"If indeed the soul takes refuge in God, believes and seeks the salt of life, which the is good and human loving Spirit, then the heavenly salt comes and kills those ugly worms. The Spirit takes away the awful stench and cleanses the soul by the strength of his salt. Thus the soul is brought... Continue Reading →
Genesis: The Book of Life
Let us contemplate together the first book of the Scriptures, a book we are likely all familiar with. However, the text of Genesis is also the source of much debate amongst Christians and even amongst those seeking to dialogue with Christians. Unfortunately, there exists much disagreement on how to read this text. One thing is... Continue Reading →
Defining God
"God is Love. Whoever sought to define Him would be like a blind person trying to count the grains of sand on the seashore." St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, Chapter 30.
True Manhood
"True manhood is not shown in the choice of a celibate life; on the contrary, the prize in the contest of men is won by him who has trained himself by the discharge of the duties of husband and father and by the supervision of a household, regardless of pleasure and pain--by him, I say,... Continue Reading →
God Hears The Stammering of The Little Children
"When you are praying, don't rack your brains to find words. On many occasions, the simple, monotonous stammering of children has satisfied their Father who is in Heaven. Don't bother trying to be eloquent lest your mind be bewildered in the search for words. The tax-collector gained the Lord's forgiveness with a single sentence, and... Continue Reading →
Let Us Always Hold God Near
"Prayer is beautiful, making distinct for the soul a notion of God. And the indwelling good is this -- holding God settled in oneself through the memory. We thus become temples of God whenever the continuity of our memory is not interrupted by earthly worries and whenever the mind is not disturbed by unforeseen passions.... Continue Reading →
Yom Kippur – Sin and Its Reparation
Sin kills, sin destroys, sin separates. Sin is itself separation from God and the severance of our relationship with Him. The only remedy for this ail which we have brought upon ourselves is to partake once more of the Life of God which Christ has opened a path unto by His Incarnation, Life, Death, Resurrection, Ascension and the sending of The Holy Spirit.
The Epistle to Diognetus Part 11 – The Church of Christ
Then the fear of the law is chanted, and the grace of the prophets is known, and the faith of the gospels is established, and the tradition of the Apostles is preserved, and the grace of the Church exults; which grace if you grieve not, you shall know those things which the Word teaches, by whom He wills, and when He pleases.
Prayer is Dialogue
"Prayer is by nature a dialogue between man and God. It unites the soul with its Creator and reconciles the two. Its effect is to hold the world together." St John Climacus, Ladder of Divine Ascent 28.1 Prayer is that which holds the world together, that which opens our access to God. Ultimately we wish... Continue Reading →
