SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“Our culture is deeply transactional…We buy and sell and give rewards to the deserving. We proudly declare, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” For many, there is a deep-seated satisfaction with what they “earn.”…when the “undeserving” are rewarded, segments of the culture fall into deep dudgeon. Perhaps this is a proper way to structure an economy (perhaps not). It is clearly not a blueprint of the Kingdom of God nor the path towards likeness to God. The words of Christ

Quotes of the Day for November 14, 2025 – Thoughts on unity and division “Without unity, there can be no diversity (for on what common basis could we then establish difference itself?) while without diversity, there can be no unity (for what would then be left to be unified?)…Unity is good because the Church is One (as is affirmed in the Creed). But it is not good because it is “useful.” Indeed, I suspect that God has allowed our disunity for His own purposes – including savi

“In the Christian context, we do not mean by a "mystery" merely that which is baffling and mysterious, an enigma or insoluble problem. On the contrary, a mystery is revealed for our understanding but we never understand it exhaustively because it leads into God's depth or darkness. The eyes are closed—but they are also opened.” (Metropolitan Kallistos Ware) “The Greek word, mystery, originally meant "initiation," "secret," or "revelation of a secret." Christianity inherited t

“…sin lies in the direction of the will…A person sins when he looks upon his life as if it belonged only to him…It is necessary for...

“It is very interesting that…it is only when God “empties himself” for the life of the world, that He actually takes on being. Before...

Quotes of the Day for March 5, 2025 – Thoughts on ‘bearing one another’s burdens’ “Paul tells us in Galatians 6:2 to ‘bear one another’s...

“Desire is transformed into lust when we exclude God from the picture. Without God, the natural powers of our soul become corrupt. Abba...

“Faith is critical if we are not to remain earthbound. Divine matters cannot be comprehended with the mind, but we are conditioned in our...

“The standard of judgment is uncalculated mercy toward others. The works produced by faith are emphasized, for saving faith always...

“God loves us more than a father, mother, friend, or any else could love, and even more than we are able to love ourselves…We need to...