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Father Maximos on the Bible, Translations, Tradition and the Church

09/04/2012

“Meanings were lost in translation,” I muttered. “That’s what I was just thinking,” Teresa added. “Much distortion sneaked into the Bible though flawed translations.” “It is always a problem with translation,” Fr. Maximos agreed. “That is why many Christians who rely exclusively on the words of the Bible for guidance generated such great diversity of beliefs, interpretations, and, alas, distortions.” “And that is why a rigid and literal adherence to words can lead to all

Who do you say that I am?

09/03/2012

Jesus practically begs for a profession of faith from his disciples, even after they’ve witnessed His miracles and heard His profound teaching. Jesus put this question to them: “Who do you say that I am?” Don’t give me your theologies. Who is the Jesus you know? That’s the only Jesus that can really touch you and liberate you. Finally, Peter responds: “You are the Christ!” (Mark 8:29). “And Jesus gave him strict orders not to

Freedom Attracts

08/31/2012

Freedom Attracts When you are interiorly free you call others to freedom, whether you know it or not. Freedom attracts wherever it appears. A free man or a free woman creates a space where others feel safe and want to dwell. Our world is so full of conditions, demands, requirements, and obligations that we often wonder what is expected of us. But when we meet a truly free person, there are no expectations, only an

BE AWAKE

08/30/2012

BLESSED ARE THOSE SERVANTS WHOM THE MASTER FINDS AWAKE WHEN HE COMES. —LUKE 12:37 Everywhere in the world people are in search of love, for everyone is convinced that love alone can save the world, love alone can make life meaningful and worth living. But how very few understand what love really is, and how it arises in the human heart. It is so frequently equated with good feelings toward others, with benevolence or nonviolence

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist: A Little Great Friday

08/29/2012

Today is a little Great Friday, a second Great Friday. For today the greatest man among those born of women, John, the Holy Forerunner and Baptizer of the Lord, is murdered. On Great Friday, people murdered God, crucified God. On today’s holy great feast, people murdered the greatest of all men. It is not I who chose to use the expression “the greatest.” What are my praises of the great and glorious Forerunner of the

Father Maximos on Knowing God through Experience, Logic, and Nature

08/28/2012

There was a pause before the next question. “Yes, Teresa,” Fr. Maximos said, giving the floor to a woman in her thirties who had raised her hand. I was always impressed with his capacity to remember people’s names. “Would you say that we know God through our experience rather than through our logic?” “I believe we know God through both our experience and our logic. Human beings are also rational creatures.” “But I thought,” Teresa

The Shadow Side of Yourself

08/27/2012

The ego is that part of the self that wants to be significant, central, and important. It is very self-protective by its very nature. It must eliminate the negative to succeed. (Jesus would call it the “actor” in Matthew 23, usually translated from the Greek as “hypocrite”.) The shadow is that part of the self that we don’t want to see, that we’re afraid of and we don’t want others to see either. If our

Reading Spiritually About Spiritual Things

08/24/2012

Reading Spiritually About Spiritual Things Reading often means gathering information, acquiring new insight and knowledge, and mastering a new field. It can lead us to degrees, diplomas, and certificates. Spiritual reading, however, is different. It means not simply reading about spiritual things but also reading about spiritual things in a spiritual way. That requires a willingness not just to read but to be read, not just to master but to be mastered by words. As

The Philokalia’s Approach to Salvation

08/23/2012

The spiritual teaching of the Fathers of the Holy Mountain is grounded in the Eastern Church’s theological anthropology. The human being is a fundamental unity of body and soul and should be understood as an “embodied soul” or an “ensouled body.” The Eastern spiritual tradition takes our psychosomatic nature quite seriously, so that worship and prayer draw on our body and all its senses. Even the inward act of repentance is expressed outwardly with bows,

Silence

08/22/2012

One of the elders said, “Just as it is impossible to see your face in troubled water, so also the soul, unless it is clear of alien thoughts, is not able to pray to God in contemplation.” Silence is the lost art in a society made up of noise. Radios wake us up, and timers on TVs turn off the day-full of programs long after we have gone to sleep at night. We have music

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Father Maximos on the Bible, Translations, Tradition and the Church

Who do you say that I am?

Freedom Attracts

BE AWAKE

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist: A Little Great Friday

Father Maximos on Knowing God through Experience, Logic, and Nature

The Shadow Side of Yourself

Reading Spiritually About Spiritual Things

The Philokalia’s Approach to Salvation

Silence

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