Daily Meditations Archives - Page 148 of 351

Thoughts on Peace amidst Pain and Suffering. Thoughts on Faith, Witnessing and Family

10/16/2019

By Michael Haldas, Thoughts on Peace amidst Pain and Suffering, June 13, 2016 “In Christianity we are taught sin is a condition of the world and the cause of human suffering. We are also taught Christ defeated sin and redeemed suffering through the cross and now our suffering can be transformative. Many of us reject this because it is not the answer we want to the condition of evil and suffering. Who would want this

“Showing Up” to Pray

10/15/2019

By Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis, May 31, 2108 My Spiritual Father (the priest who I go to confession to, who also serves as a mentor and confidant) has taught me many things over the years. One phrase he has used that I always try to remember, in prayer, worship and other things is: “Eighty percent of life is just showing up.” In other words, eighty percent of the effort we make in doing something is just showing up.

Sin: Symptom of Separation. The Myth of Transgression

10/14/2019

First the fall, and then the recovery from the fall, and both are the mercy of God. —Julian of Norwich (c. 1343–c. 1416) [1] It is in falling down that we learn almost everything that matters spiritually. As many of the parables seem to say, you have to lose it (or know that you don’t have it) before you will really seek it, then find it, and fittingly celebrate (see all three parables of Luke 15).

History’s Detectives

10/11/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, May 20, 2015 The search for the historical anything is an exercise in fantasy and imagination, a good movie, but not good for much else. C.S. Lewis noted that reviewers of his books, speculating on how they were written and other such intimate historical matters, were almost universally wrong. He wondered out loud why we should presume historical critics of the past, sometimes of a past stretching back for millennia, should be taken

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 5

10/10/2019

By Fr. Maximos (Constas) Worst of all is the so-called smartphone which I like to call the dumb phone, which is essentially a portable computer. I was with my family for thanksgiving and everyone came into the house with an iPad under his arm, and they literally had them sitting on the table and would check them every now and then. It’s very rude; it’s very divisive and destructive of community. And you might say,

Thoughts on the Spiritual and Material. Thoughts on Questioning.

10/09/2019

By Michael Haldas Thoughts on the Spiritual and Material, June 9, 2016 “…the Church’s perspective is not dualistic, but rather sees that the spiritual and material parts of man are both in need of transfiguration and redemption. Man is not saved without the body; through the body he has his being and life. Our quest is not a mental salvation that we seek in the Church through our thoughts about God; such thinking is rationalistic

Will You Marry Me? For Forty-Five Minutes a Week?

10/08/2019

~By Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis For I do not want to see you now just in passing; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. I Corinthians 16:7 For anyone who is married, you’ve either had the experience of getting down on a knee and asking someone to marry you, or you’ve had the experience of having someone get on their knee and ask you. Imagine this proposal: “I love you

Sin: Symptom of Separation. Leaving the Garden

10/07/2019

Now let’s look at “The Fall,” as we usually refer to the pivotal event described in Genesis 3. The Fall is not simply something that happened in one historical moment to one archetypal couple, Adam and Eve. It happens in all moments and lives. It is the shape of creation. It sets the plot line. After Adam and Eve took their identity as separate from their Source, “the eyes of both of them were opened”

The Long Defeat and the Cross

10/04/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, May 7, 2015 Having posted an article on marriage as a “lifetime of suffering,” I thought it worth reflecting on the larger picture of the Christian faith in this world. For marriage is a primary image used throughout the New Testament when speaking of our salvation. In Christian terms – that marriage and that salvation are shown forth in the Cross of Christ. This article, from over a year back, seemed

Prayer of the Heart in an Age of Technology and Distraction, Part 4

10/03/2019

By Fr. Maximos (Constas) Growing up we used to read newspapers in the house, and now they’re harder to find. The rise of the internet has had a very negative impact on journalism. The text of the newspaper is literally surrounded by advertisements, all of them literally screaming for your attention. There are ever-new methods of attracting your attention. It’s a struggle just to focus on the text in front of you, and I think