kingdom Archives - Page 11 of 12

THE TWO MEANINGS OF COMMUNION DURING LENT (Part I)

04/15/2013

Of all liturgical rules pertaining to Lent, one is of crucial importance for its understanding, and being peculiar to Orthodoxy, is in many ways a key to its liturgical tradition. It is the rule which forbids the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on weekdays of Lent. The rubrics are clear: under no circumstances can the Divine Liturgy be celebrated in Lent Monday through Friday, with one exception— the Feast of the Annunciation, if it falls

Jesus Mourns

03/08/2013

Jesus Mourns Jesus, the Blessed One, mourns. Jesus mourns when his friend Lazarus dies (see John 11:33-36); he mourns when he overlooks the city of Jerusalem, soon to be destroyed (see Luke 19:41-44). Jesus mourns over all losses and devastations that fill the human heart with pain. He grieves with those who grieve and sheds tears with those who cry. The violence, greed, lust, and so many other evils that have distorted the face of

CONSIDER THE LILIES

02/08/2013

THEREFORE I TELL YOU, DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT YOUR LIFE . . . LOOK AT THE BIRDS OF THE AIR . . . CONSIDER THE LILIES OF THE FIELD . . . —MATTHEW 6:25ff. Everyone at some time or the other experiences feelings of what is known as insecurity. You feel insecure with the amount of money you have in the bank, or the amount of love you are getting from your friend or

Forgive me. More Virtue, More Kindness Today.

02/06/2013

Forgive me Have mercy on me, God, according to Your great mercy (Psalms 50:1). On my knees before You, CrucifiedLord, I beg for mercy, for this grace. I’ve sinned. Yet again I’ve fallen. I’ve done exactly the opposite of what Your holy will asked of me. I tasted sin. Its bitter, oppressive taste lingers on my lips. I am lost. I measure the height of Your holiness against the abyss of my corrupt existence, and

FIRE ON THE EARTH (Part II)

01/11/2013

I CAME TO CAST FIRE UPON THE EARTH; AND WOULD THAT IT WERE ALREADY KINDLED! —LUKE 12:49 Now is the time to see that absolutely nothing outside of you can bring you lasting joy. But the moment you do that you will notice that a fear arises in your heart. That fear that if you allow the discontent to be, it will turn into a raging passion that will grip you and cause you to

FIRE ON THE EARTH (Part I)

01/10/2013

I CAME TO CAST FIRE UPON THE EARTH; AND WOULD THAT IT WERE ALREADY KINDLED! —LUKE 12:49 If you want to know what it means to be happy, look at a flower, a bird, a child; they are perfect images of the kingdom. For they live from moment to moment in the eternal now with no past and no future. So they are spared the guilt and the anxiety that so torment human beings and

Christmas Advent: The Twenty-Third Day

12/07/2012

SOMEONE TO SURRENDER TO And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. – JOHN 1:14 Let me begin with a quote from twentieth-century writer G.K. Chesterton: “When a person has found something which he prefers to life itself, he (sic) for the first time has begun to live.” Jesus in his proclamation of the kingdom

Christmas Advent: The Ninth Day

11/23/2012

WHAT WE EXPECT TO SEE may profoundly affect what we actually perceive. We have a God who constantly calls us to pay attention, to observe closely. In the Gospel accounts he often asks, “What are you seeing?” He takes us by the elbow, urging us to “Look! Listen!” as he describes the impact of his messenger, John the Baptizer. Jesus affirms that John is a prophet of strong convictions, a risk-taker not shaken by winds

NO LOOKING BACK (Part II)

06/13/2012

NO ONE WHO PUTS HIS HAND TO THE PLOW AND LOOKS BACK IS FIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.—LUKE 9:62 Attachment—how is an attachment formed? First comes the contact with something that gives you pleasure: a car, an attractively advertised modern appliance, a word of praise, a person’s company. Then comes the desire to hold on to it, to repeat the gratifying sensation that this thing or person caused you. Finally comes the conviction that

Tags

THE TWO MEANINGS OF COMMUNION DURING LENT (Part I)

Jesus Mourns

CONSIDER THE LILIES

Forgive me. More Virtue, More Kindness Today.

FIRE ON THE EARTH (Part II)

FIRE ON THE EARTH (Part I)

Christmas Advent: The Twenty-Third Day

Christmas Advent: The Ninth Day

NO LOOKING BACK (Part II)

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