We shall be blessed with clear vision if we keep our eyes fixed on Christ, for he, as Paul teaches, is our head, and there is in him no shadow of evil. Saint Paul himself and all who have reached the same heights of sanctity had their eyes fixed on Christ, and so have all who live and move and have their being in him.

He had promised through the prophets that in these last days he would pour out his Spirit on his servants and handmaids, and that they would prophesy. The Spirit accomplished the Father’s will in men who had grown old in sin, and gave them new life in Christ.

At Pentecost, the mission of Christianity was initiated and enacted; spiritual gifts were given to each Believer for the praising of the one true God as one Body in Christ, and the preaching of the one true Faith to all people of every nation and tongue.

The disciples spoke in the language of every nation. At Pentecost God chose this means to indicate the presence of the Holy Spirit: whoever had received the Spirit spoke in every kind of tongue.

This unique gift which is in Christ is offered in its fullness to everyone. It is everywhere available, but it is given to each man in proportion to his readiness to receive it. Its presence is the fuller, the greater a man’s desire to be worthy of it. This gift will remain with us until the end of the world, and will be our comfort in the time of waiting. By the favors it bestows, it is the pledge of our hope for the future, the light of our minds, and the splendor that irradiates our understanding.

After Christ had completed his mission on earth, it still remained necessary for us to become sharers in the divine nature of the Word. We had to give up our own life and be so transformed that we would begin to live an entirely new kind of life that would be pleasing to God. This was something we could do only by sharing in the Holy Spirit.

This morning, I walked about the grounds of a beautiful house near Kilkenny, Ireland - a small river flowing through a farm, warm sunlight, dogs and cats with soft fur and good hearts, all permeated by a sweet-smelling Irish breeze. All of this passes.

The Spirit dwells in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful as in a temple. He prays in them and bears witness in them to their adoption as sons. He leads the Church into all truth and gives it unity in communion and in service. He endows it with different hierarchical and charismatic gifts, directs it by their means, and enriches it with his fruits.

In those days, Peter, stood up in the midst of the disciples and said… As the fiery spirit to whom the flock was entrusted by Christ and as the leader in the band of the apostles, Peter always took the initiative in speaking: My brothers, we must choose from among our number. He left the decision to the whole body, at once augmenting the honor of those elected and avoiding any suspicion of partiality. For such great occasions can easily lead to trouble.

The Spirit is the source of holiness, a spiritual light, and he offers his own light to every mind to help it in its search for truth. By nature the Spirit is beyond the reach of our mind, but we can know him by his goodness. The power of the Spirit fills the whole universe but he gives himself only to those who are worthy, acting in each according to the measure of his faith.

As light strikes the eyes of a man who comes out of darkness into the sunshine and enables him to see clearly things he could not discern before, so light floods the soul of the man counted worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit and enables him to see things beyond the range of human vision, things hitherto undreamed of.

I was privileged to attend Holy Mass in my favorite Irish coastal village of Doolin, often home of the famous traditional musician Blackie O'Connell, and site of the best trad Irish folk music in all the country. Holy Rosary parish in Doolin is, in many respects, what I love so much about little country churches. Though the town of Doolin is meager in population, the church was packed in the morning. The walk up the dirt road in the misty morning air was wonderful - a great opportunity to clear one's mind and pray before Mass begins.

There is no spiritual improvement if we do not seek to please God with holiness of life. If we find good in our deeds, we must attribute it to God. If we find we've neglected our spiritual struggle, and acted with foolish abandon, we, in our weakness, must turn to God in repentance.

The novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the quintessential novena and the most important of all the novenas because it was the first that was ever celebrated. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself instituted this novena when, on the day of his ascension, he sent his apostles back to Jerusalem to pray for nine days that they might be ready for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the tenth day, the first Pentecost.

Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth.

Throughout the whole period between the resurrection and ascension, God’s providence was at work to instill this one lesson into the hearts of the disciples, to set this one truth before their eyes, that our Lord Jesus Christ, who was truly born, truly suffered and truly died, should be recognized as truly risen from the dead.

If, in Christ, all of us, both ourselves and he who is within us by his own flesh, are members of the same body, is it not clear that we are one, both with one another and with Christ? He is the bond that unites us, because he is at once both God and man.

The Holy Spirit renews us in baptism through his godhead, which he shares with the Father and the Son. Finding us in a state of deformity, the Spirit restores our original beauty and fills us with his grace, leaving no room for anything unworthy of our love.

We have been justified by our faith in Christ and the power of the curse has been broken. Christ’s coming to life again for our sake has put an end to the sovereignty of death. We have come to know the true God and to worship him in spirit and in truth, through the Son, our mediator, who sends down upon the world the Father’s blessings.

Our thoughts in this present life should turn on the praise of God, because it is in praising God that we shall rejoice for ever in the life to come; and no one can be ready for the next life unless he trains himself for it now.

Every family has to be traced back to its origins. That is why we can say that all these great churches constitute that one original Church of the apostles; for it is from them that they all come.

Creator and Lord of all things, whatever their nature, he brought forth bread from the earth and changed it into his own body. Not only had he the power to do this, but he had promised it; and, as he had changed water into wine, he also changed wine into his own blood.

Out of his loving-kindness for us he came to us, and we see this in the way he revealed himself openly to us. Taking pity on mankind’s weakness, and moved by our corruption, he could not stand aside and see death have the mastery over us; he did not want creation to perish and his Father’s work in fashioning man to be in vain. He therefore took to himself a body, no different from our own, for he did not wish simply to be in a body or only to be seen.

Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.

Not every saint in the glorious history of the Church was a visible mendicant and reformer like St. Francis of Assisi, nor a warrior such as St. Joan of Arc. Some of the Church's saints, on the outside, lived seemingly mundane lives of chores and menial labor. How many persons are probably saints known only to God Himself? Regardless, the following below are some of the saints I have found to be my top 5 candidates for being patrons of the "daily grind", the unsatisfying dayjob, and everyday work.

The Church, which is founded upon ‘”Christ, received from him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that is, the power of binding and forgiving sins, in the person of Peter. Therefore this Church, by loving and following Christ, is set free from evil. But this is even more the case with those who fight in behalf of truth even to the death.

The Lord calls himself the vine and those united to him branches in order to teach us how much we shall benefit from our union with him, and how important it is for us to remain in his love. By receiving the Holy Spirit, who is the bond of union between us and Christ our Savior, those who are joined to him, as branches are to a vine, share in his own nature.

I lay my life bare. I say this is who I am. This is what I believe. This is my face, my full name, the place where I live. These are my friends, my struggles, my wounds, my daily life, my inconsistencies, my faults, my omissions, my faith. My ego wants me to be more or other than I am. And it also desperately wants to be validated. To be a member of a lay movement, no matter its I'm sure enormous challenges, is to have a whole community supporting, praising, encouraging you.

If we embrace Christianity with dedication of heart and mind, we will receive the power to live in this world, filled as it is, with temptations and disappointments, yet remaining true to our vocation as a holy people. Committing ourselves to being full time Christians, empowers us to live our lives in such a way that we give glory and witness to the very Christ Whom we worship.

The reign of life has begun, the tyranny of death is ended. A new birth has taken place, a new life has come, a new order of existence has appeared, our very nature has been transformed! This birth is not brought about by human generation, by the will of man, or by the desire of the flesh, but by God.

You are the garment which covers our nakedness, and in our hunger you are a satisfying food, for you are sweetness and in you there is no taste of bitterness, O triune God!

Let no one, conscious of his sinfulness, withdraw from our common celebration, nor let anyone be kept away from our public prayer by the burden of his guilt. Sinner he may indeed be, but he must not despair of pardon on this day which is so highly privileged; for if a thief could receive the grace of paradise, how could a Christian be refused forgiveness?

I know a man who loves God with great intensity, and yet grieves because he does not love Him as much he would wish. His soul is ceaselessly filled with burning desire that God should be glorified in him and that he himself should be as nothing. This man does not think of what he is, even when others praise him.

Paul throws light on the purpose of God’s plan when he says that Christ became the servant of the circumcised to show God’s fidelity. God had promised the Jewish patriarchs that he would bless their offspring and make it as numerous as the stars of heaven. This is why the divine Word himself, who as God holds all creation in being and is the source of its well-being, appeared in the flesh and became man. He came into this world in human flesh not to be served, but, as he himself said, to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Beloved, Jesus Christ is our salvation, he is the high priest through whom we present our offerings and the helper who supports us in our weakness. Through him our gaze penetrates the heights of heaven and we see as in a mirror, the most holy face of God. Through Christ the eyes of our hearts are opened, and our weak and clouded understanding reaches up toward the light.

Lord Jesus, be with me this day. Help me to find You in all things - in everything I do, let me glorify You. In everything I say, let it be said in kindness, humility, and patience. Through Your grace, help me to struggle against my shortcomings, my sins, and my failings. Help me to be patient instead of frustrated. Help me to bear with insults and jeers with kindness and thanksgiving for being able to suffer in some small way for the sake of Your Holy Name. May I always bless Your Name when it is misused in mockery and spite.

In an age when families no longer eat dinner together, children watch TV, play computer games, and text message their friends from their bedrooms. When adults can be seen walking in our cities talking on cell phones. At a time in our history when people can be sitting in a cafe with friends, all the while talking to someone else on a mobile phone, we have become a people living together in isolation.

The Church, which has spread everywhere, even to the ends of the earth, received the faith from the apostles and their disciples. The Church, spread throughout the whole world, received this preaching and this faith and now preserves it carefully, dwelling as it were in one house. Having one soul and one heart, the Church holds this faith, preaches and teaches it consistently as though by a single voice. For though there are different languages, there is but one tradition.

We believe that the Word became flesh and that we receive his flesh in the Lord’s Supper. How then can we fail to believe that he really dwells within us? When he became man, he actually clothed himself in our flesh, uniting it to himself for ever. In the sacrament of his body he actually gives us his own flesh, which he has united to his divinity. This is why we are all one, because the Father is in Christ, and Christ is in us. He is in us through his flesh and we are in him. With him we form a unity which is in God.

Beginning one's day with the Morning Offering is essential - ending one's day with praise to the Lord for His sustaining you throughout it is no less so. And given our fallen nature and the fact that, despite all of our intentions, we often slip into our accustomed failings, it is also prudent to end the day with an examination of conscience and an act of contrition. If the morning prayer is breakfast and coffee to start the day with, then evening prayer and a nightly act of contrition is akin to supper and a shower before bed.

Listen to the Lord’s appeal: In me, I want you to see your own body, your members, your heart, your bones, your blood. You may fear what is divine, but why not love what is human? You may run away from me as the Lord, but why not run to me as your father?

