SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“When the disciples first heard Christ say “Follow Me,” they were doing their daily work as fishermen. Let us not think that His calling is esoteric or removed from the mundane realities of life. We have no lack of opportunities to answer His call in our families, workplaces, friendships, and neighborhoods, as well as in this small parish. No one else is married to your spouse, is the father or mother of your children, or is the particular friend, worker, or parishioner that

“The sacrificial system of the Old Testament is not the slaughter of innocent creatures in order to appease the wrath of an angry god with their blood. It is the means of the purification of sin, which allows human persons to draw close to God once again and share a sacred meal of communion…the death of Christ is not the ultimate example of God avenging His justice through punishing His Son. Rather, it is the Son offering Himself up to be eaten as food by the faithful to puri

“In child development, there is something called Object Permanency. It is the child’s ability to grasp that even though they cannot see an object (such as a parent), they still exist. Until this ability is mastered, if the child cannot see their parent, then they don’t exist and the child goes into distress. However, this milestone is achieved as they grow and they become secure in the fact that even though they cannot see a parent, they still exist and are there for them. In

“We live in a world where actions and choices have consequences. That is what it means to be human. Those saying that the cost of living in a world where such consequences are possible is too high a cost are really asking to live in a non-human world, a world of machines running on programs or animals running on instinct. But God made a world for men and women to live in, a world of consequences, a world full of invitations to joy.” (Fr. Lawrence Farley) “Since God will not a

“…A paradox, you probably already know, is a statement which is seemingly self-contradictory; a statement which appears to be false, but which, upon careful examination, in certain instances proves to be true… Spirituality is a paradox…let me pass on what I consider the four paradoxes… we surrender to win…we give away to keep…we suffer to get well…we die to live.” (Fr. Bogdan Djurdjulov) “…Christian life is filled with paradoxes, what the Holy Fathers referred to as antinomie

“Critical for every servant of God, given our unavoidable struggle against the passions, is prayerful watchfulness…God endows each person with many gifts. However, instead of being grateful to God for these gifts, he is often not watchful. He claims them as his own, inwardly boasting. Then the cunning devil, the thief that he is, goes and steals the gifts—infects them with his poison, rendering them useless” (Dynamis 10/4/2019, St. Paisios the Athonite) “Without watchfulness

“There is a relationship between sin and death. Sin causes death, and the fear of death leads one to sin and thus to bondage, Christ sets us free from this bondage of sin and death.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Hebrews 2:15) “There are myriad things that can keep us in bondage but three are particularly strong and weapons of the strong man (Matthew 12:43-45) that we buy into all too readily. They are be self-deception, being unteachable, and control… The strong man is the devil wh

“The Lord Himself said: “Be merciful, just as your heavenly Father also is merciful” [Luke 6: 36]. He did not say: “Fast as your heavenly Father fasts,” neither did He say: “Give away your possessions as your heavenly Father is without possessions”; but he did say: “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful.” This is because this virtue—above all—emulates God and is a characteristic of Him…God’s judgment is based in mercy…” (Orthodox Study Bible, Romans 9:22-24, Abba Do

“James compares the damage the tongue can do to a raging fire...The uncontrolled tongue can do terrible damage…To use proper speech you must not only say the right words at the right time but also control your desire to say what you shouldn’t.” (Life Application Study Bible, James 3:6, James 3:2-3) “Restraint of the tongue is a great thing…Speech reflects a person’s character…Keeping our mouths shut, even if we know for a fact what someone has done, is the easiest expression

“We are obsessed with control, yet there is no nobility in doing something when you know exactly what the outcome will be. That’s why it’s a noble thing for a firefighter to rush into a burning building to save someone, or a patient to wage a battle with cancer, or a person to listen to someone who needs comfort, because in any of these situations, a person does not know the outcome, but takes a chance anyway.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis) “Should we pray for specific outc