"Educative desolation does not in any way deprive the spirit of the Divine light. Only, grace hides its presence from the spirit in order to make it go forward... to have recourse in great fear and in great humility to God's help... It is like a mother who sees her child rebel against the regular... Continue Reading →
Anger: That Which Torments Us
St. John Chrysostom when speaking about the anger we have towards others and the anger we continue to harbour or hold against them says, "For you suppose that you are paying him [the one who angered you] back the injury; but you are first tormenting yourself, and setting up your rage as an executioner within... Continue Reading →
Doubt and The Eucharist
"Note, that it was on the first day of the week, that is, the Lord's day, when the disciples were gathered together, that He was seen by them, and that likewise also He appeared unto them on the eighth day following. And we must not, because he says eight days after, suppose that he means... Continue Reading →
Pride is Darkness
"Pride is the extreme poverty of the soul that thinks itself to be rich and mistakes darkness for light." St. John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent XXIII, 23. Let us not mistake the darkness of the passions or even of ourselves as though our life lay in these things. Riches, houses, cars, bodily pleasures will... Continue Reading →
Let us Seek Quietness and Love
Always to want your own way, becoming accustomed to having it, always to seek the easy path— all this leads straight to depression. But love, quietness, and contemplation of the inner life cleanse our hearts. —Sayings of the Egyptian Fathers
Christ The Mediator
For the Word of God, even with flesh, is the divine nature, and we are his kin [family or relative], even though he is God by nature, because of his taking the same flesh as ours. Therefore, the manner of the relationship is similar. For as he himself is intimately related to the Father, and... Continue Reading →
Christ is Risen!
"He took our flesh and our flesh become God, since it is united with God and forms a single Person with Him. For the higher perfection dominated, resulting in my becoming God as fully as He became man… Here below he is without a father; on high He is without a mother: both these states... Continue Reading →
My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?
Let us contemplate the great mystery of Christ, the faithful shepherd who has descended into the belly of the great whale in search of the lost sheep. As a true shepherd He has not simply carried us on His shoulders, but rather He has ‘put us on’ that we may be returned to The Father in His very person, the Incarnate Logos.
He Took Our Infirmities and Bore Our Diseases – A Theology of Healing
Christ is not a passive recipient of our humanity, He does not come for a ‘visit’ to earth nor does he simply ‘appear’ as a human. He fully and truly became human and in doing so, He heals the humanity to which He is united.
The Epistle To Diognetus Part 7
“For, who of the human race understood anything at all about what God is, before His coming? Do you accept of the vain and silly doctrines of those who are deemed trustworthy philosophers? Some of whom have said that fire was God, calling that God to which they themselves were by and by to come;... Continue Reading →
You Know Not What You Need
"Do not pray for the fulfillment of your wishes, for they may not accord with the will of God. but pray as you have been taught saying: Thy will be done (cf. Luke 22.42). Always entreat Him in this way-that His will be done. For He desires what is good and profitable for you, whereas... Continue Reading →
Persevere in Prayer
"Do not be distressed if you do not at once receive from God what you ask. He wishes to give you something better-to make you persevere in your prayer. For what is better than to enjoy the love of God and to be in communion with Him? Evagrios the Solitary on Prayer, 34. Let us... Continue Reading →
An Ancient Faith For a Modern World 