Spiritual Growth and Maturity
“…this is how the path of religious life begins. As the holy fathers write, the soul passes through three stages: slave, hireling, and son. The stage of the slave—a person does not yet love God, but fears hell. He keeps the commandments because he has been horrified by the description of fiery gehenna. This is faith expressing the religious instinct of self-preservation. The stage of the hireling—a person already hopes for reward. He fasts in order to receive the Kingdom of H
Abstraction
“One of the competing philosophies opposed to Christian thinking from antiquity is dualism, which was very prevalent in the ancient...
Theosis/Union with God
“Our quest for communion with the everlasting God reorients our vision, directing it toward the eternal destiny of all mankind. We...
Sin
“...sin is committed in three stages, namely, the suggestion of it, the pleasure experienced, and the consent…Our captivity to sin begins...