Posts from the ‘Orthodox perspective’ Category
Our self-knowledge is amazingly superficial. By self-knowledge, I do not, of course, mean a gnawing self-analysis, nor a morbid self-flagellation, nor that concentration on ourselves which has its source in pride. I mean an attentive, calm survey of the soul, a gaze turned inward, a deliberate effort to build up our lives consciously, so that […]
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Watched a fascinating History Channel program last night on the Kennedy assassination and the flurry of conspiracies that have persisted about it. I found this interesting, because I did get a little caught up in the study of the inconsistencies — courtesy of a silly little do-it-yourself JFK conspiracy “kit” I came across in the […]
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The Advent season begins today, and not a moment too soon, eh? I had complained in past years about what the buying market does to Christmas — I think every Christian does. In my lifetime, I’ve seen the itchy sales pitches go from being background noise that started after Thanksgiving to being a truly obnoxious […]
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One question from last week’s Bible study stayed with me. It concerns this passage of the episode of the raising of Jairus’ daughter: While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” (Mark 5:35) And the question was ‘How […]
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Often the words of psalms and prayers do not touch us, their inner meaning seems strange and incomprehensible to us. And this is quite natural, for the whole setting and structure of our life — outwardly well-organized and inwardly empty — have so very little in common with the deserts and monasteries in which the […]
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“Let us try to live in such a way that all our actions, our whole life may be, not a sleepy vegetation, but a development — as strong and deep as possible — of all our potentialities. And that this may take place, not some time in the future, but now — immediately, at every […]
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I thought the Orthodox Study Bible footnote to Luke 12:51 (“Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.”) was worth extra attention. There are two kinds of peace. False peace, to which Chist refers here, is a shallow harmony that results from ignoring […]
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Is it possible to pray rapidly without injuring the effect of the prayer? It is possible to those who have learned to pray inwardly with a pure heart. During prayer, it is necessary that your heart should sincerely desire that which you ask for, should feel the truth of what you are saying, and this […]
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Listened to Fr. Thomas Hopko’s podcast on Transfiguration — HERE – on the way to the service this morning, and I’ve been thinking about it this week. This feast usually kind of sneaks up on you. It’s so far removed from all the feasts and services around the Lenten season, and it doesn’t fit in […]
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I’ve been really anticipating this month this year. The world may think it’s the dead of summer, but the Church thinks the year is drawing to a close — the new Church Year starts September 1. August is such a wonderful “little Lent.” With the fast only lasting from today until the Feast of the Dormition […]
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