SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“Our egos, which I am distinguishing from the true self, often have difficulties with boundaries. The ego is a narrative of our lives that is our own creation. It is the story we tell ourselves about ourselves. It is often how we make sense of things and sort things out. This is a process that is under constant revision. It pushes us to criticize and judge, to weigh and compare. The ego is me watching me. Strangely, this process creates false boundaries – borders that mark th

“God works invisibly beneath our actions to deal with desperate circumstances. He uses our striving to face troubles and perils to carry out His will… We may act skillfully or clumsily. We may live wisely or foolishly. We may be clever or clueless, but the Almighty is with us. He is always working beneath what we do to fulfill His will in our lives. So let us abandon our pride and give Him the glory whether what we do turns out well or badly. Thus, let us trust that ultimatel

“Babel, the place where the tower was built, means “gate of God.” The word is also a homonym of the Hebrew verb balal, “to produce confusion.” Even when we enjoy initial success, confusion will surely follow as long as we rely upon our own wisdom, ignoring the guiding word of God and His ways.” (Dynamis 4/8/2021) “As we see in the story of the fall, temptation is rarely blatant and obvious. We know it by its subtlety. By cleverness and deceit, the devil sows the tiniest, most

“In his disobedience and expulsion from Paradise, man lost the grace of the Holy Spirit (My Spirit shall not remain)…Without the grace of the Holy Spirit, man is easily overcome by the devil, for his willpower alone is incapable of resisting the devil's temptations. Furthermore, his will was weakened through his disobedience and expulsion from Paradise. But he willfully refused God's helping grace (every intent . . . was only evil continually)…Nevertheless, His grace was alwa

“If we find that we too are limping along in our walk with the Lord, then we might ask ourselves whether unknowingly or not, we have become double-minded. If we feel stuck in our growth in faith and unproductive in our spiritual life, then we should exam ourselves. We should ask ourselves whether we have set up a rival to the Lord in our concerns, motives, and interests. If our worship in the House of God loses its sense of devotion, then perhaps we have become devoted to som

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh (ὅτιγελάσετε).” (Lk 6: 21) Here is an oft forgotten, oft-neglected promise made by my Lord to those who take up their cross: laughter! I have seen this promise come true in the lives of people who lead lives of conscious, spiritual growth and struggle: Despite their unmistakable, focused earnestness, they often laugh wholeheartedly. They have the capacity to laugh good-naturedly at themselves, and at the absurdity of some of o

“… when we deal with suffering it can be difficult to understand and convey why things are happening. St. Paul writes of suffering (and remember, he suffered a lot), “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18). This can be difficult to remember or to find consolation from when we are in the midst of trials.” (Melissa Tsongranis) “It is, of course, one thing to say that our

“The Lord anoints each of us as ruler over the unruly kingdom within our hearts and souls…Each of us must likewise “renounce all things, despise all things, deride all things and shake off things” within our hearts that refuse to submit to Christ and His will.” (Dynamis 12/11/2019, Saint John Climacus) “No one on earth can give us unshakable inner peace. Money cannot give us peace, neither can fame, honor, a high-ranking position, nor even our closest friends and family. The

“The word mercy in English is the translation of the Greek word eleos. This word has the same ultimate root as the old Greek word for oil, or more precisely, olive oil; a substance which was used extensively as a soothing agent for bruises and minor wounds. The oil was poured onto the wound and gently massaged in, thus soothing, comforting and making whole the injured part. The Hebrew word which is also translated as eleos and mercy is hesed, and means steadfast love. The Gre

“It is indeed difficult that when a person comes to Church, and even decides to dedicate his life to it, he then encounters that which seems very out of place. He encounters human deficiencies, completely “worldly” interests, and people’s infirmities. It is very easy to be disillusioned, to be driven away. It is much better, however, to attempt to understand this correctly. People come into the Church to be saved; however, they do not become holy automatically. They bring alo