Our Lord made a covenant with us through baptism in order to give us eternal life. There is in baptism an image both of death and of life, the water being the symbol of death, the Spirit giving the pledge of life. The association of water and the Spirit is explained by the twofold purpose for which baptism was instituted, namely, to destroy the sin in us so that it could never again give birth to death, and to enable us to live by the Spirit and so win the reward of holiness.

Many years ago I remember attending a Liturgy at a parish church and noticing a young man standing in the front of the temple, making profound bows, together with frequent, almost exaggerated signs of the cross. My first thought was that he must be a newly baptized Orthodox Christian. After embracing Orthodoxy, many people fall into the trap of exaggerated piety, having first becoming attracted to the externals of the faith. Coming out of religious traditions that have little in the way of externals, is it any wonder some among us would gravitate towards such outward piety?

If anyone wishes to live everyday for Christ, then I would say that the best way to begin this is by saying a Morning Offering. I find that beginning the day with prayer, offering the day before it begins to God, taking even a few minutes just to be with Jesus - this is tantamount to ensuring that one's day is lived truly to one's calling as a Christian.

My dear brethren, you have heard the test we pastors have to undergo. Turn now to consider how these words of our Lord imply a test for yourselves also. Ask yourselves whether you belong to his flock, whether you know him, whether the light of his truth shines in your minds. I assure you that it is not by faith that you will come to know him, but by love; not by mere conviction, but by action. John the evangelist is my authority for this statement. He tells us that anyone who claims to know God without keeping his commandments is a liar.

Female mystics of the 13th to the 16th centuries who lived the lives of lay monastics without formal vows, the beguines have much to say to Christians of today. The beguines were essentially women who lived lives nearly like nuns of varying religious orders, but still lived in the world and did not take formal religious vows. In the beginning, from what I can tell, they were quite influenced by the Franciscan order, which to me, is never a bad place to start. Instead of any kind of formal organization as such, beguine women lived in communities together where they still owned property and the like, but lived lives of prayer and service to the poor.

When the life-giving Word of God dwelt in human flesh, he changed it into that good thing which is distinctively his, namely, life; and by being wholly united to the flesh in a way beyond our comprehension, he gave it the life-giving power which he has by his very nature. Therefore, the body of Christ gives life to those who receive it. Its presence in mortal men expels death and drives away corruption because it contains within itself in his entirety the Word who totally abolishes corruption.

Death trampled our Lord underfoot, but he in his turn treated death as a highroad for his own feet. He submitted to it, enduring it willingly, because by this means he would be able to destroy death in spite of itself. Death had its own way when our Lord went out from Jerusalem carrying his cross; but when by a loud cry from that cross he summoned the dead from the underworld, death was powerless to prevent it.

It is in our weakness that we tend to put things off, especially when it comes to those things that pertain to our salvation. We know the importance of keeping a prayer rule, of spending time each day with the reading of the Holy Scriptures, and of being productive in our spiritual lives. We know the importance of frequent church attendance, yet put it off. Tomorrow, we tell ourselves, will be the day we will begin to take our spiritual life seriously. Tomorrow we will set our priorities, and keep to them. But tomorrow never comes.

If our flesh is not saved, then the Lord has not redeemed us with his blood, the eucharistic chalice does not make us sharers in his blood, and the bread we break does not make us sharers in his body. There can be no blood without veins, flesh and the rest of the human substance, and this the Word of God actually became: it was with his own blood that he redeemed us.

If a priest is truly to be an agent for grace, he must become like a funnel through which the Lord's mercy can flow. That a priest has received the grace of ordination, if he does not attempt to live a life of holiness, if he does not become a living sacrifice for his people, if he does not give himself over to his parishioners as a loving servant, he will have failed in his priestly service.

Through Christ we received new life and we consecrated ourselves to God. I will explain the way in which we did this. Those who believe what we teach is true and who give assurance of their ability to live according to that teaching are taught to ask God’s forgiveness for their sins by prayer and fasting and we pray and fast with them. We then lead them to a place where there is water and they are reborn in the same way as we were reborn; that is to say, they are washed in the water in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the whole universe, of our Saviour Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit.

If we stop rejecting the criticism of others, be it justified or unjustified criticism, and see such criticism as profitable for our salvation, we will have gained a great spiritual treasure. When we gain the ability to see our own sinfulness, we see that even the good deeds we do is saturated with sin. When we have gained the humility that comes from embracing the criticism of others, we will see that we are unable to heal ourselves, but are entirely dependent upon God as our only source of healing.

We are urged to sing a new song to the Lord, as new men who have learned a new song. A song is a thing of joy; more profoundly, it is a thing of love. Anyone, therefore, who has learned to love the new life has learned to sing a new song, and the new song reminds us of our new life. The new man, the new song, the new covenant, all belong to the one kingdom of God, and so the new man will sing a new song and will belong to the new covenant.

I am like my son with his ADD when it comes to God. So much gets in the way and my path is not clear at times; I often stand there, with both of my hands on my head, too. The world offers us noise and chaos…that is what the lord of this world does to distract us from the path we need to take. We all have a certain amount, or tendency towards ADD when it comes to our relationship with God. How many of us are exhausted at Liturgy some days and can barely hide a yawn, but after Liturgy rush off to hike in the local hills? How many things do we place between ourselves and an honest relationship with Our Lord?

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood. This praise was given long ago by Moses to the ancient people of God, and now the apostle Peter rightly gives it to the Gentiles, since they have come to believe in Christ who, as the cornerstone, has brought the nations together in the salvation that belonged to Israel.

There was a time when I contemplated the mystery of the finding of the child Jesus in the temple that my focus was held solely on the anxiety that the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph must have felt at having lost their child. I meditated on the panic they must have felt, and even how on earth He could have been lost in the first place - surface elements of the mystery itself. However, when praying the rosary the other day, it came to me that there is an element of this mystery that I have been missing the whole time - that of the young Jesus in the temple amongst the wise men.

Today's young people have the same hopes and dreams that previous generations held, but this fast changing world is depriving them of hope. Nihilism has become the religion of countless numbers of our youth, with the result that life has become meaningless . The information age has driven God out of societal, cultural and governmental prominence, resulting in mass disbelief.

We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as if it were ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Savior became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving.

Monks are not holy men who are living lives set apart from the world, but men who are seeking holiness by entering into a relationship with the God Who, through that relationship, promises holiness. The monk attempts, with God’s help, to live a life that is in imitation of the angels, thus the monastic life is often referred to as the angelic life. Through his continued communion with God the monk attempts to give himself over to the transformation of his own life that comes with the action of the Holy Spirit.

In his desire that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, God spoke in former times to our forefathers through the prophets, on many occasions and in different ways. Then, in the fullness of time he sent his Son, the Word made man, anointed by the Holy Spirit, to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted as the physician of body and spirit and the mediator between God and men. In the unity of the person of the Word, his human nature was the instrument of our salvation. Thus in Christ there has come to be the perfect atonement that reconciles us with God, and we have been given the power to offer the fullness of divine worship.

On Sunday, April 7th, Egypt’s Coptic Christians suffered yet another attack by fanatical Islamists. Following the funeral for a number of Coptic Christians who were attacked and killed after Muslims accused some Coptic children of having written on the wall of a Muslim building, it was open season, once again, on the Christians. The Coptic community have accused the State Security and police of overlooking attacks on Christians, and their places of worship, as the frequency of such attacks has increased dramatically. Monasteries and churches have especially been targeted, although apartments and businesses owned by Coptic Christians have been frequent targets as well. Yet it is unprecedented in significance that the Seat of the Coptic Pope, Saint Mark Cathedral, has been attacked.

How precious the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return.

The compartmentalization of the work week can wreak havoc on the inner life. It is easier to keep your prayers, spiritual reading, and focus on Christ, reserved for the weekend. Like so many, you struggle to keep spiritually grounded while at work. So many jobs make it seem impossible to stay centered, spiritually, when you are surrounded by the office chatter, stress, gossip, and deadlines. With a boss pressing down on one side, and the worldly cares of coworkers hovering over your shoulder, you, like many Orthodox Christians, feel resigned to put on hold the things of God.

The heavenly sacrifice, instituted by Christ, is the most gracious legacy of his new covenant. On the night he was delivered up to be crucified he left us this gift as a pledge of his abiding presence. This sacrifice is our sustenance on life’s journey; by it we are nourished and supported along the road of life until we depart from this world and make our way to the Lord.

A good friend once asked me, in response to my thoughts on many prayers throughout the day and not knowing when I could have the time for them all - What are you doing with your time? This question has been at the back of my mind for some time now - truly, what am I doing with my time? When I could be praying, when I could be applying myself to works of mercy, when I could be engaged in focusing more on my life in Christ, what am I doing instead? What has distracted me?

My dear brethren, there is no doubt that the Son of God took our human nature into so close a union with himself that one and the same Christ is present, not only in the firstborn of all creation, but in all his saints as well. The head cannot be separated from the members, nor the members from the head. Not in this life, it is true, but only in eternity will God be all in all, yet even now he dwells, whole and undivided, in his temple the Church.

Pettiness is that sickness of the heart that can lead some clergy to constantly be on the lookout for anyone who might offend them. Ready at a moments notice, they are poised to confront the offender. Such clergy build up their low self esteem by finding someone they can look down upon, needing, as they do, to find others who are lower in status then them. Such a priest inevitably suffers from low self esteem, and his need to berate others makes him lash out at anyone he considers beneath him. Whether they be a waitress, gardener, store clerk, or a parishioner, they are fair game for these petty clergy, for they are unwilling to see anyone as their equal.

The spiritual building up of the body of Christ is achieved through love. As Saint Peter says: Like living stones you are built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And there can be no more effective way to pray for this spiritual growth than for the Church, itself Christ’s body, to make the offering of his body and blood in the sacramental form of bread and wine.

The Passover we celebrate brings salvation to the whole human race beginning with the first man, who together with all the others is saved and given life. In an imperfect and transitory way, the types and images of the past prefigured the perfect and eternal reality which has now been revealed. The presence of what is represented makes the symbol obsolete: when the king appears in person no one pays reverence to his statue.

Lowliness is assured by majesty, weakness by power, mortality by eternity. To pay the debt of our sinful state, a nature that was incapable of suffering was joined to one that could suffer. Thus, in keeping with the healing that we needed, one and the same mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, was able to die in one nature, and unable to die in the other.

My faith is public. My life in Christ is hidden, but my faith, my abhorrence of war, abortion, capital punishment, the prison industry, pornography; my views on the sanctity of marriage, my deep love for the Church are all a matter of public record. I’ve written books about it. I blog about it. I speak about it. I take a constant public stand and the stand is Christ.

