SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“The difference between obligation and obedience is more than mere semantics. An obligation is imposed on us, but obedience, as the Church uses and understands that term, is self-chosen…The Greek word for “obedience” is hypakoe. It comes from the root word akouo (“to hear”). The relationship between hearing and obedience is clear in the Scriptures: one obeys when one hears the word of God and does it.” (Dr. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou) “While knowing that the people you ar

“ [‘For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.’ (2 Cor 13:4]…This is a difficult passage which causes problems for many people. What is meant here by “weakness”? In Scripture weakness can refer to bodily illness, and it can also mean not being securely grounded in faith. But there is a third possibility, and that is what we find here. Weakness can mean perse

“Since the dawn of time, resistance to God has been the hallmark of the human race – the great problem plaguing every man and woman.” (OCPM 5/24/2017) “Every human being struggles with immorality, because at our core is our heart’s rebellion against God.” (David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons) “The rebellion of the world against God reveals several things…While union with Christ brings love, truth, and peace, it also brings persecution, because the world hates love and truth..." (Orth

“…we have a misleading idea at the very head of our Constitution: the pursuit of happiness. One can not pursue happiness; if he does he obscures it. If he will proceed with the human task of life, the relocation of the center of gravity of the personality to something greater outside itself, happiness will be the outcome.” (Alexis de Tocqueville) “Modern western man has some basic misconceptions about the nature of happiness. The origin of the word is instructive: happiness s

“…we must guard against thinking that a humble heart is easily acquired. Although we are attracted to humility, we should anticipate a battle in the soul. The cost of humility on Christ’s terms is an all-out fight against our self-serving pride and vainglory. The humility we perceive in Christ our God requires a lifelong dedication to putting to death our carelessness, arrogance, selfishness, and self-indulgence.” (OCPM 7/31/2017) “Have you ever noticed how most truly humble

“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 understand as human beings that our personal value and the value of our so-called accomplishments is first and foremost rooted in God’s love for us.” (St. John Chrysostom, Father David L. Fontes, PsyD) “The challenge then is to take our sense of Godliness and transfer it over to every encounter with every person we meet today, to see God in the

“Many think that pain is the exception in the Christian life. When suffering occurs, they say,"why me?” They feel as though God deserted them, or perhaps they accuse Him of not being dependable as they thought. In reality, however, we live in an evil world filled with suffering, even for believers. But God is still in control.” (Life Application Study Bible, Hebrew 11:35-39)"Temptation comes from evil desires within us, not from God. It begins with evil though and becomes sin