SACRAMENTAL LIVING

Understanding Christianity as a Way of Life

Spiritual Growth and Maturity

“Our society values self-reliance. We teach that maturity means that we no longer depend on others for direction or support. When we are fully grown, we should take our own path in life. However, our reading of Proverbs 3:1-18 teaches us the opposite. The wise teacher of Proverbs says, “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight (OAB vs. 5).” (Fr. Basil) “Spiritual “maturity” is something quite different from biological or psychological maturity.

Paradox

“…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

Watchfulness

“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

Bondage

“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

Sacrifice

“…the bloodless sacrifice of the Eucharist is the primary act of worship. It is not something we do while we worship: it is what worship truly is…sacrifice remains at the heart of the Christian Faith. As a matter of fact, without it Christianity becomes reduced to a mere ethical system.” (Father Stephen Freeman, Father Eusebius Stephanou) “…the immense value of the kingdom…far outweighs any sacrifice or inconvenience one might encounter on earth…What matters in God’s eyes is

Mercy, Judgement and Justice

“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

Opportunities

“If we were but more attentive, we would soon discover that the normal conditions of everyday life offer many opportunities for us to recognize our weaknesses, and to acknowledge our dependence upon God. As we advance in years, for example, and begin to experience the physical weakness that inevitably result, we suddenly confront how fragile our mortal body truly is, in spite of our culture with its fixation on youthfulness and longevity. But we must acknowledge that it is mo

Life and Death

“When a seed dies, it produces fruit. Life comes by death. This principle is not only true in nature, but it is also true spiritually.” (Foundation Study Bible, John 12:24) “Every year we have autumn and winter when things begin to die and then die, and spring and summer when things begin to come back to life and then come back to life fully. What we see in physical nature is part of spiritual nature too. Often something about our lives and ourselves must begin to die and the

Repentance

“The word for "confess" in Greek (ἐξομολογοῦμαι, ὁμολογῶ) does not bear the contemporary meaning peculiar to it. When we say "confess" we imply that we accept, recognize or witness an event or fact. But this is not the original meaning. The point is not of admitting, more or less reluctantly, a hitherto "unrecognized" sin, but an acceptance of and submission to the divine Logos (exomologesis) beyond and above the nature and condition of man. It is this Logos, the Word of God,

Words/Speech

“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

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