There are times when we are tempted by what has been called the Noonday Demon, and give ourselves over to depression. This tendency can often find life in an almost chronic habit of complaining. We complain about our health to the extent that it becomes the chief focus of our life. Money worries lead us to complain about what we don't have, or what we might lose. We may become known as the office complainer and find that people want to avoid us. Being a complainer can give fodder to the Noonday Demon that leads to depression.

I speak to you who have just been reborn in baptism, my little children in Christ, you who are the new offspring of the Church, gift of the Father, proof of Mother Church’s fruitfulness. All of you who stand fast in the Lord are a holy seed, a new colony of bees, the very flower of our ministry and fruit of our toil, my joy and my crown.

I've become convinced that the Internet has become the major vehicle for the workings of the Evil One. Our children are not the only vulnerable ones, for many men have become so addicted to the Internet that they spend more time on line than with their wives and children. There are women who ignore the needs of their kids because they're too consumed by the Internet.

Under the new covenant there is bread from heaven and the cup of salvation. These sanctify both soul and body, the bread being adapted to the sanctification of the body, the Word, to the sanctification of the soul. Do not, then, regard the eucharistic elements as ordinary bread and wine: they are in fact the body and blood of the Lord, as he himself has declared. Whatever your senses may tell you, be strong in faith.

The cell itself is the heart, wherein we commune with God in silence and in adoration - where we pray "to Him in secret with all warmth of spirit and with living faith"6, where we find the strength and love to transform the world around us by our turning our hearts to Christ, and by allowing Him to dwell within us. By doing this, we can always remain undisturbed by the crashing waves of the world that beat upon us - in this way, we always have a place to rest and to be with the one who loves us beyond all love.

The reason why Christ died for sins once for all, the just man for the sake of the unjust, was that he might lead you to God. He was put to death insofar as fleshly existence goes, but was given life in the realm of the spirit. It was in the spirit also that he went to preach to the spirits in prison. They had disobeyed as long ago as Noah’s day, while God patiently waited until the ark was built. At that time, a few persons, eight in all, escaped in the ark through the water.

Let no one imagine that baptism consists only in the forgiveness of sins and in the grace of adoption. Our baptism is not like the baptism of John, which conferred only the forgiveness of sins. We know perfectly well that baptism, besides washing away our sins and bringing us the gift of the Holy Spirit, is a symbol of the sufferings of Christ.

The decision to forgive another person a wrong done to us begins when we decide to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. To forgive someone does not mean that we forget what they did to us, for this may be impossible. The memory of the hurt might always remain with you, but when you decide to forgive the person who wronged you, the grip of resentment is put aside. When we forgive someone it is even possible the find yourself filled with compassion and empathy for the person, for the act of forgiveness opens the heart to God's grace.

Thus the passion of our Savior is the salvation of mankind. The reason why he desired to die for us was that he wanted us who believe in him to live for ever. In the fullness of time it was his will to become what we are, so that we might inherit the eternity he promised and live with him for ever.

Driven by fear, there are people who leave the Church and head into schism. They are all filled with prideful people, thinking of themselves as the only remnant of Christ's Church. These people practice a form of Christianity that is filled with self righteous rigidity, totally lacking in humility. Walling themselves off from World Orthodoxy, they become extremely pharisitical, harsh, punitive and rotten to the core.

Pardon one another so that later on you will not remember the injury. The recollection of an injury is itself wrong. It adds to our anger, nurtures our sin and hates what is good. It is a rusty arrow and poison for the soul. It puts all virtue to flight. It is like a worm in the mind: it confuses our speech and tears to shreds our petitions to God. It is foreign to charity: it remains planted in the soul like a nail. It is wickedness that never sleeps, sin that never fails. It is indeed a daily death.

Only by reflecting upon the meaning of the incarnation can we see how it is possible to say with perfect truth both that Christ suffered and that he was incapable of suffering, and why the Word of God, in himself incapable of suffering, came to suffer.

Depression is one of the plagues of the modern age, overtaking many with it's insidious poison, and ravaging many a life. The pain and suffering that comes with deep depression can infect those who surround the sufferer, for the depression of one person can spread like mold on stale bread.

We should understand, beloved, that the paschal mystery is at once old and new, transitory and eternal, corruptible and incorruptible, mortal and immortal. In terms of the Law it is old, in terms of the Word it is new. In its figure it is passing, in its grace it is eternal. It is corruptible in the sacrifice of the lamb incorruptible in the eternal life of the Lord. It is mortal in is burial in the earth, immortal in his resurrection from the dead.

What a joy it is to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons… Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin or of evil! Love has triumphed! Mercy has been victorious! God's mercy always triumphs!

In the Gospel of this luminous night of the Easter Vigil, we are the first to meet the women who went to Jesus' tomb with spices to anoint his body (cf. Lk 24:1-3). They go to perform an act of compassion, of affection, of love. It is a traditional gesture for a beloved person who has died, just as we would do too. They had followed Jesus, listened to him, felt themselves to be understood in their dignity, and they had accompanied him to the end, on Calvary, an at the moment he was taken down from the cross.

With Every Light is an art-as-worship music collective bridging the gap between sacred and secular, folk and nu gaze, liturgy and art for art's sake. Formed in Nashville and founded by Grammy Nominated producer and songwriter Steve Wilson (Leeland, Matt Maher, Hawk Nelson), the creative and redemptive unite in flesh and spirit to reflect the light that overcomes the darkness. With Every Light's debut project "Rejoice" is available Easter Sunday (March 31, 2013) courtesy of Legion of Boom / MONKROCK.

After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene came with the other Mary to inspect the tomb. Suddenly there was a mighty earthquake, as the angel of the Lord descended from heaven. He came to the stone, rolled it back, and sat on it. In appearance he resembled a flash of lightning while his garments were dazzling as snow.

It is easy to resist taking care of yourself if you run at full speed as though you are the only one who can get things done. We all need to set priorities, making sure we focus on Christ and not let that which is transitory rule our lives. If you pay attention to your health, family and spiritual life, everything else will take care of itself. Don't let your life be so full of work that you don't have time to focus on the things that bring you joy. Pay attention when the Lord is calling you to slow down and place your rest in Him.

Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

I do not wish to add too many words. One word should suffice this evening, that is the Cross itself. The Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world. Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent. And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness. It is also reveals a judgment, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. Remember this: God, in judging us, loves us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves.

The annual Novena to The Divine Mercy begins today on Good Friday and ends on Divine Mercy Sunday (the Sunday after Easter). All Christians (Catholics and non-Catholics) are invited to pray. "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

If we wish to understand the power of Christ’s blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguration in Egypt. In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ.

Today, for those of us who observe the Western Calendar, is Holy Thursday. It is hard to believe Pascha, or Easter, is upon us and our Forty Days of preparation and renewal are coming to a close. Tonight, in our tradition, our priest washes the feet of many of our parishioners. It is done as a symbol, not just as the recreation of the biblical story… In our tradition, this simple, humbling act is symbolic of the servant’s nature present within our priests, but it is also supposed to remind us that nothing is too humbling or difficult for us to do, when serving our neighbor.

Creating a Christian home begins with the icon corner. The bright corner becomes the center for every domestic church, where the family devotions take place. This is also the family's way of declaring to visitors that this is a Christian home, where Christ is head.

For the sake of suffering humanity he came down from heaven to earth, clothed himself in that humanity in the Virgin’s womb, and was born a man. Having then a body capable of suffering, he took the pain of fallen man upon himself; he triumphed over the diseases of soul and body that were its cause, and by his Spirit, which was incapable of dying, he dealt man’s destroyer, death, a fatal blow.

For myself, I have always taken comfort in the mystery of the Agony in the Garden, that Christ took upon Himself all of the terror, worry, and hopelessness of that situation, knowing full well that many would reject Him still, that for centuries onwards he would still be held up in derision and mocked and jeered at by the world. He still is today.

My journey toward Catholicism began when I attended a small, intimate prayer session led by a group of college students in our evangelistic Protestant congregation. The talented young leader guided us in prayer amidst electrifying contemporary worship music. A wave was rippling through our church - one which may have been present since ever there were youth in a church congregation. These beloved kids invited us old folk to be a part of something deeper, more authentic~~to have a true encounter with the Holy Spirit.

Dear brethren, the Lord has marked out for us the fullness of love that we ought to have for each other. He tells us: "No one has greater love than the man who lays down his life for his friends." In these words, the Lord tells us what the perfect love we should have for one another involves

When mankind was estranged from him by disobedience, God our Savior made a plan for raising us from our fall and restoring us to friendship with himself. According to this plan Christ came in the flesh, he showed us the gospel way of life, he suffered, died on the cross, was buried and rose from the dead. He did this so that we could be saved by imitation of him, and recover our original status as sons of God by adoption.

We are not compelled to love God, having been created with free will. God does not, nor can He, compel His creatures to love Him. Mutual love requires, by it's very nature, freedom to either respond in love, or not. Yet when we respond to God's love with love His mercy leads us into holiness, for entering into this relationship with our Creator transforms us, changes us. When we respond to God's offer to commune with Him, He changes us into His likeness. We were meant from the beginning to be in His image and likeness and our positive response to the invitation to enter into divine communion leads to holiness.

The cure for the societal, political and demographic decline in Nordic and European countries is not to be found in nationalistic racism, nor in war against foreigners. The cure for all that ails the western world is a return to piety and fear of God. Spiritual decline has led to the total meltdown of societies that were previously rooted in the Christian faith. What remains of Christianity has been turned into a spiritual ghetto, where ethnic preservation and tradition have replaced the Power of the Imperishable, which is a life in Christ.

The passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the hope of glory and a lesson in patience. Brethren, let us then fearlessly acknowledge, and even openly proclaim, that Christ was crucified for us; let us confess it, not in fear but in joy, not in shame but in glory.

Let us ask the intercession of the Virgin Mary. She teaches us the joy of meeting Christ, the love with which we must look to the foot of the Cross, the enthusiasm of the young heart with which we must follow him during this Holy Week and throughout our lives. May it be so.

Monks are not holy men who are living lives set apart from the world, but men who are seeking holiness by entering into a relationship with the God Who, through that relationship, promises holiness. The monk attempts, with God’s help, to live a life that is in imitation of the angels, thus the monastic life is often referred to as the angelic life. Through his continued communion with God the monk attempts to give himself over to the transformation of his own life that comes with the action of the Holy Spirit.

Let us go together to meet Christ on the Mount of Olives. Today he returns from Bethany and proceeds of his own free will toward his holy and blessed passion, to consummate the mystery of our salvation.

