SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“During this season of mask-wearing, we have become weary of a “faceless” existence. I can think of nothing that is more de-personalizing that the hiding of our face. I respect the science (and certainly would not want a surgeon operating on me without a mask). But I lament our common experience even as I pray for this time to pass. I also think, however, of how many masks we have all worn in our lives. We find many ways to hide our face – our true face.” (Father Stephen Free

“Righteous anger is a natural human emotion experienced in the face of sin. While there is anger that is certainly sinful (Mt 5:22), there is also anger that is God-given and proper to humanity (Ps 4:4). Christ's anger here [Mark 3:1-6] is in response to people professing God, yet having such hardness in their hearts that they could not rejoice in the healing of one of their brothers.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Mark 3:5) “The Fathers teach that anger in and of itself is not a si

“Most of us do not think we are in a constant battle. Most of us, rightly so, recognize the ugliness of evil when we see it on full display, for example, in the horrible events of the news. However, most of us miss the daily evil of the enemy because we think certain things are benign and miss the malevolence behind them. The thoughts we are pummeled with on a daily basis that cause so much distraction from what is truly important are of the enemy. That is why Christ, St. Pau

“Regarding the matter of how much to pray, Fr. Thomas Hopko had a wise saying. He said to pray as much as you can, not as much as you should. That is, we will always feel that we “should” pray or read or attend services more. Don’t focus on an ideal that you should do, rather focus on what you can do, with a little effort, but not too much effort. Keep in mind that it is much, much better to have an easy rule that you can keep just about every day and that you sometimes add t

“The Lord Jesus directs us to continuous prayer because He knows that quick, easy results, obtained conveniently and effortlessly, only tempt us. We of course prefer to ask once and receive immediately, at our convenience. Our self-indulgence prefers methods that involve no struggle. If we receive easily, however, we are likely to remain flabby in our relationship with God. There are other darker, evasive desires that keep us from remaining constant in prayer. We like to keep

“The world’s present mood is not conducive to prayer and meditation. Mechanism and speed dominate all departments of our present day civilization. We race through life and we hardly have time to read the signposts and to learn whether or not we are on the right road of life. No wonder that so many lives end in ruin and misery. Even in our leisure we are dominated by action and controlled by schedule and thus can hardly experience total relaxation of body and complete serenity

“In all four Gospels we find the Lord Jesus often leaving behind the crowds that follow Him in order to spend time by Himself. He seeks solitude to be with His Father. If the Lord, who is both man and God, needs to withdraw from the world to find intimacy with the Father, how much more do we, as fallen human beings, need to follow His example!” (Dynamis 7/21/2020) “Christ taught by example, spending whole long nights in the desert praying. He did this to teach and admonish us

“Because they can easily deceive others, those who put on a show of virtue or religion are more dangerous than those who are evil outright. Thus, we must be all the more cautious among those who are outwardly virtuous.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 7:15) “Deception is a major phenomenon of our own times. There have always been deceivers. But deception has become a far more integral part of modern life…Looking over the landscape of modern life, we see that the human communit

“I am sure you are all aware of the word “devil.” It’s meaning is “to dissipate, or create chaos.” When our life is pulled in so many directions, it is easy to lose sight of Christ.” (Antiochian Archdiocese) “…what the Scriptures show us repeated again and again…is that we as human persons were created as kings. Every one of us was born rich, not necessarily in the worldly sense, but filled with the blessings that God has poured out on us in His love for each and for every hu

“He who withdraws from communing the Sacred Mysteries, causes God himself to withdraw from him…When we turn from Him, God effectively withdraws from us, although in reality He remains everywhere present.” (Abba Apollos, OCPM 7/25/2017) “Those who follow the path of God often experience times when the holy peace, that glorious inner seclusion of calm detachment, and the freedom they love are interrupted—when, in fact, they withdraw.” (Fr. Jack Sparks) “And this is an experienc