SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“No amount of thinking will ever yield knowledge of God. That is a straightforward conclusion of the claim that the knowledge of God is “noetic.” Second, the knowledge of God is not a psychological experience, per se. I have stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon and felt that terrible vertigo in the bottom of my feet, and the overwhelming sense of its vast and dangerous depth. The knowledge of God is not like that, though it can indeed carry an element of overwhelming otherne

“Because the Scriptures have a specific, God-given meaning (2 Peter 1:20, 21), it is impossible to truly understand them apart from the Church, for apostolic interpretation is held in the consciousness of the Church.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Acts 8:30-31) “…to assert the "centrality" – even "sufficiency" – of Scripture does not mean a self-sufficiency. As Father Georges Florovsky writes, "We cannot assert that Scripture is self-sufficient; and this not because it is incomplete

“Often in the Scriptures the word know means not just being aware of something but having personal experience of it. Jesus did not know sin, not because He was unaware of what it is but because He never committed it himself. For although He is like us in every other way, He never sinned. Given this meaning of the word know, it is clear that anyone who says that He knows God must also keep his commandments, for the two things go together.” (Didymus the Blind) “We can be said t

“If in the things of this life no one can gain a great profit if he should conduct them in and indifferent and chance way, much more will this be the case in spiritual things, since they require greater attention. Therefore, Christ, when He referred the Jews to the Scriptures [John 5:39], sent them not to a mere reading, but careful and observant search, for He said not; “Keep on reading the Scriptures, but keep on searching.” (St. John Chrysostom) “The term "religion" has b

“…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

“Acts 17:28 reads “for in Him we live and move and have our being.” Romans 11:36 reads, “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.” Christ reminded the Pharisees in Matthew 12:6 that He is greater than the temple. The first martyr Stephen (Acts 6-8) died because he dared to challenge the religious leaders on this point that God is not contained solely in the temple. God cannot be contained anywhere. God can only be expressed and experienc

“…the devil fashions his lies to resemble the truth…heresy and lies creep in when people are apathetic.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 13:24-30) “Error is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should immediately be detected for what it is. It is craftily decked out in attractive dress, so that, by its outward form, it might appear to the inexperienced—ridiculous as the expression may seem—truer than truth itself….The language of these deceivers

“The uncreated Son of God will assume created human flesh, restoring the relationship with Him that mankind lost as a result of the Fall (see Rom 8:19–23). The whole world shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord…through the incarnation, God and humanity are reconciled and communion is restored not according to a substitutionary formula or measure of infinite satisfaction for sin in God’s mind but by the power of divine love, first in Christ the God-man and second in th