The historic Church has always venerated the saints because the Church is undivided. The Church Triumphant (in heaven) and the Church Militant (on earth) is one, undivided. When the Church is at worship the cloud of witnesses (those who've won the battle and are in heaven with God) are united in this worship before the Throne of God with those on earth. When we enter into the communal worship of the Church here on earth, we are mystically united with the saints in heaven. Death does not separate us from those who've gone on before us, for in Christ, there is no death.

So let us take our part in the Passover prescribed by the law, not in a literal way, but according to the teaching of the Gospel; not in an imperfect way, but perfectly; not only for a time, but eternally. Let us regard as our home the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly one; the city glorified by angels, not the one laid waste by armies.

As you know, there are various reasons why I chose the name of Francis of Assisi… One of the first reasons was Francis’ love for the poor. … But there is another form of poverty! It is the spiritual poverty of our time, which afflicts the so-called richer countries particularly seriously. … And that brings me to a second reason for my name. Francis of Assisi tells us we should work to build peace. But there is no true peace without truth! There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights.

We all struggle with our passions and like Saint Paul we can say we do that which we do not want to do and do not do what we want to do. The passions hold us down close to the ground in our sin and fallen nature. We are like the rotting soil beneath dead plants, but God's grace is more than sufficient for holiness to take root.

Christ is therefore the one who in himself alone embodied all that he knew to be necessary to achieve our redemption. He is at once priest and sacrifice, God and temple. He is the priest through whom we have been reconciled, the sacrifice by which we have been reconciled, the temple in which we have been reconciled, the God with whom we have been reconciled.

When we learn to love others our compassion is such that we are willing to suffer with them. Their burdens become ours and we lift them up and help them on their journey to God.

God has called together the assembly of those who in faith look on Jesus, the author of salvation and the principle of unity and peace, and so has established the Church to be for each and all the visible sacrament of this unity which brings with it salvation.

While the narrative of the press persists in focusing on the differences between Pope Francis and his predecessors, one venerable tradition of the modern day Papa is that of drive-by baby-kissing...Pope Francis himself did this many times on Tuesday prior to his inaugural Mass. One of the children cried post-swooping, and Papa tenderly caressed its face and planted a kiss right on its nose! I'm sure the nose was a little bit snotty, and the cheeks must have been stained with tears.

When we speak with God in prayer we do not separate the Son from him, and when the body of the Son prays it does not separate its head from itself: it is the one Savior of his body, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who prays for us and in us and is himself the object of our prayers.

Yesterday morning, during the Mass, through you, I recognized the communities you represent. In this manifestation of faith, I had the feeling of taking part in an even more urgent fashion the prayer for the unity of all believers in Christ, and together to see somehow prefigured the full realization of full unity which depends on God’s plan and on our own loyal collaboration.

The other day I had a talk with a good, kind, sensible friend who approvingly referenced an op-ed in Sunday's NYT to the effect: Why can't you Catholics focus on what you do best--serve the poor--and just shut up about sex, about which you know nothing, about which you insist on clinging to your ridiculously medieval notions that any self-respecting modern person would be mortified to voice? Having been raised in the Church and long since fallen away, my friend can't possibly see, for example, why anyone of nominal intelligence, and the Church, would not counsel every woman in the world to get birth control. If women where in charge of the Church, she is sure THEY would change the law...

How marvelous the power of the cross; how great beyond all telling the glory of the passion: here is the judgment-seat of the Lord, the condemnation of the world, the supremacy of Christ crucified. Lord, you drew all things to yourself so that the devotion of all peoples everywhere might celebrate, in a sacrament made perfect and visible, what was carried out in the one temple of Judea under obscure foreshadowings.

What then is Joseph’s position in the whole Church of Christ? Is he not a man chosen and set apart? Through him and, yes, under him, Christ was fittingly and honorably introduced into the world. Holy Church in its entirety is indebted to the Virgin Mother because through her it was judged worthy to receive Christ. But after her we undoubtedly owe special gratitude and reverence to Saint Joseph.

I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude.

Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic tells us in The Prologue from Ochrid that we are better off if we do not engage others in lengthy debates and fruitless discussions, but that we can better change their hearts by our love and good deeds. Arguing with others, even over matters of faith, is usually a fruitless venture, rarely leading the other to ponder the truth of your words. Better to demonstrate truth by holiness of life, patience, and kindness in our response. Entering into heated words most often leads to a standoff, where only the demons win in the end.

The L.A. Marathon, which goes straight through my neighborhood and makes driving impossible, took place yesterday. I'd been out of town, saw the signs Saturday and, as usual, thought bitterly, Thanks for trapping me in my home all day. Then I walked to 8:00 Mass down Sunset. Boulevard and within minutes was weeping at the sheer beautiful humanity of it all: a guy in a kilt playing bagpipes, punksters, infants, old people such as myself....

The coat of arms for cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, reflects his humility and reverence for the the Virgin Mary. However, as Pope, his crest will have to be modified to follow papal heraldry rules.

In the spirit of friendship, I reach out to my fellow artists on the issue of exploitation in art. There are certain works of art being created to shock or disturb us. These works cause us to wonder what the artist is trying to tell us as opposed to what the piece is trying to affirm or capture. The pieces vie for our attention as if they were advertisements. As we scramble about our fast paced lives, we assign values to them and measure their worth according to how they can help us gain a profit. It is this approach that opens the door to exploitation in art.

We are now at day 27 of Lent. By now we are half way trough, which means that it could be useful to make a stop and think about the journey we have traveled so far. Lets say it’s similar of those stops that a bus driver (or maybe ourselves) does when he is taking a long trip. From time to time he parks at a gas station to check if breaks are okay, if there is enough gas and the tires have the necessary air to go on. It is better to take precautions than latter be left stranded on the middle of the road, or maybe worst: Not being able to get to the destination.

Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who knows Pope Francis, talks about what the new pontiff will bring to church with regard to ecumenism.

My brothers, this is a truly great occasion. Approach it with caution. You are standing in front of God and in the presence of the host of angels. The Holy Spirit is about to impress his seal on each of your souls. You are about to be pressed into the service of a great king. And so prepare yourselves to receive the sacrament. The gleaming white garments you are about to put on are not the preparation I am speaking of, but rather the devotion of a clean conscience.

If you are to be truly humble, you must never cease to reproach yourself. You must actively pursue a humble heart, and imitate, even embrace the sufferings of Christ. Without the virtue of humility, there can be no salvation. Without humility your effort is useless.

The blood that was poured out for our redemption was not that of goats and calves (as in the old law) but that of the most innocent lamb, Christ Jesus our Savior…All who have embarked on true contrition and penance for the sins they have committed, and are firmly resolved not to commit sins again for the future but to persevere constantly in that pursuit of virtues which they have now begun, all these become sharers in this holy and eternal sacrifice.

I have to admit I was humbled when I saw Cardinal Bergoglio’s name and picture flashed on the television screen. My prejudices betrayed me. I saw an older, serious looking man, who I vaguely remembered from the last conclave. He wasn’t the pope I wanted. I immediately searched Google, saying to myself, please don’t let him be a curia hack, someone concerned more about rules and ritualism and preserving the status quo than in communicating the radical message of the Gospel.

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! After our first meeting last Wednesday, today I again give my greetings to you all! And I am happy to do it on Sunday, the Lord's Day! This is beautiful and important for us Christians: to meet on Sunday, to greet one another, to talk as we are doing now, in the square. This square that, thanks to the media, takes on worldly dimensions.

I give unceasing thanks to my God, who kept me faithful in the day of my testing. Today I can offer him sacrifice with confidence, giving myself as a living victim to Christ, my Lord, who kept me safe through all my trials." I can say now: "Who am I, Lord," and what is my calling that you worked through me with such divine power?

When we take our eyes off our own failings, shortcomings, and sins, we notice the failings of others. As the sins of others get our attention, our focus turns away from our own struggles with the passions, and we begin to fall further into sin, our eyes having turned away from the Lord. When our focus is no longer turned towards the conquering of our own passions, our hearts become vulnerable, and we begin to expend our energy on picking apart our neighbor.

In honor of our new Holy Father from Argentina, Pope Francis, the following is a list of 10 South American saints every Catholic should know. I have often remarked that South America seems to be a continent that is never talked about much, and the same seems to have gone for many of its saints. Aside from one or two, many of these saints are new to me as well.

I sometimes worry that I'm not doing something truly important with my life. Caught up in day-to-day trivialities, it doesn't seem that I accomplish that much...To be loving is to be fully alive. To be fully alive is to use all the splendid faculties of my personality in every area of my life.

During the forty days of the Great Fast, why not put aside the “noise” of this world, and discover the value of silence. When radio was first introduced on the American scene, an important element in daily living was to be lost forever. No longer was silence a part of everyday life. With families gathering around the radio, often listening to shows or music that were far from edifying, the loss for the human spirit was great.

If it is asked how this unhappy state of affairs can be set right, Christians state their belief that all human activity, in daily jeopardy through pride and inordinate self-love, is to find its purification and its perfection in the cross and resurrection of Christ.

I woke up on 3/13 proclaiming, Today is the day. Not as though my determination had any true prophetic value; but after waking up and frantically scouring the internet to make sure I had not missed an announcement about the election of the Pope, and seeing that we had the opportunity to witness the telltale smoke that morning, I turned on the live feed of the smokestack on the Sistine Chapel and set up the wee screen of my cell phone in plain view of all the members of the house, certain a momentous day awaited us.

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I will attend Pope Francis's inaugural Mass in Rome on 19 March, the first time such an event occurred since the Catholic-Orthodox split ("the Great Schism") in 1054, an important sign for Christian unity.

I commit my ministry, and your ministry, to the powerful intercession of Mary, our Mother, Mother of the Church. Beneath her maternal gaze, may each one of us walk and listen to the voice of her divine Son, strengthening unity, persevering together in prayer and giving witness to the true faith in the continual presence of the Lord. With these sentiments, sincere sentiments, I impart my Apostolic Blessing, which I extend to your collaborators and to the people under your pastoral care.

This feast guides us through the trials that meet us in this world. God now gives us the joy of salvation that shines out from this feast, as he brings us together to form one assembly, uniting us all in spirit in every place, allowing us to pray together and to offer common thanksgiving, as is our duty on the feast. Such is the wonder of his love: he gathers to this feast those who are far apart, and brings together in unity of faith those who may be physically separated from each other.

If we do not live in repentance and humility, we clergy betray Christ, Whom we claim to serve. We must be willing to put aside all intellectual and romanticized notions of the Church, acknowledge the many warts and wrinkles and institutional flaws that have accumulated over the centuries, and live in imitation of Christ, Who came as but a humble servant. We must cast aside the baggage that has diluted the message of the Gospels, and give witness to the humble Saviour Who has saved us.

