” (Orthodox Study Bible, John 2:3-5) “When bad thoughts surround us like a...
Thought
“As we think in our hearts, or inner beings, so we are. The raw material of our actions is what we take into our minds and allow to...