Vulnerability
“Vulnerability is something we instinctively reject because we are taught from kindergarten on that we must protect ourselves, control our behavior and our lives. But in becoming man for us, Christ made himself totally vulnerable for us in Jesus of Nazareth, and it is not possible to be a Christian while refusing to be vulnerable.” (Madeleine L'Engle) “In times of suffering, the Church encourages us to fully experience our story and, as my good friend and teacher Dr. Albert R
Watchfulness
“Critical for every servant of God, given our unavoidable struggle against the passions, is prayerful watchfulness…God endows each person with many gifts. However, instead of being grateful to God for these gifts, he is often not watchful. He claims them as his own, inwardly boasting. Then the cunning devil, the thief that he is, goes and steals the gifts—infects them with his poison, rendering them useless” (Dynamis 10/4/2019, St. Paisios the Athonite)
“Without watchfulness
Prayer
“There are very few people who come to their senses, very few who understand life. We pray with our lips only, and we hurry through our prayers to “get it over with” as soon as possible, and then we lose peace. Fasting and prayer are a means of embellishing our soul and bringing it back to its original state.” (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica) “...God’s answers [to prayers] come from God’s perspective. They are not always in harmony with our expectations, for only he knows the wh
Trauma
“Trauma is a word for the damage we suffer in extreme circumstances…This experience is as old as mankind itself. Trauma sometimes leaves people emotionally and even physically crippled. Among ancient peoples, the trauma of life was met with liturgy – rituals, both public and private that sought to restore them to their right minds, to appease the wrath of the gods or the spirits of their enemies. The collective psyche of a whole people was set right through various actions an
Resilience
“Resilience is a psychological process of adaptation in the face of obstacles, trauma, tragedy and stress is related to good emotional and physical health…One characteristic of resilience and hardiness is to take decisive action…religious people are more involved, hopeful and optimistic than non-religious individuals.” (Father George Morelli) “A great spiritual lesson in resilience can be learned from Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite Woman as described by St. Matthew (15: