Hunger
“Christ is the New Adam. He comes to repair the damage inflicted on life by Adam, to restore man to true life, and thus he also begins with fasting. ‘When he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he became hungry’ (Matthew 4:2). Hunger is that state in which we realize our dependence on something else – when we urgently and essentially need food – showing thus that we have no life in ourselves.” (Fr. Alexander Schmemann) “To understand fasting as simply abstaining from meat and d
Brokenness
“God is free and cannot be expected to behave in a predictable manner (known to us). We can expect certain things according to His promise, but even those things remain largely hidden. For example, we can trust that He is always at all times and in all things working for our salvation, our true communion with Him and healing from the ravages of our brokenness. But we are creatures who dream of being gods, though entering by a false door. Rather than being raised up and confor
Heaven, Hell, and Eternity
“The challenge today is not so much that people don’t believe in God; it’s that they don’t believe in a personal God. There is more of a sense that God is “something up there” as opposed to “someone who is here…Without ceasing to be “up there”, God is now also “down here” among us, saving His world from the inside out.” (Sacramental Living Ministries, Fr. Lawrence Farley) “Sky is a thirteenth-century borrowing from Old Norse, referring to the clouds or the region where the cl
Bible/Scripture
“You can know life only through life itself. In other words, the practical application of the Scriptures builds up our relationship with God. We learn from the Bible about Christian life and find the basis for deep faith, because, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).” (Priest Anthony Rusakevich) “St. John of Damascus’s remark: Let us draw from the fountain of this garden [the Scriptures] perennial and purest waters springing into life
Compassion
“It is of note to me that there is a great darkness associated with God in some presentations of the Christian faith, enough to drive...
Behavior
“While St Paul uses language which distinguishes between the ‘spiritual’ human and the ‘natural’ or ‘carnal’ human, he still holds to a...
Order and Disorder
“Have you seen how, with creation, when God wished to make creation, with how much harmony and godly wisdom everything was put together,...
Perfectionism
“We have to follow our life’s path, although our life isn’t always perfect. Let’s not just stand around waiting for everything to be...
Modern Culture
“While every godly expression of our talents, and every lawful calling, can become an occasion to glorify God, the cultural mandate of...
Empathy
“The word “empathy” is often defined as placing ourselves in the shoes of another. Empathy makes us more compassionate toward other...
