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Love is the Criterion of Faith and Works

Georgios Patronos, Emeritus Professor of Theology, University of Athens The Gospel reading for 2nd Luke comes from the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. In Saint Matthew’s Gospel, in which almost all Jesus’ teaching during his public ministry is gathered together, emphasis is placed on the overall context of the Christian life. Here, in the Gospel according to Saint Luke, in which events are set out in their historical time-line, that is in the order in

Judgment with a Mixed Bag

Fr. Stephen Freeman, March 7, 2016  If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart? -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago Solzhenitsyn puts his finger

Faith Without Works is Dead. Imitating Christ.

By Abbot Tryphon, October 29, 2019  Without good works faith does not dwell in our hearts The very moment faith enters the soul is that moment when we turn toward God in repentance and recognize we cannot live without Him. As we grow in our faith we come to realize we must remain in a continual state of repentance, for grace abounds in the heart of the man who is repenting. We come to see

The Work That Saves

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, April 17, 2015  Do we cooperate in our salvation? Do our efforts make a difference? These questions lie at the heart of a centuries-old religious debate in Christianity. Classically, the Protestant reformers said, “No,” to these questions, arguing that we are saved solely and utterly by God’s grace, His unmerited favor. The Catholic Church replied that “faith without works” is dead and that faith alone is insufficient. This debate, with various

Friday of the First Week of Great Lent: If You Believe, He Who Welcomed the Thief Will Welcome You Also. Faith without Works is Dead.

If You Believe, He Who Welcomed the Thief Will Welcome You Also Faith is the assent of the soul to a truth. If you want to know what advantage the soul gains from it, listen to what the Lord says: ‘Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.’ [John 5:24] How truly great is the goodness of