Change
“Christianity should not be reduced to political activism or the enforcement of morality, for societal reformation can take place only when Christ is allowed to change the heart of every citizen…It is easy to get caught up in the externals. Beware of those who emphasize actions that we should or shouldn’t do, with no concern for the inward condition of the heart. Living a good life without an inward change leads to a shallow of empty spiritual walk. What matters to God is tha
Leadership
“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment (James 3:1)”. Teachers are often leaders and leaders are often teachers. Leaders should live what they teach. God will hold both leaders and teachers to a higher standard and in stricter judgement when they are hypocritical. Christ demonstrates this in His castigation and evisceration of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:1-39 when He points out how they repeatedly teach one thing an
Heart (Condition of)
“The most portentous fact about any person is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like...” (A.W. Tozer) “The nous is the deep part of our spiritual being, where we know and meet God...the dividing line between those who are truly righteous and on the path to life and those who are nowhere near that path lies within each human heart…God’s principle work is always within the human heart” (Dynamis 7/18/2015, Father Barnaba
Success
A “successful” parish can thus be judged by its well-managed conflicts and general tone of happiness. In its most crass examples, success is measured by income and attendance. None of this assumes that conflict may very well be a gift of God for our salvation, or that the day-to-day inner struggle of parishioners has anything to do with the Christian life. In my experience, salvation can often be quite messy and disruptive of certain aspects of parish life. Such “messiness,”