love Archives - Page 15 of 22

Listening to the Voice of Creation

09/02/2016

The natural environment provides a broader, panoramic vision of the world. In general nature’s beauty leads to a more open view of the life of the created world, somewhat resembling a wide-angle focus from a camera which ultimately prevents us human beings from using or abusing its natural resources in a selfish, narrow minded way. In order however, to reach this point of maturity and dignity toward the natural environment, we must take the time

We Are Two-Way Mirrors

08/16/2016

There is only one thing you must definitely answer for yourself: “Who am I?” Or, restated, “Where do I abide?” If you can get that right, the rest largely takes care of itself. Paul answers the questions directly: “You are hidden with Christ in God, and God is your life” (Colossians 3:3-4). Every time you start hating yourself, ask, “Who am I?” The answer will come, “I am hidden with Christ in God” in every

Community as an Inner Quality

07/01/2016

This experience explains what Rainer Maria Rilke meant when he said, “Love . . . consists in this, that two solitudes protect and border and salute each other”· and what Anne Morrow Lindbergh had in mind when she wrote, “I feel we are all islands in a common sea.” It made me see that the togetherness of friends and lovers can become moments in which we can enter into a common solitude which is not

The Fourth Friday of Great Lent: Sin is in no Way the Fault of our Nature &God does not Judge by Quantity

04/08/2016

Sin is in no Way the Fault of our Nature ‘I am the victim of violence in my nature; you say. ‘I love Christ, yet my nature compels me to sin.’ If you were in fact compelled to sin, if you were the victim of violence, then you would be forgiven for it. On the other hand, if you sin through idleness, do not expect forgiveness. But let us look at the question a moment

The Third Friday of Great Lent: The Reins of Power & You are Utterly Fair, my Love, and there is no Flaw in You

04/01/2016

The Reins of Power In certain cases, the spirit follows the inclinations of nature like a slave. The body takes the upper hand, rouses the passions and drives us to demand selfish pleasure. Then the spirit gives in to the body and even supplies it with the necessary means to satisfy its lusts. This is not the experience of everyone. Those who are holy do not behave like that. In them it is the spirit

The Third Wednesday of Great Lent: Made in the Image of the Trinity we can attain to his Likeness & The Willing Slave of the Spirit

03/30/2016

Made in the Image of the Trinity we can attain to his Likeness The image of God is revealed in us by means of the threefold division of our internal make-up. The Godhead is adored in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Similarly, three parts can be seen in the image formed in accordance with this model, namely in the human being who adores him, who has made everything from nothing, with soul, mind

To Live the Question (Part II)

02/25/2016

To Live the Question (Part II) His own personal experience taught Merton that solitude not only deepens our affection for others but also is the place where real community becomes possible. Although Merton himself lived as a monk first in a monastic community and later in a hermitage, it is clear from this and other writings that what really counts for him is not the physical solitude but the solitude of the heart. Without the

To Live the Question (Part I)

02/12/2016

By slowly converting our loneliness into a deep solitude, we create that precious space where we can discover the voice telling us about our inner necessity-that is, our vocation. Unless our questions, problems and concerns are tested and matured in solitude, it is not realistic to expect answers that are really our own. How many people can claim their ideas, opinions and viewpoints as their own? Sometimes intellectual conversations boil down to the capacity to

Becoming a Missionary without Speaking

01/18/2016

Becoming a Missionary without Speaking “My dear man I am envious of you, I envy you. You can become the greatest missionary in the Monastery without speaking at all. You will pray for everyone in silence. You will pray for the whole Church, for the clergy, and for the Monks. Our Church is undergoing a crisis today. “Above all pray for your spiritual family.” “Leave your heart completely open to Christ, filled with love, and

O Paradox of Paradoxes! A Reflection on the Feast Day of the Holy Cross

09/14/2015

By Father Stelyios S. Muksuris Perhaps I am preaching to the choir when I say that the older I become, the more I come to see that our world is full of paradoxes. Contradictions of all sorts abound in our lives — between individuals and their behavior, among ideologies and political systems, and so forth. I need not rattle off specific examples to prove my point. With age, we want to believe, comes wisdom and

Tags

Listening to the Voice of Creation

We Are Two-Way Mirrors

Community as an Inner Quality

The Fourth Friday of Great Lent: Sin is in no Way the Fault of our Nature &God does not Judge by Quantity

The Third Friday of Great Lent: The Reins of Power & You are Utterly Fair, my Love, and there is no Flaw in You

The Third Wednesday of Great Lent: Made in the Image of the Trinity we can attain to his Likeness & The Willing Slave of the Spirit

To Live the Question (Part II)

To Live the Question (Part I)

Becoming a Missionary without Speaking

O Paradox of Paradoxes! A Reflection on the Feast Day of the Holy Cross

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