In these three readings I see that there is something in common: it is movement. In the first reading, movement is the journey [itself]; in the second reading, movement is in the up-building of the Church. In the third, in the Gospel, the movement is in [the act of] profession: walking, building, professing.

True reverence for the Lord’s passion means fixing the eyes of our heart on Jesus crucified and recognizing in him our own humanity...First of all, in taking our human nature while remaining God, so that the Word became man, he left no member of the human race, the unbeliever excepted, without a share in his mercy. Who does not share a common nature with Christ if he has welcomed Christ, who took our nature, and is reborn in the Spirit through whom Christ was conceived?

In taking the name of a saint known for humility and a simple lifestyle, Pope Francis promises to be the Christ-like image of leadership the Roman Catholic Church, and, dare I say, the whole world, needs. With the rise of secularism, atheism, and Islam, the Christ-like witness we see in this pope, promises to be a leaven for the rebuilding of a Christianity that has been in decline. This, to my mind, is a pope we Orthodox can work with, and a man we can love.

God’s will is to save us, and nothing pleases him more than our coming back to him with true repentance. The heralds of truth and the ministers of divine grace have told us this from the beginning, repeating it in every age. Indeed, God’s desire for our salvation is the primary and pre-eminent sign of his infinite goodness.

The truth is that children, from the earliest of age, can be taught to treat other children with kindness, and encouraged to be sensitive to the plight of other children. The youngest can be taught the importance of sharing their toys, and of including other children in their neighborhood games. Even the smallest child can be taught to treat others as he wishes to be treated, and to report incidences of bullying to his teachers and parents, when he sees it happening to other children.

A part of me wanted the new Holy Father to come storming out of the conclave in a burst of triumphant glory, ready with hammer of heretics in hand, ready to restore the Church, ready to fix everything, to reform the reform, and all the rest. Instead, a very different figure emerged from the conclave.

O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Francis, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The faithful should therefore enter into themselves and make a true judgment on their attitudes of mind and heart. If they find some store of love’s fruit in their hearts, they must not doubt God’s presence within them. If they would increase their capacity to receive so great a guest, they should practice greater generosity in doing good, with persevering charity.

God taught the people of the old covenant how to celebrate the ritual offered to him in atonement for the sins of men. But you have come to Christ, the true high priest. Through his blood he has made God turn to you in mercy and has reconciled you with the Father. You must not think simply of ordinary blood but you must learn to recognize instead the blood of the Word. Listen to him as he tells you: "This is my blood, which will be shed for you for the forgiveness of sins."

The Lord tells us: "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." In these few words he gives a command and makes a promise. Let us do what he commands so that we may not blush to covet what he promises and to hear him say on the day of judgment: “I laid down certain conditions for obtaining my promises. Have you fulfilled them?”

It's funny how, for me, God began as a buddy figure watching over me, and then somehow morphed into a tyrannical nightmare just waiting to pop out of the sky and blow everyone to Hell. I'm not exaggerating - this was the way I grew up. Years later, I am still trying to recover from these views.

When you strive to interact with members of your family, with friends, coworkers, and all others, with respect, humility, and dignity, you lay the groundwork for the abundance of Grace needed to quicken your heart for the things of God. The soil is prepared for the planting of seeds that allow you to respond to God's grace, for a grateful heart is fertile ground for the things of God.

The Lord of all asks for mercy, not sacrifice, and mercy is greater than myriads of fattened lambs. Let us then show him mercy in the persons of the poor and those who today are lying on the ground, so that when we come to leave this world they may receive us into everlasting dwelling places, in Christ our Lord himself, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

We Orthodox are known for our veneration of the saints, recognizing as we do the truth that there is no separation between the Church Militant, here on earth, and the Church Triumphant, in heaven. In the Divine Services we are not gathered together alone as mortals, but we are joined in our worship before the Throne of God by the Cloud of Witnesses, who are joined with us in Christ. This truth is exemplified by our use of icons and frescoes depicting the saints. Their images surround us, reminding us that heaven awaits us, where those who have won the good fight have gained their reward, and stand before the Lord of Glory.

If the sacrament of the Lord’s passion is to work its effect in us, we must imitate what we receive and proclaim to mankind what we revere. The cry of the Lord finds a hiding place in us if our lips fail to speak of this, though our hearts believe in it. So that his cry may not lie concealed in us it remains for us all, each in his own measure, to make known to those around us the mystery of our new life in Christ.

I pondered this thought all day - Endeavor to be crucified with Christ. After morning prayer, this one sentence rang out in my mind. What ever could it mean? How are we to be crucified with Christ?

A Roman Catholic friar once told me he'd gone to a Russian cathedral to attend his first Divine Liturgy. The first service had concluded, and as the clergy walked down the steps of the cathedral, they looked right through him, as though he were invisible, even though he was wearing his Franciscan habit. He'd felt so unwelcome, he turned and left. What kind of witness was this? Have we reduced Orthodoxy to the status of a private club? Do we see the Church only in ethnic terms? What if Saints Cyril and Methodius had treated the Slavs in such a manner? What if the Jewish Christians of the first century had treated the gentiles in such a manner?

"Prepare ye the way of the Lord! Make straight in the desert a highway for our God!" How can we do this? Practicing the Jesus Prayer can help us do this. My husband introduced me to this discipline, which is rooted in ancient monasticism, over a year ago, and I have grown to love it and learn from it in so many ways. "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!" It is the prayer of a penitent, of a believer, of one who has faith that Jesus will indeed have mercy!

We are true worshipers and true priests. We pray in spirit, and so offer in spirit the sacrifice of prayer. Prayer is an offering that belongs to God and is acceptable to him: it is the offering he has asked for, the offering he planned as his own. We must dedicate this offering with our whole heart, we must fatten it on faith, tend it by truth, keep it unblemished through innocence and clean through chastity, and crown it with love. We must escort it to the altar of God in a procession of good works to the sound of psalms and hymns. Then it will gain for us all that we ask of God.

A person’s soul should be clean, like a mirror reflecting light. If there is rust on the mirror his face cannot be seen in it. In the same way, no one who has sin within him can see God. But if you will you can be healed. Hand yourself over to the doctor, and he will open the eyes of your mind and heart. Who is to be the doctor? It is God, who heals and gives life through his Word and wisdom.

The Church is our home, a place where we should feel comfortable, and at ease. It is also God’s house and is a temple set aside for worship of the Holy Trinity. Although times have changed and we have become a very casual society, this attitude can not be allowed to influence how we dress to worship God. Our way of dressing for church should reflect our desire to offer our very best to Christ. Just as we want to act in ways that demonstrate the centrality of Christ in our lives, our dress should show forth the modesty that is befitting a Christian.

There are those who fear commitment for fear of loss. They fear the other will either leave them, or be lost in death, so they remain aloof from any possible relationship. Some put on a facade of indifference, for fear of rejection, depriving themselves of any possible happiness. In fear of possible loss, they become the ultimate losers, for the happiness that comes in a committed relationship, evades them. If they don't love another, they need not fear losing that love. Some, having lost a loved one, fearing a repeat of that loss, and guard against further commitments. It is safe to keep themselves at a distance from others, for in doing so they think they will not suffer loss in the future.

There are three things, my brethren, by which faith stands firm, devotion remains constant, and virtue endures. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting: these three are one, and they give life to each other.

If someone receives a special call from Jesus and starts growing toward a greater love and compassion, to a deeper life of prayer in the community, there will come a moment when he or she begins to reveal the mediocrity of others and this becomes dangerous. A prophet is always dangerous. Prophets were always killed in Jerusalem because they were dangerous. They make people ask questions about their own mediocrity, but they are unwilling to face them and to seek change.

Boasting of God is perfect and complete when we take no pride in our own righteousness but acknowledge that we are utterly lacking in true righteousness and have been made righteous only by faith in Christ. Paul boasts of the fact that he holds his own righteousness in contempt and seeks the righteousness in faith that comes through Christ and is from God. He wants only to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and to have fellowship with his sufferings by taking on the likeness of his death, in the hope that somehow he may arrive at the resurrection of the dead.

The Sovereign Lord of the Universe came down to earth as a humble servant. He Who sits upon the seraphim, was born to us in a stable. The King of kings came as the Good Shepherd Who laid down His life for His sheep. We who serve as His priests and bishops can be true to our vocation, only if we serve in all humility, love, and gentleness. The bishop or priest who would set himself up as lord over his people, betrays the Lord Whom he serves. Any priest or bishop who lords over his people as though he were their superior, rather than their servant, betrays the standard of the office, as set in the earliest of times.

There is tremendous mystery contained within the account of the burning bush in Exodus. I have always been fascinated by this passage. On the surface, the passage is quite familiar to me from my years growing up in the Adventist church. I remember taking it all in a very surface way - there was a burning bush, God was in it somehow, and spoke to Moses from it, telling him to go and free his people from their slavery. Fair enough. But when I thought about it later on as a teen, it became no more than an account of a delusion sprinkled with mythical flourishes. Now it is different to me.

To me, the Transfiguration is something that has been played out in the saints, especially of the East. The most famous example in my view is from The Acquisition of the Holy Spirit, being a conversation held between St. Seraphim of Sarov and Nicholas Motovilov. In the dead of winter, in the middle of the deep Russian forests, Motovilov was witness to St. Seraphim's face suddenly being transfigured...

"Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." (Mk. 8:34) It is impossible to follow the Lord as a cross-bearer without a cross, and everyone who follows Him unfailingly goes with a cross. Such a cross is so much a part of a Christian that wherever there is a Christian, there is this cross, and where there is no such cross, there is no Christian.

Sometimes we are tempted to please our bosses, our spouses, our neighbors, or, in the case of clergy, our bishops and brother priests, forgetting that the most important one to be pleased by our lives, and our actions, and our deeds, is the Lord.

I agree with my friend that an extremely small minority would even, at least at this time, entertain electing Raymond Cardinal Burke to the Throne of Peter. In fact, the idea might very well make some of them sick to their stomachs. However, there are some good reasons why, in the end, Burke will be elected Supreme Pontiff.

"A woman came." She is a symbol of the Church not yet made righteous but about to be made righteous. Righteousness follows from the conversation. She came in ignorance, she found Christ, and he enters into conversation with her. Let us see what it is about, let us see why "a Samaritan woman came to draw water." The Samaritans did not form part of the Jewish people: they were foreigners. The fact that she came from a foreign people is part of the symbolic meaning, for she is a symbol of the Church. The Church was to come from the Gentiles, of a different race from the Jews.

