SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“Throughout the Holy Scriptures, beginning in the Old Testament, the God who created the universe and everything in it, who created we human beings to dwell therein and with whom to share His Life, expresses and reveals to us His character.” (Father Stephen De Young) “Boundaries (and, thus, love) requires that we endure healthy shame – for this is the emotional experience that comes with boundaries. The virtue of enduring such healthy shame is known as humility. Love is impos

“Having come to his own country, [Jesus] is not so intent upon miracles. He does not want to inflame them into further envy or to condemn them more grievously by the aggravation of their unbelief. Yet he presents his teaching, which possesses no less wonder than his miracles.” (St. John Chrysostom) “There is such power in the body and blood of Christ communicated to us in the eating and drinking of His gifts (Jn 6:54–56) that to do so in willful disregard of the Lord could re

“The story of Christianity is the story of humanity’s rebellion against God.” (John Moriarty) “It is possible to find those who consider themselves enemies of God. But most people would deny it. Instead, many may admit that “God” does not mean much to them. They harbor no ill will toward God as long as He doesn’t interfere with their lives…this attitude is the bedrock of human sinfulness. From the initial sin of Adam and Eve, humankind has declared its independence from its C

“Faith transforms the whole person, heart, soul, mind, and body…Salvation deals with the whole person, for each human being is a unity, body and soul.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Romans 10:5-13, James 5:13-15) “The Lord’s resurrection reveals the great dignity of the human body, which is destined for heavenly glory. Salvation is not an escape from the physical dimensions of our lives, but their fulfillment by our participation as whole persons in the life of Christ. True faith in

“The ritual life of Israel and later Judah was aimed entirely at maintaining the purity of sacred space so that Yahweh, the holy God could dwell there and of the people so that they could draw near to him. It served, from Moses to Christ, as a sin management system for the people of God to allow for repentance and restoration. It did this until Christ, through his incarnation, death, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement made us sons of God just as Abraham had been promis

“Because the Scriptures have a specific, God-given meaning (2 Peter 1:20, 21), it is impossible to truly understand them apart from the Church, for apostolic interpretation is held in the consciousness of the Church.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Acts 8:30-31) “…to assert the "centrality" – even "sufficiency" – of Scripture does not mean a self-sufficiency. As Father Georges Florovsky writes, "We cannot assert that Scripture is self-sufficient; and this not because it is incomplete

“ ‘If we are comfortable in the world then an economic reset or political upheaval will evoke fear and anger… But if this world is not our home. If we are but salt and light, sojourners in a strange land, then we will adjust. We will find a way. We will carry on, looking for a City whose foundations and builder is God.’…I think to a certain extent we are all comfortable in the world. Our daily life is full of worldly tasks and concerns: work, finances, extracurricular activit

“God’s love ignites our love, arousing us to repent and to plead for our fellow sinners…The great mercy of God, which “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Ti 2:4), aims to awaken a love that pleases Him…From among the ranks of fallen men God enlists those who will join Him in extending great mercy and salvation to others…Awakened mercy in our hearts leads us to pray for others…” (Dynamis 4/15/2021) “Paul asks the Colossians to pray for hi

“Babel, the place where the tower was built, means “gate of God.” The word is also a homonym of the Hebrew verb balal, “to produce confusion.” Even when we enjoy initial success, confusion will surely follow as long as we rely upon our own wisdom, ignoring the guiding word of God and His ways.” (Dynamis 4/8/2021) “As we see in the story of the fall, temptation is rarely blatant and obvious. We know it by its subtlety. By cleverness and deceit, the devil sows the tiniest, most

“The soul that desires to please God needs first of all patience and hope, because one of the tricks of the devil is, in time of trouble, to make us despondent and divert us from hope and trust in God. God never allows those who trust in Him to be overwhelmed by temptations so as to reach utter exhaustion; for says the Apostle, God is faithful and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation, He will also dispose the issue of it, and enable you