SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“Christ's empathy with sinners rests on His being tempted in every way we are…In the case of men it is impossible that one should know the ill-treatment of the ill-treated who has not had experience, and gone through the actual sensations. Our High Priest endured all things. Therefore He endured first and then ascended, that He might be able to sympathize with us.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Hebrews 4:15, St. John Chrysostom) “Compassion differs from empathy. The critical element

“Names are inseparable from identity, belonging, and place. Parents throughout the world hope that the names they give their children will describe their babies’ personalities and roots. Their desire is for the name to shape that child’s character and identity and, in the end, destiny. The hope is that a child will blossom into her name, into her calling.” (Marlena Graves) The names we use for ourselves, for others, and for God shape our thought and influence our understandin

“ ‘Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,…’ ( 2 Thessalonians 1:11). What is this, ‘work of faith in power’? Patient endurance through persecutions. How? He gives us power and strength; for patience is a work of faith.” (Blessed Theophylact) “ ‘By your endurance you will gain your lives’ (2 Thessalonians 1:19, New English Translation). “By yo

“In the tradition of the early Church, the focus was on the healing of the whole person, body, mind, and spirit, accomplished by a synergy between medical science and the Holy Mysteries of the Church.” (Father George Morelli) “It interests me that modern discussions of anxiety and depression tend to alternate between a very physical account (“you have a chemical imbalance”) to very a psychological/emotional account (as in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). The truth is that it is

“The conscience is a gift God has bestowed on us that tells us when we have sinned against Him and against our neighbor. It calls us to turn from our sin and to seek to change the patterns of behavior that have caused us to sin. This tug by our conscience can be counterproductive if we make no effort to change our behavior. It can also be counterproductive if we simply give in to despair and resign ourselves to our sinful behavior, as though there were no cure for our illness

“Christ tells us that He is gentle and to be like Him to find a deep sense of peace (Matthew 11:29). But do we understand what it really means to be gentle or do we see it through the lens of the world which seems to equate gentleness with weakness and anger and outward shows of toughness with strength…Being gentle does not exclude being firm. Jesus was firm...The scriptures reveal…that Christ most often took a gentle approach toward His hearers. His words were intoned with l

“The Greek biblical word “nous” (adjective “noetic”) gets translated “mind” in English bibles, but it doesn’t mean the cogitating intellect. The nous is the aspect of “mind” that comprehends and understands; it is designed to perceive the voice and presence of God...“Noetic reality,” the reality of God’s presence.” (Frederica Mathewes-Green) “The word for heart in the original [Biblical text] is nous, an inclusive term for the interior life that often refers to the innermost

“What are the implications for us of Jesus’ teaching on the heart? First, we may fool ourselves or others, but we can never fool God. Once again, duplicity was certainly known to the Hebrews: "Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak." (Ps.11: 2)…God can see if we are holding back in any way, that is to say, as the Native American proverb goes: “If we are speaking with forked tongues.” (Father George Morelli) “…all gifts and ab

“It’s interesting that educators once thought the self-esteem movement would one day serve as a type of vaccine for our children. They were wrong. Research is telling us that the movement has turned us into a more narcissistic society. Indeed, the only true vaccine any child or adult ever needs is a life in Christ, who wards off any threat we face as Christian in the secular world.” (Tom Papagiannis, LCSW) “When the word self-esteem is found in English language translations

“…I begin my day with prayer and some beneficial reading, opening my heart to the divine energies of the Holy Spirit. This is a sort of re-charging of my heart in the morning, which helps it stay on course.” (Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin) “The heart, the seat of a person’s will and emotions, is the place where spiritual renewal begins. There God plants love and patience, traits that will produce a harvest of good works.” (Foundation Study Bible, 2 Thessalonians 3:5) “Christ actually r