I received an email from a man from India, questioning why there is evil in the world, and wondering how he could come to know the true God, overcome sin, and live a life in transformation. This is my response to him...

Where a man’s heart is, there is his treasure also. God is not accustomed to refusing a good gift to those who ask for one. Since he is good, and especially to those who are faithful to him, let us hold fast to him with all our soul, our heart, our strength, and so enjoy his light and see his glory and possess the grace of supernatural joy. Let us reach out with our hearts to possess that good, let us exist in it and live in it, let us hold fast to it, that good which is beyond all we can know or see and is marked by perpetual peace and tranquillity, a peace which is beyond all we can know or understand.

The precepts that were given them to enslave and to serve as a warning have been cancelled by the new covenant of freedom. The precepts that belong to man’s nature and to freedom and to all alike have been enlarged and broadened. Through the adoption of sons God had enabled man so generously and bountifully to know him as Father, to love him with his whole heart, and to follow his Word unfailingly.

It is very easy to live our lives in hypocrisy if we are not mindful of the pitfalls of the spiritual life. We can become Pharisees without even noticing, if we let our Christianity be artificially lived. Living our lives as though we have been rehearsed by a stage director, we will have accomplished nothing, and will remain no more than an actor. Putting on the mask of Christianity, is not living in Christ.

O Lord, with suppliant humility, we entreat Thee, that in Thy boundless mercy Thou wouldst grant the most Holy Roman Church a pontiff, who by his zeal for us, may be pleasing to Thee, and by his good government may be ever honored by Thy people for the glory of Thy name. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son who with Thee livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

I am simply a pilgrim beginning the last leg of his pilgrimage on this Earth. But I would still ... thank you ... I would still with my heart, with my love, with my prayers, with my reflection, and with all my inner strength, like to work for the common good and the good of the church and of humanity. I feel very supported by your sympathy.

As a modern, educated man, I have a rather broad interest in the arts, music, poetry, literature and history. My father was a golf pro and my mother was a professional church pipe organist and piano teacher. My maternal grandmother played honkytonk piano, the banjo and taught ballroom dancing. I was formally trained in classical oil painting, but prefer to paint in impressionistic freestyle.

There are certain great things that we wish would last forever: holidays, the extra time of the game when our team is so close to winning, pizza, Sunday nights, a date with your loved one. Yes, they are pretty ordinary things, but we wish that time doesn’t set its course and we could just freeze that moment. Something similar happened to Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration...he feels prone to stay there. He doesn’t want to leave, at all.

If we wear a cross around our neck, make the sign of the cross in perfect order, keep the fast periods, but have not the love of the poor we have gained nothing. Christ Himself told us that we can not love God Whom we've not seen, if we do not love our neighbor. If we do not give alms to the poor and speak out for human justice, we will have gained nothing. If we do not treat everyone with respect and love, and show mercy to all, we have not Christ in us.

I am not abandoning the cross, but I am remaining at the foot of the Crucified Lord. I will no longer vest the power of the office for the government of the Church, but in the service of prayer rest, so to speak, in the yard of St. Peter. St. Benedict, whose name I bare as Pope, is a great example of this. He showed us the way to a life which, active or passive, belongs wholly to the work of God.

If we wish to see Holy Church built up for the glory of God with the living stones of the faithful, then let us stop looking for those stones, and instead, be the stones ourselves. St. Francis of Assisi and St. Xenia of Petersburg both, in their holy simplicity, went and rebuilt the dilapidated churches nearest them by hand - there is a great lesson to be learned here.

In the Mystery of Confession we avail ourselves before the analoy stand, upon which the holy cross and the Gospel Book rest. The priest stands in as the witness, whereas in the early Church confession was done before the whole congregation of the faithful. After we have confessed before the Lord, the priest, acting in Christ's stead, and by His authority, pronounces the absolution. Thus begins the process of transformation, which leads to holiness. Regular confession is necessary if we are to triumph in our battle over sin, for only in confession do we face the reality of our fallen nature and confront the ego, seeking out God's help in conquering the passions.

The institution of godparents (sponsors) is one that dates back to the first century of the Christian Church. Anyone approaching baptism, be they infant or adult, was required to have a godparent. In the case of an infant, it is the godparent that speaks for the child, answering the questions posed by the priest during the baptismal service. But it doesn't stop there! The godparent is charged by the Church with the duty to make sure the newly baptized is instructed in the teachings of the Church, remains a frequent communicant within the Church and remains active in the Church.

When I was younger, I remember struggling greatly with the concept of grace. The Adventist church attended was known for its particularly judgmental and rather paranoid conservatism - this was the same church where I heard sermons on Jesus only knocking once on the doors of our hearts, the same church where I was asked what two or three things I would take with me if and when the Pope enforced Sunday worship in some kind of new world order. I can't make stuff like this up - it was what occurred most Saturdays.

We Orthodox will always honor him as a friend of our Church and a faithful servant of the sacred proposition for the union of all. Personally, we remember with emotion his visit to the See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate over six years ago, together with the numerous encounters and excellent cooperation, which we enjoyed throughout the duration of his primatial ministry.

Dear brothers and sisters, I feel that this Word of God is particularly directed at me, at this point in my life. The Lord is calling me to "climb the mountain", to devote myself even more to prayer and meditation. But this does not mean abandoning the Church. Indeed, if God is asking me to do this, it is so that I can continue to serve the Church with the same dedication and the same love with which I have done thus far, but in a way that is better suited to my age and my strength.

This photo moved me deeply. A Greek priest standing between rioters and the police, trying to stop a rioter from throwing a Molotov cocktail at police officers. Too often we pass right on by, ignoring assaults on others. Christ did so when the crowd threatened to stone the woman caught in adultery. As Christians we are called upon to do the same.

During Lent, what good does it do for us to give up candy and beer, Celebrity Apprentice and Facebook, to increase our daily Mass attendance and personal devotions, or even to drop a little extra money in the offering basket or a bag of unwanted clothes at the Salvation Army, if we continue to crucify Jesus with our malicious and divisive words, thoughts and desires toward our neighbor, especially those who are fellow-members of Christ’s Mystical Body? For in doing so, we not only wound the Body of Christ and undermine the Church’s mission, but we also sabotage our own efforts in the spiritual life, impede the workings of the Holy Spirit, lose grace from our souls, and corrupt ourselves (and others) in the process.

As humans endowed with free will, intellect, and the burning desire for transcendence, we should stop making Christian music. Here’s 5 of 100 reasons why...

The Pontificate of Benedict XVI has marked a major improvement in  the relations between Orthodox and Catholics and, in particular, between Rome and the Russian Orthodox Church. The Pope knows Orthodoxy well; his love for tradition makes him close to it...We wish Benedict XVI a long, fruitful and peaceful period in the last stage of his life. As for us, we hope that the positive dynamic in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church will continue under his Successor.

The Holy Virgin is a stumbling block for many protestants looking into Orthodoxy. The idea that this woman described in the Gospels in such humble terms could be called Mother of God seems unbiblical to them. She was never called Mother of God in the Bible, they say, so why would she be given such an exalted title? She was, they think, simply the mother of Jesus.

Monks have always had a special place in their hearts for forests. Coptic and Ethiopian monks have been known to plant trees on desert mountains whereupon monasteries have been built, and calling these places, "holy forests". Russian monks sought their solitude in the Northern Thebaid, forests that became their desert.

Some of you may find this story interesting. It is actually longer to tell than I expected, so I am breaking it up into parts. What I have noticed is that many people in attendance at the Byzantine Catholic Church are actually Roman Catholics who attend out of love for the Liturgy. Recently, I wrote His Grace Bishop Dino a letter in hopes that I may make my membership in the Byzantine Catholic Church official. Please pray for me.

A resort for rich retired folks who live in air-conditioned isolation, a downtown featuring a giant statue of Marilyn Monroe, blocks of dead-quiet houses, casinos: Palm Springs is not, at first glance my kind of town.

The enemy of faith is pride, for pride destroys faith. Pride makes us believe we do not need God, and pride is what leads many into the abyss of atheism, for pride makes us believe that there is nothing beyond ourselves.

Orthodoxy is not a religion, but a way of life that is centered in Jesus Christ. Orthodoxy, as a way of life, has the cure to what ails us and can return us to that state of wholeness that was God's original intent for human kind. Because Orthodoxy is not about religion, it can offer the transformation of the heart that comes with entering into a relationship with our Creator.

Young people are human. If we understood this reality we wouldn’t have crappy youth ministry programs, worse catechesis, politicians on Twitter, the wild success of Ke$ha, and a bored and banal culture. But we do suffer these tortures, for we are convinced that being young and able to navigate Facebook transforms the human person into a locus around which the universe turns, the deciding, haloed blueprint for the construction of culture, religion, and politics.

We have moved from a period in which little Samuel said, "speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth," to one in which we now say, "Listen, Lord, for they servant speaketh." Our American culture has become so enamored, even consumed, with the importance of "self" that we've made idols out of personal gain and fulfillment. Americans are ever seeking after "the things of this world," to the degree, in fact, that we have as a culture forgotten the basic truths that our ancestors took for granted. We have forgotten the importance of living altruistic lives, of living for the ultimate good of all, rather than the limiting scope of our personal, materialistic needs.

I work in a challenging environment when outside of the home. It can be very dirty. We who work there see and experience very disturbing things. I hear profanity almost continuously on some days, some of which is directed toward me. Most of the time while there, I experience peace in my heart. This week, my patience and compassion have both run terribly thin.

Several years ago at a writer's residency I met Paul, a banjo-playing composer who at the time was contemplating writing an opera about a 30-year-old guy from Kansas who lived with his parents and claimed to be the Pope.

It has been said that humans are a microcosm of the whole universe because we have within ourselves the entire material world and with it all the noetic powers of the cosmos.

Forgiveness Sunday ushered in the Great Fast for Byzantine Catholics last weekend. A beautiful tradition unfolded before me during Vespers after the Divine Liturgy. First, we each approached our priest. "Forgive me, a sinner," we requested of him. "May God forgive you," he responded. "Forgive me, a sinner." "May God forgive you," we each responded. How joyous to enter the rigors of Lent in a state of unity with our brothers and sisters.

Water was the source for the destruction of all living creatures upon the earth during the Great Flood that God sent down, sparing only Noah, his family, and the animals he'd gathered into the ark he'd been directed to construct by God. Water is also the source of the death of the old man, when we are taken down into the baptismal waters.

My motto when it comes to Lent is that whatever I give up, however I choose to engage in this season, it must hurt. As the Dominican mystic Johannes Tauler says, "All things must become bitter to you to the degree that you found pleasure in them"1. This, to me, is the simple turning back to God. It is the act of refining oneself, of stripping away all that is not of God, and starving the passions out of their fortified positions that have taken root in one's heart.

