By Fr. Stephen Freeman, March 16, 2017 In a therapeutic culture in which our goal is to be our very best, it is almost impossible to serve God. The reason is quite simple: when my goal is to be my very best, the goal is my God. “Serving God” thus becomes a euphemism for a Christianity that we take to be therapeutic – and that its value lies in its therapeutic virtues. All of this is a
Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, July 25, 2021. …. So, I want to…say a few words about one verse in particular, “You are the light of the world.” Ilia Delio is a brilliant theologian and scientist in the mold of Fr. De Chardin, creative and most provocative. Let me begin with a Delio quote: “God is doing new things, Jesus proclaimed, but only those with new minds and hearts can see a
Published by Pemptousia Partnership on January 26, 2022 Protopresbyter Georgios Dorbarakis ‘Because the Lord has prepared it to be his throne and dwelling-place, the soul which has been granted spiritual union with the light of Christ and has been illumined by the moral beauty of his inexpressible glory completely becomes light, completely becomes a persona*, completely becomes an eye. There is no part of such a soul that is not filled with the spiritual eyes of the light;
Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, August 29, 2021. In our changing times when many are questioning the relevance of the Church, I was reminded of a quote by Carl Jung that sparked this meditation. “It is high time that we realize it is pointless to praise the light and preach it if nobody can see it. It is more needful to teach people the art of seeing.” How, then, do we teach
By Fr. Stephen Freeman, March 13, 2017 In my Anglican years I watched the introduction of a new prayer book. Among its most notable features was variety. In a certain manner, it brought under one roof that most obvious feature of modern Christianity: options. Our culture has an understanding that ideas, thoughts and sentiments are what matters; how they are embodied is largely a matter of private choice – perhaps a lifestyle preference. Confronted with radical
February 17, 2020 The Greek Tyron means “conscript.” This holy Martyr of Christ came from Pontus and was a Roman legionary during Maximian’s persecution (~303). Though he had been a Christian since childhood, he kept his faith secret while in the army. While his cohort was stationed near a town called Euchaita, he learned that the people there were being terrorized by a dragon which lived in the neighboring forest. He set off to face
Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, September 5, 2021. I have been re-reading a little book I first read a long, long time ago in high school. It is called THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD by a Catholic monk by the name of Brother Lawrence. The practice he recommends is simply this: to keep one’s heart and mind on God at all times. As simple and obvious as that may be, Brother
Published by Pemptousia Partnership on January 28, 2022 Protopresbyter Georgios Dorbarakis ‘Do not become accustomed to being defeated in the spiritual war, because habit becomes second nature’ (Saint Efraim the Syrian). The great Saint Efraim the Syrian makes a profound psychological and also spiritual observation, the truth of which we can all confirm from our daily experience. Who doubts the power of habit? If we do something once and then repeat it, it becomes difficult to stop. So
St. Valentine was a priest who lived in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius Flavius. At that time, it was forbidden to be a Christian and therefore Christians had to perform their sacraments in secret, include marriage ceremonies. So St. Valentine would take Christian couple down into the catacombs in the middle of the night and marry them without anyone knowing. In the year 269 A.D. the emperor ordered General Asterius to persuade Valentine
By Fr. Stephen Freeman, March 5, 2017 And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. (Luk 16:9) I recall a conversation long ago with a young, up-and-coming entrepreneur. He was a new member of the parish I was serving (Anglican). We had been speaking about stewardship – money. His comment to me was straightforward: “You make it sound like
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