Daily Meditations

Why Are We Free?

In many ancient traditions, as still today in India, salvation is understood as dissolution into the vastness of the universe, re-absorption into an impersonal divinity; but the Fathers insist that humanity must ‘personalize’ the universe; not save itself by means of the universe, but save it by communicating grace to it. And all the while human beings must also humbly decipher the ‘Bible of the world’; they elevate themselves above all life in order to

Empathy, Flexibility, Compassion

An Honest Being-With Being with a friend in great pain is not easy. It makes us uncomfortable. We do not know what to do or say, and we worry about how to respond to what we hear. Our temptation is to say things that come more out of our own fear than out of our care for the person in pain. Sometimes we say things like “Well, you’re doing a lot better than yesterday,” or

Saint Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland

How did Orthodox Christianity come to this small green island off the shores of the European continent in the uttermost West? Unknown to many, Christianity in Ireland does have an Apostolic foundation.

On Human Being: A Spiritual Anthropology

The ancient philosophers loved to stress the central place of Man in the universe. They said that Man is the only animal which stands upright, and so symbolizes the dimensions of space, first the high, or heavenly, and the low, or earthly. Other animals walk on all fours or crawl. Their space is purely earthly; it is only by Man that they are connected to the heavens. True, trees and rocks stand upright, symbolizing the

Hope Against Darkness; The Naked Now

Picture yourself before the crucified Jesus and recognize that he became what we are all afraid of and what we all deny: nakedness, exposure, vulnerability and failure. He became “sin” to free us from sin (Romans 8:3), the Cosmic Scapegoat who reveals our worst and best souls to those who will gaze long enough (John 19:37).

Saint Benedict the Righteous of Nursia

This Saint, whose name means “blessed,” was born in 480 in Nursia, a small town about seventy miles northeast of Rome. He struggled in asceticism from his youth in deserted regions, where his example drew many who desired to emulate him.

In the Spirit of Happiness; Heaven Begins Within You

Most people probably understand happiness in very earthly and materialistic terms, ranging from having no responsibilities or cares to having two beautiful cars in the garage. For others, it means enough prestige, power, money, and health that they need never worry. But is this what happiness means?

The Repose of Saint Symeon

The Repose of Saint Symeon the New Theologian Symeon (949-1022) is one of the greatest mystic-poets of world literature. He was an aristocrat who became a monk in Constantinople and was head of a small monastery there [Saint Mamas], for which he wrote extensive treatises (Catecheses) outlining the elements of the ascetic life. He experienced hostility from the imperial court and was deposed as abbot in 1005 and sent into exile in 1009. His disciples

God is Not the Summit

No, the God of Christians is not the summit – reassuring and plain to see – of a pyramid of beings. He is the depth who reveals depths everywhere, making of the most familiar creature a thing unknown. We are like drunken potholers; every face we see reveals the hidden side of the earth. It is a wonderful and compelling vision. ‘Do not try to distinguish between the worthy and the unworthy; all must be

The Spirit of Jesus; Absence

The Spirit of Jesus Listening in Us Listening in the spiritual life is much more than a psychological strategy to help others discover themselves. In the spiritual life the listener is not the ego, which would like to speak but is trained to restrain itself, but the Spirit of God within us. When we are baptized in the Spirit—that is, when we have received the Spirit of Jesus as the breath of God breathing within