SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“The sacred space of God’s presence, once restricted to the Holy of Holies by a thick veil in the temple, can now become a reality for the entire world. At Pentecost, the Shekinah glory previously limited to the sacred space of the temple, and enjoyed by only one nation, descended on the disciples, empowering them to take God’s presence to all peoples. Pentecost is the promise that the entire world will come to have the Edenic quality of the temple.” (Robin Phillips) “The val

“…humans weren’t created as perfect beings but rather had the potential to choose perfection or move away from it. So too Paradise was not a perfect world but had the potential to become that if the humans made appropriate choices and decisions. The world from the beginning had great potential as did the first humans. Perfection was something that was to be realized by the humans who were capable of choosing the good and moving towards perfection or choosing the evil and movi

“…the Eucharist shows that all of life is potentially sacramental as a means of entrance into, and personal participation in, the eschatological reign. God intends every bit of creation for communion with Him, and calls human persons to manifest and encounter that communion in every dimension of their existence. A eucharistic view of life goes beyond the liturgy itself to the quest for full communion with the Trinity in holiness…There is simply no way around the basic truth t

“…the holy and the numinous do not need to exalt themselves with publicity or fanfare. But it will permeate the world, one by one, touching those in their very deepest soul of souls. In the quiet, in the stillness, God speaks to our brokenness. When we cry to Him in our suffering, when no one is looking, He hears. And He comes to us in the cave of our hearts. This is when we receive our callings.” (Jackie Morfesis) “Music is formed by the silence between notes, poetry comes i

“Fasting needn’t be limited to abstinence from food alone, because true fasting is departure from evil deeds. Forgive your neighbor any insult, abstain from causing your neighbor offence, abstain from irritation, from senseless sorrows, from fear, wrath, and so on. ‘True fasting is alienation from evil, temperance of the tongue, setting aside of wrath, casting out of lust, idle talk, lies, and oath-breaking’…This is a true and pleasing fast for the Lord. Departing from these

“What more can be said about this other than what Christ Himself said? Do not sound a trumpet before you (Matt. 6:2). There was a custom that the Pharisees especially loved to follow: to stand on the crossroads and sound a trumpet, to give a signal that the needy should run to them, then triumphantly hand each one some small coin—as if they were handing out rewards. Do you recall how Christ valued the widow’s mite? She gave less than everyone, but He considered her sacrifice

“Trials should be distinguished from temptations. Trials come directly from the God of Providence, while temptations come directly from the evil spirits, although they are allowed by God. Trials are neither saving nor leading to spiritual death in themselves; they are only reasons for the manifestation of human will in relation to what the Lord gives us. The purpose of temptations is spiritual death, although they disguise themselves as something harmless and even good. Tempt

“At the root of all this is the failure to see who our true enemies are. Our enemies are demons. Humans who teach false things are not...

“…pride is stupidity. Why? Because how can we be proud when everything we have is not ours? How can I be proud of my appearance if God...

“Every human being who comes into this world is unique, and all are given the opportunity to know God.” (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica) “We...