SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“…the first man to enter Paradise was the repentant thief (cf. Luke 23:42–43).” (Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic) “I wanted to share this story told by St. Paisius, to show how even scandalous sin does not cost someone salvation, if they are repentant and longing to be free from sin, and longing to be near God. Gosh I wish I could find the original for this story, but this is how I remember it going. He said that there was a monk at his monastery who got drunk every day. He drank vod

“There are two kinds of fear: one initial, and the other perfect… For example, he who fulfills the will of God out of fear of punishment is still a beginner, for he does not yet do good for the sake of goodness itself, but out of fear of punishment. But he who fulfills the will of God out of love for Him, loving Him simply in order to please Him—this one knows what true good is; he has understood what it means to be with God. Such a person fears God and fulfills His will no l

“As they say, it’s easy to love all of mankind, but it’s very difficult to love a particular man with all his flaws and weaknesses. When the Lord was asked: Which is the great commandment in the Law? He responded: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Mt. 22:37–39).” (Archpriest Pavel Gumerov) “In our eve

“Have you seen how, with creation, when God wished to make creation, with how much harmony and godly wisdom everything was put together,...

“I am becoming increasingly convinced that in our age of inattention, distraction, and scattered focus, the greatest gift we can offer...

“Desire is transformed into lust when we exclude God from the picture. Without God, the natural powers of our soul become corrupt. Abba...

“…we see in Paul’s words, “Scripture confined all under sin” (Galatians 3:22). The Greek word “confined” comes from the root “to shut up...

“Unbelief toward the Lord produces many vices—especially irrational choices, for unbelief is contrary to a rational mind…Unbelief is of...

“Your well-being is largely determined by the perspective with which you view your life. The Bible teaches a technique known in modern...

“There is within every human person gold and silver and mud and dross. Life in this age has been given to us for repentance and the...