Patience (Part III): Patience as a Characteristic of Prayerful Living
08/25/2017
Patience Is Practical Patience is practical in that it is necessary, within chronological time, to overcome obstacles to seeking God and barriers which prevent openness to God’s grace. It is a factor that contributes to transformation. Patience is also a manifestation of an open and God-filled life. It is a characteristic of a manner of […]
FROM CHARISMATIC PRAYER TO CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
08/24/2017
If we have been involved in charismatic prayer for some time, we should not be surprised or disappointed if this style of prayer calms down over the years to a simple resting in the presence of God. The traditional role of God the Holy Spirit is to conform us to God the Word, Who then […]
The Purpose and Method of Christian Life (Part VII). Virtues (Part III): Discernment and Discretion (Part II)
08/23/2017
The Christian, then, must be on guard against doctrines and scriptural interpretations that lead to ruin-she must develop discernment to see such ideas for what they are. But perhaps even more pressing, according to the Conferences, is the need to develop discretion. According to the fathers of the Conferences, discretion is an intellectual virtue much […]
The Long Defeat and the Cross
08/22/2017
By Father Stephen Freeman Few ideas contrast as starkly to our modern myths as Tolkien’s view of history as “the long defeat.” I have been very interested in the continuing comments that struggle with the perceived pessimism of such a phrase. I have refrained from commenting at length myself, for the very reason that I […]
Giving Birth to God
08/21/2017
Many of the early teachers of the Christian Church believed in an ontological, metaphysical, objective union between humanity and God, which alone would allow Jesus to take us “back with him” into the life of the Trinity (John 17:23-24, 14:3, 12:26). This was how many in the Early Church understood and experienced “participation.” It proclaimed […]
The Purpose and Method of Christian Life (Part VI). Virtues (Part II): Discernment and Discretion (Part I)
08/18/2017
Both discernment and discretion involve the Christian’s development of a correct relationship with various ideas and concepts. They are intellectual virtues in that to display them means to recognize certain truths and realities clearly, without being deceived. Abba Moses defines discernment in the first conference as the ability first to avoid any kind of incorrect […]
I DON’T HAVE TIME TO PRAY
08/17/2017
This is something that really separates the sheep from the goats. Tessa Bieleckie once defined the contemplative life as “the art of stealing time.” If you have ever spent time in communities of monks or friars or nuns, you will see firsthand that even in communities that officially value contemplation, the practical demands of earning […]
Full of Grace and Truth, The Holy Mandylion (Napkin) of Christ (Not-made-by-hands)
08/16/2017
The Holy Mandylion (Napkin) of Christ (Not-made-by-hands) “The Transfer from Edessa to Constantinople of the Icon of our Lord Jesus Christ Not-Made-by-Hands occurred in the year 944. Eusebius, in his HISTORY OF THE CHURCH (I:13), relates that when the Savior was preaching, Abgar ruled in Edessa. He was stricken all over his body with leprosy. […]
The Earth Stood Still. The Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
08/15/2017
By Father Stephen Freeman Orthodox Christians commemorate the death (Dormition) of the Virgin Mary during the month of August (New Calendar, the 15th, Old Calendar, the 28th). For those for whom such feasts are foreign, it is easy to misunderstand what the Orthodox are about – and to assume that this is simply a feast […]
Leaving Mary Out
08/14/2017
By Father Stephen Freeman Decades ago, when I was in seminary (Anglican), a professor told me that he did not believe in angels. I was surprised and asked him why. He responded that he “did not think they were necessary…that anything angels did could be done by the Holy Spirit…” While this is obviously true, […]