St. Paul Archives - Page 16 of 25

The Work That Saves

07/12/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 17, 2015 Do we cooperate in our salvation? Do our efforts make a difference? These questions lie at the heart of a centuries-old religious debate in Christianity. Classically, the Protestant reformers said, “No,” to these questions, arguing that we are saved solely and utterly by God’s grace, His unmerited favor. The Catholic Church replied that “faith without works” is dead and that faith alone is insufficient. This debate, with various

Face to Face

07/05/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, May 2, 2015 Nothing about the human body is as intimate as the face. We generally think of other aspects of our bodies when we say “intimate,” but it is our face that reveals the most about us. It is the face we seek to watch in order to see what others are thinking, or even who they are. The importance of the face is emphasized repeatedly in the Scriptures. In

The Seventh Friday after Pascha. The Lord and Giver of Life

06/14/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, May 31, 2015 The opening verses of Genesis offer the mysteries of creation for our consideration. Of particular note is the primary role of the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters… “Light and dry land are made to appear and then, the miracle of life: “Let the earth bring forth…” The earth is, above all, the planet on which life comes forth. For although we

The Second Friday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! The Hidden Soul and the Weight of Glory

05/10/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 27, 2015 From a Facebook conversation: “Though I wish I believed otherwise, in the depths of my being, I do not believe any part of us survives death. I am, at the center of my consciousness, a materialist, and a reluctant atheist still. I fight this disposition daily, and it is becoming an enormous burden that I wish I could throw off. There are days where my doubt and despair

RENEWAL TUESDAY. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! THE VICTORY OVER DEATH

04/30/2019

CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! The Resurrection of Christ was a victory, not over his death only, but over death in general. “We celebrate the death of Death, the downfall of Hell, and the beginning of a life new and everlasting.” In His Resurrection the whole of humanity, all human nature, is co-resurrected with Christ, “the human race is clothed in incorruption.” Co-resurrected not indeed in the sense that all are raised from the grave.

The Thirty-Third Day of Great Lent. St. Mary of Egypt and Moral Progress

04/12/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, January 11, 2015 The suggestion has been made several times recently that my criticism of moral progress is not supported by the example of the saints. Surely, it is said, the transformations we read about in the lives of the saints are clear examples of moral progress. A noted such example, perhaps the greatest story of repentance and asceticism known in the Church, is that of St. Mary of Egypt. It is worth

The Nineteenth Day of Great Lent. Good News – Your Debt is Being Cancelled

03/29/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 27, 2016 Recent conversations on the blog have bounced around the imagery of debt in the Scriptures. Contemporary Protestant thought often likes to express the notion of a “sin debt.” The idea runs that God’s righteousness and justice have proper demands. When we fail to keep the commandments, we create a debt for which God’s justice demands payment. Christ’s innocent self-offering on the Cross is seen as the payment for

The Twenty-Second Day of Great Lent. The Death of Christ and the Life of Man

03/22/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 15, 2016 Several years ago, someone wrote and asked, “Why did Christ have to die on the Cross?” It is the question that prompted this article. Recently, we have been having a discussion regarding the atonement within the comments section of the blog. I have pointed out that the notion of Christ being punished by the wrath of God for our sakes is not, in fact, found in the Scriptures. Sin

The First Day (Pure Monday) of Great Lent: The Journey to Pascha

03/11/2019

By Alexander Schmemann When a man leaves on a journey, he must know where he is going. Thus with Lent. Above all, Lent is a spiritual journey and its destination is Pascha, “the Feast of Feasts.” It is the preparation for the “fulfillment of Pascha, the true Revelation.” We must begin, therefore, by trying to understand this connection between Lent and Pascha, for it reveals something very essential, very crucial about our Christian faith and

Members of One Another (Part IX): Weep with Me, Forest and Desert (I)

03/06/2019

Sin and salvation, however, are not merely human in scope, but they also involve the entire created order. When Adam fell, the whole creation fell with him; and by the same token our human salvation will inaugurate the salvation of the total cosmos. As Fr Sophrony puts it, ‘Every saint is a phenomenon of cosmic character’. We are not saved from but with the world. This cosmic understanding of sin and salvation has a firm

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The Work That Saves

Face to Face

The Seventh Friday after Pascha. The Lord and Giver of Life

The Second Friday after Pascha. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! The Hidden Soul and the Weight of Glory

RENEWAL TUESDAY. CHRISTOS ANESTI! CHRIST IS RISEN! THE VICTORY OVER DEATH

The Thirty-Third Day of Great Lent. St. Mary of Egypt and Moral Progress

The Nineteenth Day of Great Lent. Good News – Your Debt is Being Cancelled

The Twenty-Second Day of Great Lent. The Death of Christ and the Life of Man

The First Day (Pure Monday) of Great Lent: The Journey to Pascha

Members of One Another (Part IX): Weep with Me, Forest and Desert (I)

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