Mar 25, 2009

One of the most frightening phrases in the English language is: “It’s nothing personal.” It almost always precedes something bad. For someone to tell me that what they are about to do is not personal is already a confession of sin. In the life of the Eastern Church few words could be more important. Oddly there is not a single definition for the term, and yet there is agreement as to its importance. The Elder Sophrony stressed what he called the “cardinal importance of the personal dimension in being.” More…

Mar 25, 2009

Here's the problem. The moment we begin to talk about existence, we implicitly pledge ourselves to follow the existence script, and that script (quite reasonably) limits us to existence discourse. To exist (from exsistere = to stand out) is to be a discrete object or relation that can be distinguished (because it "stands out") from other discrete objects or relations. "Does God exist" reduces God to the status of object, and then we're no longer talking about God - because God doesn't exist. Huh?…

Mar 12, 2009

A couple of nights ago, the Vespers readings included the account of Cain from Genesis 4. The SAAS (Septuagint) translation in the Orthodox Study Bible reads: The Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his sacrifices. So Cain was extremely sorrowful, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you extremely sorrowful? And why has your face fallen? Did you not sin, even though you brought it rightly, but did not divide it rightly? Be still; his recourse shall be to you; and you shall rule over him...

Mar 10, 2009

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.

Do you fast? Give me proof of it by your works. If you see someone who is poor, take pity on him. If you see a friend being honored, do not be envious. Do not let only your mouth fast, but also the eyes, and the feet, and the hands and all the member of our bodies...

Mar 1, 2009

Contrary to what many think or feel, Lent is a time of joy. Unless we understand this quality of joy in Lent, we will make of it a monstrous caricature, a time when in God’s own name we make our life a misery. This notion of joy connected with effort, with ascetical endeavour, with strenuous effort may indeed seem strange, and yet it runs through the whole of our spiritual life, through the life of the Church and the life of the Gospel...