The Church is the sacrament of the Kingdom—not because she possesses divinely instituted acts called “sacraments,” but because first of all she is the possibility given to man to see in and through this world the “world to come,” to see and to “live” it in Christ. It is only when in the darkness of [...]
Archive for January, 2009
Fr. Alexander Schmemann on the Church as Sacrament
Posted in Uncategorized on January 29, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Saint Gregory Palamas on the Veneration of Holy Objects
Posted in Uncategorized on January 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
‘You shall not make an image of anything in the heavens above, or in the earth below, or in the sea’ (cf. Exodus 20.4 ), in such a way that you worship these things and glorify them as gods. For all are the creations of the one God, created by Him in the Holy Spirit [...]
Saint Ephraim the Syrian on Tears of Repentance
Posted in Uncategorized on January 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Even though there is only one baptism for the whitening of stains, yet there are two eyes which, when filled with tears, provide a baptismal font for the limbs. For the Creator knew well beforehand that sins multiply in us at all times, and though there is only a single baptism, he fixed in the [...]
Saint Macarius the Great on Humility
Posted in Uncategorized on January 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This is the mark of Christianity–however much a man toils, and however many righteousnesses he performs, to feel that he has done nothing, and in fasting to say, “This is not fasting,” and in praying, “This is not prayer,” and in perseverance at prayer, “I have shown no perseverance; I am only just beginning to [...]
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov on True Zeal
Posted in Uncategorized on January 17, 2009 | 1 Comment »
If you want to be a true, zealous son of the Orthodox Church, you can do so by the fulfilment of the commandments of the Gospel in regard to your neighbour. Do not dare to convict him. Do not dare to teach him. Do not dare to condemn or reproach him. To correct your neighbour [...]
An Anecdote from Saint Theodora the Ascetic
Posted in Uncategorized on January 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
There was a monk, who, because of his great temptations said, “I will go away from here.” As he was putting on his sandals, he saw another man who was also putting on his sandals and this other monk said to him, “Is it on my account that you are going away? Because I go [...]
Fr. John Meyendorff on the Trinitarian Dimension of the Holy Spirit
Posted in Uncategorized on January 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
It has often been noted that East and West differ in their approach to the mystery of the divine Trinity. The West takes for granted God’s unity and approaches his “trinity” as a matter of speculation, while the East starts with a living experience of the three and then moves to affirm their equal divinity, [...]
Saint Cosmas of Aetolia on Love for One’s Neighbor
Posted in Uncategorized on January 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
If we want to fare well in this life and to go to Paradise , and to call our God love and father, we must have two loves: the love for God and the love for our neighbor. It is natural for us to have these two loves, and contrary to nature not to have [...]
