Failure
“…God calls us in unanticipated ways to cooperate with His gracious purposes for bringing salvation to the world… God uses our cooperation to accomplish His gracious purposes in the world. That was certainly the case in the Old Testament: Abraham, Moses, David, and countless others responded to God’s initiative, and He worked through them, despite their many failings. And through the free response of a teenaged Palestinian Jewish girl came the Messiah in Whom the ancient prom
Character and Choices
“All of life’s choices have consequences, consequences for ourselves and consequences for the world around us. And when we fall into the extreme passions of sins, these consequences can be very painful and destructive, both to ourselves and to others.” (Fr. Michael Gillis) “Are the choices that people make in their lives based on reason? The “Rational Choice Theory” claims that people choose the options they believe are in their best interest. That is, they select the most re
Lies and Lying
“Among the weakest things in the world of social relations is the truth. That might seem to be an odd statement. However, the weakness of the truth is the limitations placed upon it by its very nature. It cannot say just anything, nor can it ever pretend to be something that it is not. Those restrictions are not shared by lies. It is the nature of a lie that it can assume any shape required by the objects of its suasion. “Whatever it takes” would be an excellent description o
Decisions
“In life we make our way by a series of decisions: taking one step rather than another, acting or refraining from acting, entering or leaving situations, accepting or rejecting offers and opportunities. We constantly move, from moment to moment, on the basis of choices. Of all God’s earthly creatures, humanity alone has the personal dignity of choosing and shaping life…by God’s grace we strive not make decisions impulsively. Rather, we modify our actions in response to the pr
Humbling Ourselves
"This is the spirit of our age: the reliance on our own sense of right as an arbiter of all things. It is the refusal to humble ourselves before revealed truth." (Father Spyridon Baily) “The sad reality of our churches and lives, marriages and friendships, is that we are fallen, broken, and passionate. We justify ourselves in arrogant conceit, and refuse to forgive or to see our own faults. So our communities shatter, marriages break up, and friendships end. Ultimately, this