by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov –
The sons of the world consider distraction to be innocent, but the Holy Fathers consider it to be the beginning of all evil (Sayings of the Desert Fathers, “On St Pimen the Great”). [Read more…]
Theology
Impossible to Follow the Crucified Lord Without Your Cross
Whoever desires to follow Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Mark 8:34). [Read more…]
The Violent Love of God
by Fr. Thomas Hopko –
Thus we come to see that as there is no resurrection without crucifixion, there is also no sanctification without suffering, no glorification without humiliation; no deification without degradation; and no life without death. [Read more…]
Nativity of Christ: Sign of God’s Boundless Love and Humility
by Chris Banescu –
The Feast of Christ’s Nativity is not only a cause for celebration that God is with us and true joy has come into the world, but it’s also an eternal reminder of our Lord and Savior’s great humility and boundless love for us. [Read more…]
Man’s Unhappiness and Despair Caused by His Alienation from God
by Fr. Thomas Hopko –
We have abandoned communion with God and have gone off on our own, following our own ideas, enacting our own plans.
And the result? Through our reckless wasting of the gifts given us by God, we have stripped ourselves of our original and fundamental dignity, glory, wisdom, beauty and strength: we have lost our legacy as God’s children. And the whole cosmos suffers with us in our affliction.
People feel unhappy and they don’t know why. They feel that something is wrong, but they can’t put their finger on what. They feel uneasy, confused, frustrated, alienated and estranged – and they can’t explain it. [Read more…]
Man and Woman – An Orthodox Christian Understanding
In Volume I, Doctrine of The Orthodox Faith four book series, Father Thomas Hopko provides a clear and thorough overview of the sources of Christian doctrines and the theology of the Orthodox Church. In the chapter titled “Man” Father Hopko explains how God created man in His “image and likeness” as male and female and gave them dominion over [Read more…]
God Desires Heart of a Child and Mind of an Adult
by Chris Banescu –
God desires that we should have the innocence and wonder of a child, and the courage and wisdom of an adult. [Read more…]