SACRAMENTAL LIVING

Understanding Christianity as a Way of Life

Learning versus Knowing

“To be constantly learning sounds like a good thing. The Greek term for learning refers to the “observation” that increases knowledge of the world... Of course, such learning is often useful and enriching. But the term “always” refers to the constant investigation that this method of learning demands. It aims to expand the boundaries of personal and human knowledge continually. But that motive prevents the commitment, devotion, and dedication to the Lord necessary for spirit

Quotes of the Day for April 9, 2021 – Thoughts on learning but not knowing

Quotes of the Day for April 9, 2021 – Thoughts on learning but not knowing

“To be constantly learning sounds like a good thing. The Greek term for learning refers to the “observation” that increases knowledge of the world... Of course, such learning is often useful and enriching. But the term “always” refers to the constant investigation that this method of learning demands. It aims to expand the boundaries of personal and human knowledge continually. But that motive prevents the commitment, devotion, and dedication to the Lord necessary for spirit

Confusion

“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

Hope

“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

Giving (as Healing and Life-Giving)

“From this standpoint, the needs of others are tests of our relationship to the passions that threaten to control our inner life. Whether we close or open our hand to those in need reveals the state of our soul. Are we subject to the passions of greed and avarice? Do we view money as an end in itself? And do we treat our possessions as our cherished treasures? Do we treat riches and material goods as a means to serve God and our fellow persons? Are we selfish and hard-hearted

Spiritual Growth and Maturity

“Our society values self-reliance. We teach that maturity means that we no longer depend on others for direction or support. When we are fully grown, we should take our own path in life. However, our reading of Proverbs 3:1-18 teaches us the opposite. The wise teacher of Proverbs says, “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight (OAB vs. 5).” (Fr. Basil) “Spiritual “maturity” is something quite different from biological or psychological maturity.

Personhood

“The Greek word for “faith” is derived from the thought of being persuaded. “The “faith” is the conviction of the truth of sacred things…This term is a noun and does not refer to the verb of trusting in Christ or God’s grace. Nor does it mean personal belief. It is not what is imagined or envisioned. Nor is it a body of doctrine, that is, a set of propositions, of definitions, of treatises about God. It is certain and the common foundation of the truth upon which the life,

Ideas

“In the contemporary world, secularism, neo-paganism, along with eastern spiritualities, abound in the market-place of ideas, confusing many so that they neither hear nor heed the voice of the Lord…In the case of our beliefs in Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Son of God, we can let the deceivers steal them from us. They can plant contrary ideas in our minds that confuse us or replace our spiritual understanding with other notions. Or we can lose our faith in the doctrine of

Worldliness

“At various times, drinking, card-playing, dancing, and even movies were viewed as “worldly.” If you stayed away from these things, you thought that you were not “of the world.” But that is superficial thinking. What is “worldly” is whatever accepts the perceptions, presuppositions, and prescriptions of the world. It is a mindset that is tied to this earth and the pleasures, pastimes, and pursuits that the world offers. Teaching that proposes that we can understand ourselv

Obedience

“Often in the Scriptures the word know means not just being aware of something but having personal experience of it. Jesus did not know sin, not because He was unaware of what it is but because He never committed it himself. For although He is like us in every other way, He never sinned. Given this meaning of the word know, it is clear that anyone who says that He knows God must also keep his commandments, for the two things go together.” (Didymus the Blind) “We can be said t

Forbearance

“Paul says that we should both forbear and forgive. He writes in Colossians, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:13)….“forbearing” one another means “tolerating” them, that is, passing over their faults…forgiveness is the pardon of the wrongs d

Walking with God (Integrated Life)

“If we find that we too are limping along in our walk with the Lord, then we might ask ourselves whether unknowingly or not, we have become double-minded. If we feel stuck in our growth in faith and unproductive in our spiritual life, then we should exam ourselves. We should ask ourselves whether we have set up a rival to the Lord in our concerns, motives, and interests. If our worship in the House of God loses its sense of devotion, then perhaps we have become devoted to som

Passions

“To sin is to miss the mark, to fail to realize one's vocation and destiny. Sin brings disorder and fragmentation. It diminishes life and causes the most pure and most noble parts of our nature to end up as passions, i.e., faculties and impulses that have become distorted, spoiled, violated and finally alien to the true self…we have responsibilities to one another and, of course, to God. When we sin, or relationship to God and to others distorted. Sin is ultimately alienation

Works (Good Works)

“…faith is intimately united to good works, which are genuine expressions of true faith. Faith and works cannot be separated.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Romans 12:9-16) “...the difference between “works” and “good works” depends on the origin of the deed and what it exhibits. Consider your gift to a charity. What is the source of your act? Is it the desire to win the admiration of others? Is it to need to ease your conscience about the plight of the poor? Is it because your fr

Troubles and Trials

“… when we deal with suffering it can be difficult to understand and convey why things are happening. St. Paul writes of suffering (and remember, he suffered a lot), “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18). This can be difficult to remember or to find consolation from when we are in the midst of trials.” (Melissa Tsongranis) “It is, of course, one thing to say that our

Faith and Action

“God’s being and actions are one. This is essentially the teaching of the Church on the topic of the Divine Energies… Another simple term for “energies” is “actions” or “doings.” The root of the Greek word simply means “doing.” Indeed, it is most often translated as “deed” or “work.” “Workings” would be another accurate way of rendering “energies.” Understanding this points us towards the heart of the Church’s proclamation. Who God is, and what God does, are not two separate

Meekness

“We tend to think of meekness as a personality trait. When we hear the word meek, we usually think of someone softly spoken, easily pushed around, someone who never raises his voice, maybe even someone who is weak. But meekness is not the same as weakness, nor is it a particular kind of personality; it is a virtue...” (Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou) “It [meekness] is an inner grace of the soul that accepts the will of God without complaint or resistance. Yet, those wh

Pleasing God

“The fundamental problem is the notion of “works.” It’s the belief that pleasing God is a matter of human effort. The harder one toils, the more one exerts oneself, the greater the chance that God will look with favor on him or her. But what God our Creator wants from us is far greater than works. It is our faith and love. These are matters of a relationship, and a relationship is a state of being…To live “to God” mean that we dedicate our whole being to the Lord, not just ce

"Ocean"

“The ocean of life is vast. Without the reliable compass of God’s word, we sail aimlessly. Only by the accident of grace – God’s gift, truly – do any of us make the blessed landfall of true faith.” (Dynamis 2/20/2019) “The grace of God is the ocean in which we live. The ebbs and flows of the Almighty’s lovingkindness carry us where His goodness would have us go. If we fight against the currents of God’s will, we soon sink with exhaustion. And if we think we must earn whatever

Belief

“We hear it frequently remarked that it matters not what one believes if he does right. But if one does not believe right, he does not do the right thing—that is, if his belief is sincere and carried out in practice. If one believes that which is wrong, and still acts otherwise from force of circumstance, he is wrong in heart.” (St. Sebastian Dabovich) “We learn from this passage [Philippians 1:8-14] that our witness to our faith in Christ should be as open as Paul’s testimon

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