Published by Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis on February 10, 2022 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. An athlete is
By Fr. Stephen Freeman, August 21, 2016 Nothing exists in general. If something is beautiful or good, it is manifest in a particular way at a particular time such that we can know it. And this is our true life. A life lived in a “generalized” manner is no life at all, but only a fantasy. However, this fantasy is increasingly the character of what most people think of or describe as the “real world.”
Thoughts on basic kindness By Michael Haldas, July 21, 2016 “One of the New Testament commands is that Christians display kindness toward other believers (Romans 12:10) …Such kindness is a response to God’s wonderful kindness to us….as we bless others in this way, we will find ourselves receiving similar blessings of kindness (Luke 6:38).” (Foundation Study Bible, Romans 15:25-26) “We need to have our lives and relationships reflect the admonition of St. Paul who wrote
By Stephen Freeman, November 24, 2015 Nothing exists in general. If something is beautiful or good, it is manifest in a particular way at a particular time such that we can know it. And this is our true life. A life lived in a “generalized” manner is no life at all, but only a fantasy. However, this fantasy is increasingly the character of what most people think of or describe as the “real world.” A
Fr. Stephen Freeman, June 23, 2015 “If you come to a fork in the road – take it.” – Yogi Berra Nothing is more common in our day than making choices. Our culture celebrates the freedom we have in our choices and points to this as a hallmark of its greatness. Contemporary Christianity echoes the same theme and urges us to “choose Jesus.” But strangely, choice is not a fundamental part of Christian virtue –
By Michael Haldas Thoughts on Knowing Wisdom, June 3, 3016 “Christ is the true light of the world; it is through Him alone that true wisdom is imparted to the mind…In Scripture wisdom always is traceable to God, who in the second Person of the Trinity is Himself often called Holy Wisdom.” (Jonathan Edwards, OCPM 1/29/2016) “Wisdom is not smarts, nor cleverness, nor a high IQ…The Word of God became the incarnate God-man who enables
One Route but so Many By-Ways Jerome said: ‘There are many virtues which lead those who practice them to the kingdom of heaven. There is only one route but there are many by-ways. ‘Whoever is anxious to make progress, even if he reaches a certain degree of perfection, can always find some need for improvement and become more proficient day by day. ‘No one can enjoy a good reputation both for virtue and for a
Theoria, often translated as “contemplation,” is a critical concept for most of the ancient fathers of the Church, and it is important for us to talk about it right away. Coming into true contemplation, theoria, is, according to the Conferences, the essential purpose of a monk’s life. According to Abba Moses, theoria is a state of mind in which the monk contemplates “only the vision of God.”41 We may thus define it as the transcendent
Creation and the Virtue of Compassion On the sixth day of creation, God created man and woman in His divine image and likeness. Yet, what most people overlook is that the sixth day is not dedicated to the formation of Adam alone. That sixth day was shared with “living creatures of every kind; cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth.” (Gen. 1.24) This close connection between humanity and the rest of creation
Both discernment and discretion involve the Christian’s development of a correct relationship with various ideas and concepts. They are intellectual virtues in that to display them means to recognize certain truths and realities clearly, without being deceived. Abba Moses defines discernment in the first conference as the ability first to avoid any kind of incorrect doctrine or idea that might lead a monk astray. Whatever has found entrance into our hearts, and whatever doctrine has
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