We have been led, by way of the Liturgical Year, into the “desert” (or “wilderness”) for the liturgical season of Lent ("the Great Fast” in the East), which is derived from the Latin word for 40. As we know, the desert is not only a geographical location, but it is a fearful spiritual journey into unknown territory, a divine encounter with Almighty God, and an unavoidable confrontation with the Enemy.

It is often the case that we fail to keep God's commandments and find ourselves despondent, unable to make progress in the battle over our sins. The same sins seem to constantly plague us. Despondency is our enemy, for it is the tool the demons use to keep us distracted from the goal. They want us to give up the battle.

I distinctly remember a moment of reflection I had when we stayed in the little seaside village of Manarola in the Cinque Terre region of Italy. The village has many pathways leading down to the waters, and if one is extra adventurous, one can climb past the jutting rocks that protect the docks like teeth. I sat down right beside the waters edge, as the sun was shedding its last bits of light on the world. Everything was behind me, and all I could hear and see was the vast grey expanse of the waters, the hints of sunlight embers still flickering on the rocks.

We need to mourn. One of the most tremendously rewarding and challenging aspects of the priesthood is comforting people in their darkest moments of sorrow. Do not be mistaken, and think that priests, and monks and are exempt from the pain of those whom they try to comfort, or that we have magical words that somehow ease the pain or bring order to the chaos of grief. Platitudes are useless in dark days of mourning. They may very well be “in a better place,” but it is oddly of little comfort to say those words. In a powerful witness of human behavior, Christ “does not say, ‘Well, now he is in heaven, everything is well; he is separated from this difficult and tormented life.’ Christ does not say all those things we do in our pathetic and uncomforting attempts to console. In fact he says nothing—he weeps.”

By God's grace and our cooperation with this grace, we expect to inherit eternal life. We believe that all beings who have been a part of our lives will also be there. Some of us would even hope, along with C.S. Lewis, that it might be possible Paradise will also include our beloved pets, and even the animals that have contributed in a myriad of ways to our own well being. Would it be possible that the cow that provided milk for our children, and cheese for our table, might one day join us in a Paradise where there is no death and no pain?

It is not merely a sentimental notion but a living reality that the love of others is directly informed and fulfilled by the love of God, which is essentially our response to he who first loved us and who gives us the grace to love with a divine love. Thus our love for one another is proportionate to the love of God that dwells within us and to our union with he who IS Love.

The Jesus Prayer, also known as the Prayer of the Heart, is the central prayer for monastics. One of the early desert fathers, Saint Macarius the Great, said of the phrase from the Psalms, "The meditation of my heart is in your sight", "There is no other perfect meditation than the saving and blessed Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ dwelling without interruption in you, as it is written 'I will cry out like the swallow and I will meditate like the turtledove!' This is what is done by the devout (person) who perseveres in invoking the saving Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ."

Dear brothers and sisters, we begin our Lenten journey with trust and joy. May the invitation to conversion, to "return to God with all our heart", resonate strongly in us, accepting His grace that makes us new men and women, with the surprising news that is participating in the very life of Jesus. May none of us, therefore, be deaf to this appeal, also addressed in the austere rite, so simple and yet so beautiful, of the imposition of ashes, which we will shortly carry out.

I remember finding a young man sitting on a log, deep in an Oregon forest, many years ago, while hiking on a trail. The trail head was some four miles from that spot, and I was somewhat surprised to find another person, alone, that far into the forest (I'd thought I was the only one who loved to hike alone). Sitting down on the log next to him, I opened my backpack, and handed him half of my lunch. A few moments passed when he turned to me, showed me a revolver, and told me he'd come to this remote spot with the intent of killing himself.

The Moscow artist Natalia Tsarkova settled down in Rome a couple of steps from the Vatican. This nice woman is not just another compatriot of ours who has chosen the Eternal City for her residence; she has received the honorary title of the official portrait artist of Pope Benedict XVI.

Given that Lent is nigh upon us, it seems to me like a good idea to enjoy a quick pint before the 40 days of this penitential period begins. Hence follows another round of theologian and beer equivalencies, with an emphasis this time on the Christian East.

Orthodoxy and beauty are inseparable because God and beauty are inseparable. The beauty of a sunset is a reflection of our Creator, just as is the interior of a temple reflects our experience with this Creator God. We humans were formed as physical beings, placed in a material world and invited to commune with our Creator. The majesty and beauty of the created world inspires us to an awareness of God's presence.

Having imposed a Facebook fast on myself (and dearly wishing to abandon it the moment something like this happens), I will simply copy the words I sent to one of my friends who messaged me privately about the Pope's renunciation of the Chair of Peter.

On 27 January 2010 Pope Benedict XVI gave his address to the general audience on the topic of St. Francis of Assisi. Pope Benedict speaks about the life and vocation of St. Francis of Assisi and the crisis of the Church in Francis’ own times, as well as his approach to helping heal that crisis. I cannot help but hear in these prophetic words from the Pope an echo of what is contained in our Rule, my Letters, and conversations between Oblates and those interested in so-called “new monasticism”.

Today it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI will renounce the office of the papacy on 28 February 2013. "After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry." The Holy Father plans to retire to a former cloistered monastery within the Vatican. It is an interesting fact that on 29 April 2009 when Pope Benedict XVI visited the tomb of Pope St. Peter Celestine V - who abdicated the papacy in 1294 - he took off his pallium (the symbol of his own episcopal authority as Bishop of Rome) and left it on the tomb.

A couple of Saturdays ago I was at morning Mass when I became fixated upon, perhaps more accurately obsessed with, the guy a few pews up. He was sitting with what looked to be his wife and five-or-so-year-old daughter and emblazoned across the back of his hoodie was the slogan: SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THE WEAK.

Saint Seraphim of Sarov said that if we "acquire peace, a thousand around us will be saved". There is a lot that is wrong with the world, but it begins with us. If there is to be peace in our world, it must begin with me.

One night I was awakened around two in the morning with a knock at the door, with someone calling my name. Startled out of a sound sleep, I realized my name was being called in unison by three voices, in a mocking tone, and that the knocking was not on the door to my cell, but on the outside wall. Frightened, I reached out in total darkness, grabbing my prayer rope from the night stand.

Trials and temptations, when confronted with a peaceful heart, bring forth healing and make the soul that much stronger and healthier. Reacting does nothing but bring forth paralysis of the soul, binding us to our fallen nature. Receiving all these temptations with a peaceful heart and not reacting to outside negative stimulus, helps strengthen you for the next round of trial and temptation. Little by little, you will find that the Peace of Christ fills your every waking moment, bring on a joyful spirit and a peaceful heart.

Increasing numbers of people are concerned only with new cars, mortgages, entertainment, or their favorite rock band or football team, unconcerned about spiritual matters. Even people who were raised in the Church, and who regularly participated in the life of the Church, have shrugged off their obligations to God, preferring sleeping in on Sundays, or spending their leisure time in the pursuit of social engagements, or sporting events, to the fulfilling of their obligations to God. They even begin to question their faith, having withdrawn themselves from the abounding grace that had previously sustained them. They begin to question if the Church is relevant to them, or even if God really exists.

There is a saying - "The life of a monk is crucifixion". But to me, the life of a Christian is crucifixion. Our lives as Christians is a process of being nailed to our own cross with Christ, imitating Him as we climb our own Calvary.

To the masses he was known as Bob Marley – the man who brought them reggae and Rastafarianism. His was the voice of classics like “No Woman No Cry” recorded live at the London Lyceum Ballroom in 1975. However, what most people don’t know, and many try to cover up, is the fact that Bob Marley converted to Christianity in 1980. In fact on 4 November 1980 he was baptised and became a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. When he was buried under Orthodox rites on 21st May 1981 it was with his Bible and his Gibson guitar!

"Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots." Frank A. Clark, writer (1911-). When offering someone criticism it is important that we do so with kindness. Studies have shown that to counter one negative comment it takes ten positive comments. When we receive criticism from another, positive wording can make all the difference in how we respond to the correction.

If your spiritual life is concentrated only on external practices and traditions, but does nothing to bring about real change, you have gained nothing. Too many people think as long as they keep the fasting rules, do their prayers, and attend the services, they are good Orthodox Christians. Yet if there is no love, no charity, and forgiveness of others, and your life is filled with gossip and judgement, your Orthodox Christian faith is worth nothing.

Some say that the Ecumenical Struggle (‘Movement’) has reached an impasse. Much consensus has been made on many issues, but without an ecclesiastical organ with enough authority to bring everyone together to assent to these consensi, division will continue. More Christians may be taking into consideration the possibility of a universal form of governance and unity, as witnessed by the scholarly reception of Bl. John Paul II’s invitation to reflect on the ministry of the Papacy in Ut Unum Sint. In this short reflection, I would like to add to this by offering a few considerations that I believe should be taken into account when we discuss the reform of the Papacy.

A life of holiness is not something that is relegated to the cloister and the monastery - it is for everyone. This is something I learned from studying the lives of the saints, from learning about praying with the Church, and from the Scriptures themselves. We are all called to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, and to me, this involves the opportunity to live in complete conformity with Christ in our lives as Christians.

In an age when families no longer eat dinner together, children watch TV, play computer games, and text message their friends from their bedrooms. When adults can be seen walking in our cities talking on cell phones. At a time in our history when people can be sitting in a cafe with friends, all the while talking to someone else on a mobile phone, we have become a people living together in isolation.

If you struggle with prayer as I do, then a prayer rule just might be for you. I think there comes a time when some kind of structuring is needed in the prayer life of the serious Christian. I am not saying this as some kind of expert - God knows I am not - but just from my own experience in having a set prayer rule in my own life.

For many I think, philosophy and theology are difficult to chew on; St. Thomas, however, manages to make even the most difficult concepts somewhat palatable. If G.K. Chesterton is the "Apostle of Common Sense", then St. Thomas is the "Doctor of Common Sense".

Last night, after attending Mass, I attended my workplace's annual staff party. I have never felt so out of place in my life. In many respects, it is one of those sets of feelings that come over the new Christian when they realize that the old life is passing away, or that they have changed or are changing.

As a priestmonk, I am often tortured with the knowledge that I am a poor example to others, and that I fall short, daily, of living out the image of Christ in me. Yet I am compelled to live out every day with joyfulness of heart, no matter what. I am also compelled to preach, teach, and write of the things of the Lord, and to try to trust God, no matter what. I try, as best I can, to remember the words, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice (Philippians 4:4)".

