SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“The deep calling of our lives is to find the fulfillment of our potential as those created in the divine image to become like Him in holiness. The God-Man has fulfilled this vocation and made it possible for all to share personally in His restoration and fulfillment of the human person. That is why our calling is nothing short of becoming ‘perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect’ (Matt. 5:48)…Holiness transcends the values of tolerance, social justice, and brotherh

“Deep down we all yearn for the true life in Christ, whether we are rich and poor, men or women, slaves or masters (1 Tim 6:19). For this reason, Christ Jesus enlightened His apostles to understand both the spiritual pitfalls and the potentials for good inherent in material wealth.” (Dynamis 12/23/2021) “Wealth can be a terrible burden or temptation to many. Wealth, as the aphorism says, is a good servant but bad master. Unfortunately, many submit themselves and their goals t

“Paul not only urges us to pray, but he teaches us how we should do it. He writes that we should offer our petitions and supplications to God with intensity…Paul is saying that prayer must be vigorous. We might say that for Paul, effective prayer requires intense exertion. It takes a strong effort that overcomes all obstacles…Paul goes on to identify three characteristics of forceful prayer. First, it is vigilant. That is, it is awake, alert, and on guard against diversions.

“Life in the home is in the Lord; the family is a little church and is to live in the baptismal and eucharistic life of the Church. Duties are reciprocal, everyone having the same standing before the same Master. All authority is for the sake of loving service (all authority is humbling) and all submission is to God (all submission is glorious)…The family is a spiritual unit: if one member is a Christian, the whole family is set apart by God's grace.” (Orthodox Study Bible, E

“There is a saying, “The more we try to control what we cannot control, the more out of control we feel. It is only when we let go of our need for control that we truly gain it.” The reality is that we cannot control all the factors in our life. We have limited control over our health, other people’s behaviors, other people’s emotions, and events in general. Trying to go through life controlling these factors is not only unhealthy but impossible. It is only a matter of time b

“…salvation is something plainly visible – salvation can be seen by all humans. Salvation is thus not merely a theological concept or something experienced by the heart or mind or even an event to be experienced by the many. Salvation is visible because it is a relationship with the Son of God…everyone in the world can see God’s salvation…And we are always to be seeking and searching for God because with the Lord we have a relationship that never ends, never grows old, never

“…the heart is the innermost center of our being. It is the seat of our thoughts, emotions, will, self-awareness, and conscience. It follows that the state of the heart determines the condition of our bodies, minds, and souls.” (Fr. Basil) “What we say and do is a reflection of what is in our heart. Our external actions reflect our inner spiritual condition. This truth is reflected in many ways in our lives. Something I noted when pastoring (something which I recently also re

“God’s goodness is greater than our goodness. His wisdom is wiser than our wisdom. His knowledge of what we need for sustaining our body and healing our soul is more discerning than ours. Therefore, in the spirit of the petition of the Lord’s prayer, “Thy will be done,” we leave the concerns and desires of our prayers to the mercy of God. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8). Accordingly, it is a great comfort to cast our burdens on the Lord and

“Self-importance, according to St. Basil, is a spiritual disease that “matures,” that gets stronger over time. It is a disease that becomes “rooted by habit in the mind” for those who suffer from it. It begins, in my experience, after life thrusts us into a position of authority or importance. At first, we are timid and uncertain, we know our weaknesses, we know we can only try to do our best. However, almost right away, others begin treating us differently. Others seek our a

“The…Divine Liturgy…includes the following phrase which is a stumbling block for common sense: “remembering then this saving commandment, the Cross, the tomb, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the sitting at the right hand and the second and glorious coming again, offering to Thee Thine own of Thine own, we hymn Thee,” etc. To remember past events (the Cross, the Resurrection etc.) is “natural.” But to “remember” something that has not yet happened