SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“Give us this day our daily bread.”…Daily is a misleading translation of the Greek epiousios, which is literally “above the essence” or “super substantial”….In the Lord’s Prayer we are not merely asking for physical health, but for [daily] spiritual nourishment.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 6:11) “Give us bread today for the coming day,” or “Give us today the bread we need for today.” The term ἐπιούσιος (epiousios) does not occur outside of early Christian literature…so it

“ ‘The fear of the Lord leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil’ (Proverbs 19:23). There are two kinds of fear in this verse. One is the fear of the Lord, which nourishes spiritual life in a man. The other is fear in places where knowledge is not examined. What place is this where Wisdom's knowledge is not examined? In this fallen world where many refuse to examine such knowledge. Failure to examine Wisdom's knowledge nour

“What does it mean to wait? Is it just a matter of killing time until our hope is realized? Like a child who is bored on a rainy day, should we find ways to occupy our time until the Lord shows up? Waiting does not mean idleness or passivity. The stem of the Greek word means “to abide,” that is, to ‘stay put. ” But the translation “wait” misses the intensity by which one is to maintain our hope. The meaning is that we should wait with patience and expectation…In 1 Corinthians

“It is that divine initiative, that self-offering by God Himself, which elicits from us faith manifested as repentance and good deeds. The work of atonement—achieving redemption and reconciliation between ourselves and God—is wholly God’s: it is not our offering to the Father, but His gracious offering to us. In His boundless mercy and love, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor 5:19).” (Fr. John Breck) “Reconciling people, not dividing them, is the goa

“Fear is a powerful enemy of our faith and a strong deterrent to the believer’s peace of mind… Faith in God keeps us from losing hope and helps us resist fear…yet faith needs time to mature…Fear disrupts faith and becomes the biggest obstacle to trusting and obeying God…Sometimes faith is the absence of fear. Other times faith may be choosing to believe God even when your heart is melting with fear…We can overcome fear by trusting God for His protection in our darkest hour.”

“Sometimes we become apathetic about serving the Lord or hesitate to do good because we don’t see any results...Don’t let discouragement over an apparent lack of results keep you from doing the work of the Lord enthusiastically as you have opportunity..." (Life Application Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:58) “If someone does not consider himself Christ’s servant, then he is free to set aside the need for self-examination…Christ’s faithful servants are like navigators: we need t

"…the Name Jesus as His proper Name is ontologically connected with Him. For us it is the bridge between ourselves and Him [cf. Jn. 20:29]. It is the channel through which divine strength comes to us. Proceeding from the All-Holy, it [His Name] is holy and we are sanctified by invoking it. With this Name and through this Name our prayer acquires a certain objective form or significance: It unites us with God." (Elder Sophrony Sakharov) “Praying Jesus’ name is not meant to inv

“As training prepares an athlete, so spiritual discipline prepares a Christian to exercise faith and enter the Kingdom…A balanced spiritual diet must include healing times of self-examination, repentance, and confession as part of our disciplines for spiritual growth.” (Orthodox Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, OCPM 8/25/2016) “Inner spiritual discipline will create a clear sense of purpose and humility in your own heart.” (Father Barnabas Powell) "Now, the Lord is not tel