Daily Meditations Archives - Page 288 of 351

Analyzing Our Thoughts and Feelings (II)

07/18/2014

Evagrius’s account of self-observation might almost be found in a psychology textbook explaining the various mechanisms of the soul and the connections of the individual feelings and emotions: “It is very important for us that we also learn to distinguish the various demons and to determine the attendant circumstances of their appearance. Our thoughts can teach us this…. Furthermore, we should note which demons attack less often and which are the more burdensome, which abandon

Father Maximos on the Gift of Patience

07/17/2014

There was further discussion about the gift of chrestotis before we had a short break. When we reassembled, I suggested that we move on to the next spiritual gift. “Coming from the bottom up, Fr. Maxime,” I said, “you have spoken so far of self-control, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and kindness or chrestotis. We’re left with patience, peace, joy, and love.” “Fine. Let’s continue with patience.” Fr. Maximos nodded, grinning. “God is infinitely patient. He does

Marketing the Church: “Mad Men” or “Holy Heralds” (Part II)

07/16/2014

While valuable, used without proper understanding and reserve, marketing strategies such as focus groups, satisfaction surveys, exploratory interviews, town-hall meetings, and channel market segmentation, have the dangerous potential of radically altering the shape and character of the Church, redefining its character and mission in terms of negotiated exchanges between purveyors and consumers. The practice of such unbridled marketing methods has, consequently, generated a deleterious mindset of obligation among church members. Sadly, believing that all secular

Marketing the Church: “Mad Men” or “Holy Heralds” (Part I)

07/15/2014

By Father Frank Marangos One of the objectives of many churches is to attract people who do not participate in the life of a church. According to Barna Group Research data (2011) 28% of the adult population has not attended any church activities, including worship services, in the past six months. That translates to nearly 65 million adults. When their children under the age of 18 who live with them are added to the picture,

The False Self Follows Us

07/14/2014

The heart of the Christian ascesis is the struggle with our unconscious motivations. If we do not recognize and confront the hidden influences of the emotional programs for happiness, the false self will adjust to any new situation in a short time and nothing is really changed. If we enter the service of the Church, the symbols of security, success, and power in the new milieu will soon become the new objects of our desires.

Reaching Out

07/11/2014

What does it mean to live a life in the Spirit of Jesus Christ? It is a personal [question], a [question] born out of struggles which in the first place were and still are my own. But during the years it became more and more clear that by deepening these struggles, by following them to their roots, I was touching a level where they could be shared….the quest for an authentic Christian spirituality is worth

God and Caesar (Part I): The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Caesar

07/10/2014

‘From now on politics will be our religion’; so wrote Feuerbach, a little before Marx socialized God. And looking now at the emptiness created by industrial civilization, we can see how right he was. With the headlong progress of technology and the development of global civilization, there is a greater need than ever for a sense of purpose, the influence of the Spirit, a new marriage covenant between the human race and the earth. Our

ON THE SINS OF OTHERS AND ONE’S OWN

07/09/2014

Now that you have thus become aware of your own wretchedness, your insufficiency, and your wickedness, you call upon the Lord as did the Publican (Luke 18: 13): God, be merciful to me a sinner. And you add: Behold, I am far worse than the Publican, for I cannot resist eyeing the Pharisee askance, and my heart is proud and says: I thank Thee that I am not like him! But, say the saints, now

The Open Porches of the Mind: On Silence and Noise (Part I)

07/08/2014

The result of justice will be silence and trust forever. -Isaiah 32:17 Let stillness be the criterion for assessing everything. -Evagrius If you love truth, love silence. -Isaac the Syrian THE BLACKBIRD SINGING With hopes of teaching them all how to draw, Kathleen Norris stands before her classroom of elementary school students. She recounts in Amazing Grace her remarkable way of going about this. Before teaching them to draw, she first needs to teach them

Me, My “Selfie,” and I

07/07/2014

By Fr. Vasile Tudora “They say—and I am willing to believe it—that it is difficult to know yourself—but it isn’t easy to paint yourself either.” Vincent van Gogh, letter to his brother, September 1889 The self-portrait genre has been around from the very beginning of art. It was used to identify the artist, when no photography existed, or to tell one’s story in a visual manner or to dive deep into one’s existential struggles. Some