SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“…the concept of godly sorrow (2 Cor 7:10) is not well understood. How easy it is to settle into spiritual languor, remaining content with externals, satisfied with routine righteous acts and a limited idea of God. We either join our secular neighbors in thoughtless avoidance, or else we assume a false righteousness that does not respond to the call of Christ.” (Dynamis 7/1/2014) “There are two kinds of regret for the wrong we have done. In…2 Corinthians 7:1-10, Paul teaches

“It may be easy to think that we have devoted ourselves to the Lord quite well when we believe that we are getting what we want from religion. Perhaps we attribute the happiness of our marriages and families to our faith. Maybe we see our physical health, financial success, or good reputation among our peers as a reward for our dedication to God. Of course, all the good things of this life are God’s blessings and we should be grateful for them. We must be on guard, however, a

“Today’s passage [Genesis 4:16-26] describes the history of Cain and his descendants, whom we might call the first “secularists.” Cain shows us what becomes of human life when it is devoid of any awareness of God. Here we see into the heart of secular man: his existence is entirely organized around the material and psychological dimensions of life, where the passions reign over the spirit…This is secularism: a life devoid of relationship with God…Secularism inevitably leads m

“As Aaron Beck once said, “all emotion is preceded by perception”. This is quote is quite consistent with the ascetical teachings of the church. We would do well to study that simple quote and begin to apply it to our lives. How exactly have we been perceiving all of these events, what meanings have we been assigning to them?  What have we felt as a result of these meanings assigned or perceptions?” (Fr. Joshua Makoul) “Early in my career as a high school guidance counselor,

“All the power possessed by the Lord is bestowed upon the apostles! [Matthew 10:5-8]. Those who were prefigured in the image and likeness of God in Adam have now received the perfect image and likeness of Christ. They have been given powers in no way different from those of the Lord. Those once earthbound now become heaven-centered.” (St. Hilary of Poitiers) “…the degenerative power of pride, or egocentrism, blinds us to the goodness, truth, and beauty of the cosmos of which

“Start each day anew with a deep sense of wonder and awe…When awe and wonder depart from our awareness, depression sets in, and after its blanket has lain smotheringly upon us for a while, despair may ensue, or the quest for kicks begin. The loss of wonder, of awe, of the sense of the sublime, is a condition leading to the death of the soul. There is no more withering state than that which takes all for granted, whether with respect to human beings or the rest of the natural

“Among human beings, love appears to spring from feelings and emotions. Thus some mistakenly characterize love as irrational. But love transcends feeling and reason. Love is not rationally justified nor is it just a “natural” affection. At its source, love is a divine reality. Love, as I have stated, is rooted in freedom, in the absolute freedom of God and, next, in the relative freedom of the creature.” (Vigen Guroian) “Love, in the Christian understanding of the word (which

“Just as God has made the material universe, He also created humanity, and the whole gamut of human actions for his greater glory and our blessing. God therefore delights in all human pursuits that are undertaken to praise Him, not simply in our intellectual and “spiritual” practices…The connection between the human artist and the Creator God, the ultimate Artist, can be found only in beauty. True art and music are a reflection of the soul that is journeying into the heart of

“The Apostle Paul also urgently advises us to resist submitting mindlessly to “the affairs of this life” (2 Timothy 2:4). Fruitful effort in Christ depends on forcing the demands of this life to be subservient to our greater work in Christ. Avoid anything that disturbs union with the Lord.” (Dynamis 7/27/2018) “Although it is quite bewildering and counterintuitive, as we are submissive to God and His ways amid our weaknesses (including our death to self), we are growing spiri

“The Apostle Paul declares, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (vs. 16). This process of renewal continues unabated inside us, because we are united to Christ. Even in our worn and sinful hearts can undergo wonderful, renewing change. However, we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit. We must stop looking “at the things which are seen, but [rather look steadily] at the things which are not s