It is only when we let go of our own thoughts, ideas, will, that we can live, in all purity, in the ‘atmosphere’ of God. For man, the greatest punishment is when God abandons him to his own will. In our epoch, which has rejected Christ, no one understands such an apparently servile attitude. Pure prayer presupposes the absence of cares. We attain pure prayer when, during whatever work, our mind remains free from thinking
Jesus rose with His wounds; and we, too, rise with our wounds. In repentance, we are able to realize a resurrection of the heart before the final resurrection of the dead. The key to this mystery is given to us at the moment of our baptism, which offers the possibility of repentance and the foretaste of resurrection. Through baptism, we find that our resurrection through repentance is not a denial or a disparagement of our
The Father accepts the Son’s sacrifice “by economy”: “man had to be sanctified by God’s humanity” (St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 45, On the Holy Pascha). Kenosis culminates and ends with Christ’s death, to sanctify the entire human condition, including death. Cur Deus homo? Not only because of our sins but for our sanctification, to introduce the moments of our fallen life into that true life, which never knows death. By Christ’s resurrection, the fullness
WE MUST COOPERATE WITH GRACE. All the good is from Christ. Yet, in the deep mystery of synergy, we have a strategic part to play. I am reminded of the story of the six-year-old boy who went to the department store with his dad to buy a Christmas present for his mother. The dad said, “I think Mom would like slippers for Christmas. What do you think? Let’s go to the slipper department. Mom likes
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. Reports of the great miracles worked by the Lord spread throughout Syria (Mt.4:24) and reached even Abgar. Without having seen
Study and learning are spiritual disciplines much esteemed in the Christian contemplative tradition (as they are in many religious traditions). When this discipline is being strengthened and purified to make the discursive mind a better servant of God, we become aware of a not-so-subtle tendency to show off how much we have come to know in all our reading and study. This need not be a public display; we can look down on people less
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17 (From the Gospel at the Divine Liturgy on Pascha) Christ is Risen! I remember from my college days that I was a really good test-taker. I had this system that I called “read, retain, regurgitate, release.” I would read the information, retain it in my brain, regurgitate it for the exam, and then it was released from my brain
(John bore witness to Him, and cried, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, far He was before me.”‘) And from His fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. John 1:15-16 (From the Gospel at the Divine Liturgy on Pascha) Christ is Risen! Back in the reflection on Holy Tuesday, I wrote about a cup, rocks and water and used these to illustrate the concepts of
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ”Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:21-22 (From the Gospel Reading at the Divine Liturgy on Thomas Sunday) Christ is Risen! In all of the Gospel accounts, Jesus “commissions” the Disciples to go out into the world and spread the Good News.
And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid, for I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people.” -Luke 2:10 What is the good news? In the Nativity story, the Angels gave the message, “For to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2: 11).” What does that mean to us? Let’s go back to Genesis
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