By Michael Haldas, Quotes of the Day for April 30, 2020
“‘Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. (John 17:24)’” How do we describe the spiritual state of the person who avoids condemnation on the Day of Judgment? The Lord affirms in verse 24 that those who hear and believe in Him have already attained everlasting life. This life of which the Lord speaks has become a gracious reality. Life, for the faithful, is not limited to life after death: we may embrace it now. We move out of our former manner of living – a state called death – into a mode of spiritual existence called life.” (Dynamis 4/29/2020)
“God is at the center of every person’s life. He is in our heart whether we accept Him or not. He never separates Himself from us because He is the Giver of life Who gives life to every created being. We have buried Him with our worries and worldly cares, which destroy the peace within us, and that is why we have no peace or rest…As soon as we are out of bed, let us give thanks to God for having allowed us to live through the night. When evening comes, let us give thanks for everything, for the Lord is the Giver of life and the Giver of all things.” (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica)
“Furthermore, absolute love, the love of the triune God, is ecstatic and effluent. It is an unceasing outgoing of the “self” to meet and embrace the other and give life to the other, joyfully affirming and uniting with the other.” (Vigen Guroian)
“With His love, Christ the Life-giver woos us away from death that we might gain everlasting life (Jn 3:16). He only asks that we believe in Him, trust Him, and commit to Him. Then we and all the world “through Him might be saved” (vs. 17).” (Dynamis 4/28/2020)
“To be givers of life in this world the way Christ was in the Gospel, we have to emulate Him. This means we have to unite with Him first. Every choice we make, everything we do, matters in the divine economy. It is literally a grave mistake to think otherwise, especially the trap of ‘I am just one person, what can I do.’ That’s a lie of the enemy to keep us from action. God gives us all our time, our place, our circumstance, and we must choose wisely because in doing so we are choosing life and being givers of life in the sense that Christ is talking about…Being a life giver is about daily and continually meeting people’s need in love to the best of our ability because we love Christ. Every single little thought and small gesture count to God in ways we don’t understand, but understanding they matter is all that needs to matter to us.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)
~Michael Haldas, https://www.ancientfaith.com/contributors/michael_haldas.
Michael Haldas is an author, a religious educator and a speaker. He wrote Sacramental Living: Understanding Christianity as a Way of Life (published by Eastern Christian Publications), a book which he presented special editions of as gifts to Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in private audiences. Michael is also published monthly in Theosis Magazine and he has authored several Orthodox Christian themed articles for various publications. Additionally, he has recorded and contributed to multiple YouTube, DVD and CD educational projects. He teaches adult religious education and high school Sunday school at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Bethesda, Maryland and has worked with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Religious Education Department to create educational lessons and materials.
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