Confession is between God, Who is quick to forgive, and the penitent, with the priest as the witness, as well as the mediator by which absolution is bestowed. Without repentance, there is no salvation, and any priest who would endanger the integrity of the Sacrament of Confession by breaking the seal of confession, exposes himself to the possibility of being deposed from the priesthood, and excommunicated.

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” [Acts 9:4] Authentic conversion always comes from realizing that we have been “persecuting” Christ. In the fall of 1986, I spent thirty days at an addiction treatment center in rural Minnesota. Hiking trails meandered through the woods. The trees were turning color. One morning I crept out for a walk just past dawn. Not another soul stirred. I came upon a pond and, through the mist, saw a blue heron, standing stock still, noble head erect. I saw the heron and the heron saw me. It was a moment from the Song of Songs, a moment of liminal space and time, an instant of such heart-stopping beauty that in my memory it has attained the level of myth.

Through my being raised a Seventh-Day Adventist, I came into contact with much of the Protestant world, both fringe and mainline. As I converted to the Catholic Church, I insatiably sought anything and everything I could get my hands on when it came to the faith. For the last couple of years, I have also studied Eastern Orthodoxy and gained much wisdom and insight from that. But the one group within Christianity that has thus far largely escaped my studies are the Oriental Orthodox.

Though it is true that the Church is a hospital for sinners, though it is true that one need not be good to become a Christian, though it is true that one is to strive to be perfect, we all fail. For myself, this is a hard thing to swallow - how can I still claim to be a Christian in any sense of the term when I still sin?

An immensely influential figure within Christian monasticism, especially in the East, Evagrius wrote works on theology, the monastic life, and other spiritual writings. In the pages of his works on prayer and the ascetical life, one is immediately presented with a world populated by the continual assaults of demons that makes the writing seem more like a work of fantastical fiction than anything.

Years ago I was at a panel discussion featuring several Catholic authors when someone asked the question: “As artists, do you struggle with orthodoxy?” The panelists leaned forward in their seats, looked at one another, and began nervously laughing. When they regained their composure, the answers were not memorable. That’s not to say the writers were not thoughtful or up to the task—they were all at least a generation older than me, very well published and well respected—and it was kind of a punk question to ask—but my heart was burning for at least one of the panelists to say no.

Some time ago, I posted a challenge to myself and readers called the St. Therese (of Lisieux) Challenge. The basic idea was this - I wanted to challenge myself and others to live out the Little Way in some form or another in their daily life, to apply the practical teachings of St. Therese in some form or another. My particular challenge involved one lady who shops where I work, and to exercise humility and charity towards her.

Lo-Fi Liturgy's song "When You Find Your Way Home" was featured on Jeff Wisniewski's podcast "Approaching the Wardrobe" on Ancient Faith Radio. The purpose of the podcast is to help Orthodox Christians understand people who are on the journey toward Orthodoxy and to help those on their journey. In this episode - "Early Church Comfort Concerning Orthodoxy, Part 2" - Jeff discusses how close communion with the saints was normal in the Apostolic Church. Ante-Nicene Christian records demonstrate that the practice of honoring and appealing to the saints have been accepted since the beginning. The song is played in the middle of the podcast.

St. Anthony the Great is my patron saint, someone whom a friend took me to task on for even choosing, given that I am married and live well within the world as such… So why on earth did I choose him as my patron saint?  Because his life signifies to me the radical call of living the Christian life.  It signifies the struggle of the Christian life against all that is not of Christ.  But most importantly, it shows what happens when a man turns his heart towards God.

In every generation, and perhaps more frequently, there is a belief set forth within various corners of Christianity that we are living in “the last days.” ... First, we must acknowledge that there are “problems” in the world around us, but that these are not justifications for extremism and an abandonment of the love of Christ for the world. ... Secondly, and in response to the first dilemma of the modern Orthodox Christian, we must not let our acknowledgement of “problems” in this world (or in the Church) lead to a disgust for the world (or the Church). “Negative” spirituality is no spirituality at all.

It occurred to me at my day job yesterday that it might in fact be sometimes easier to go and pray in secret than it is to live out the Christian calling in one's everyday life in the world. When I close the door to my study and kneel down to pray, it is just God and I and no one else. But the everyday world brings a whole host of other challenges in my mind.

The other day, driving around L.A. on a series of pesky errands, I started thinking about Thomas Merton's famous "moment" on a street corner in Louisville where, suffused with love, he realized "There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun." I thought, a bit churlishly to be sure, Yeah, I'd think people were shining like the sun as well, if I didn't have to wade through them every day. I see the monks "shining like the sun" when I visit a monastery, too--mostly because I don't have to live with them...

If all revealed truths are to be believed with the same divine faith and all constitutive elements of the Church maintained with the same loyalty, they nevertheless do not all claim or possess the same status. There are truths which belong to the order of the end, such as the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, the incarnation of the word, the redemption, divine love and grace towards sinful mankind, eternal life in the perfection of the kingdom of God, and others. But there are other truths which belong to the order of the means of salvation, such as the truth that there are seven sacraments, the hierarchical structure of the Church, the apostolic succession, etc.

I think spiritual depression, a kind of despair of the soul, is a far different thing than what we moderns think of as simply "depression" as such. Depression is often due to a multiplicity of factors, be they environmental, chemical, or whatever else. But spiritual depression is something quite different I think.

To me, there has always been more to the Church than simply the major figures in her thought. Don't get me wrong - I love St. Thomas, whom I hold to be perhaps the most brilliant theologian the Church has yet produced, and St. Augustine holds a special place in my heart. But there is so very much to read out there, so much to know. So much wisdom and spiritual nourishment is forgotten or wasted in favor of one or two major figures, as good as they are. Here, then, is the wisdom that sustained a major part of me during my journey home to the Catholic Church.

A reader recently e-mailed expressing interest in learning about confession so as to bring it into her (non-Catholic) circles. She had only one question: did the sexism in the Church ever bother me? I replied, “What sexism?” She thought I was kidding, but I was totally serious. I'm with Flannery O'Connor (I've been fixated on two subjects lately, I know, Flannery O and death camps) who said, "On the subject of this feminist business, I just never...think of qualities which are specifically feminine or masculine. I suppose I [divide] people into two classes: the Irksome and the Non-Irksome without regard to sex."

Last post I mentioned a reader who expressed interest in bringing the gift of confession into her own (non-Catholic) circles. In its way, this is lovely. But Confession the way I understand it--and there's a world of difference between that small “c” and a capital “C”--is a Sacrament, the only possible two authentic participants being a Catholic priest and a penitent. Now I find it very interesting that left to our own devices we do have a moral compass, a conscience, for it very much goes toward the idea that deep inside every man, woman and child is the fundamental idea of God.

"O, you of virtue, I beg you, consider attentively who is He whom you dare to receive into yourself? It is God Himself three times holy. With whom do you wish to form the most intimate union? With Him who has created us...Holding your hands joined in the form of the cross and placed over your breast, incline a bit your head and recite the prayer..."

It is sometimes easy, in my mind, to slip into the notion that these eras of monasticism are long gone - that the modern world has consumed all the quiet space in the world, and that consequently there is no longer room for the contemplative life. Not so.Here, in my opinion, are the ten greatest monks and hermits of the 20th century (and beyond)...

Profoundly saddened by the misfortunes that the Church was then passing through in his time (the 13th Century), St. Francis of Assisi conceived the incredible design of renewing everything conformably to the principles of Christian law – i.e., the Gospel. Francis, in the impossibility of opening the Order to all who had the desire of being formed in his “school”, resolved to provide, even for souls living in the whirlpool of the world, the means to tend to Christian perfection. Thus was born the project, which no founder of a regular Order had yet imagined, to cause the religious life to be practiced by all.

Lo-Fi Liturgy "Vampires EP" - Released: 12 December 2012 (Our Lady of Guadalupe) courtesy of MONKROCK. Lo-Fi Liturgy is a series of 21st century musical reflections that are firmly rooted in the tradition of the prophets, psalmists, troubadours, mystics and saints. The songs, like liturgical hymns, are prayers of praise (adoration), pleading on behalf of others (intercession) and complaint (lamentation). Yet, these songs are not intended for the sacred spaces of the Church’s sanctuary, choir or even one’s monastic cell, but simply to act as companions to contemplation in the desert, the wilderness, the stormy waters, and on the road to Emmaus.

Recently I read a magazine piece about an evangelical mega-pastor who was involved in a (to me) much-ado-about-nothing theological controversy, wore out his welcome in the mid-West, washed up on the shores of Southern California, and is trying to raise the funds to found his own church here. The piece described a men's retreat he hosted at a tony Orange County beach. The guys surfed (rented wetsuits and boards were available), they ate, they publicly prayed for each other. The emotional finale consisted of the men coming up one by one and the would-be pastor holding each person’s left shoulder with his right hand, making eye contact, placing a piece of bread in their hands, and saying, "The Body of Christ, broken for you."

I don't know about you but I have always loved a nice warm, snug sweater. I still remember the sweater in the photo which was a kind of gray-green, to this day one of my favorite colors. Every couple of years I find a sweater I'm really crazy about and then I wear it practically every day, like a nun would wear a habit or like a person in a mental institution would wear the same pajamas...I have and sometimes wear all kinds of other sweaters but for some reason I get hooked on one, or attached to one, the way a child gets attached to a blanket.

Last Saturday afternoon, in preparation for Advent, I trudged to Confession at a nearby church. Usually the priest is to the old confessionals by the side, but the church is undergoing renovation, the pews have been removed and replaced by plastic chairs, and it took me awhile to realize that Father, in full view of the early birds for 5:00 Mass, the workmen hauling extension cords to hook up the Christmas lights, and the practicing choir, was up front with a purple stole around his shoulders and a prie-dieu beside him.

This essay explains why, as an Orthodox Christian, I reconciled myself with the Holy Father. We need to get past the polemics and actually engage in a dialogue like Christians should: speaking the truth in love Eph. 4:15)) The reality is that the fatherhood of Papa is within the Church and conciliarity is the same as a father’s authority is within the family. The Vatican II document Lumen Gentium beautifully elucidated this relationship. Moreover, we should admit that “the fact of primacy at the universal level is accepted by both East and West” but that the differences involve the exercise of that office and its foundation, “a matter that was already understood in different ways in the first millennium.”

This essay explains why, as an Orthodox Christian, I reconciled myself with the Holy Father. We need to get past the polemics and actually engage in a dialogue like Christians should: speaking the truth in love Eph. 4:15)) The reality is that the fatherhood of Papa is within the Church and conciliarity is the same as a father’s authority is within the family. The Vatican II document Lumen Gentium beautifully elucidated this relationship. Moreover, we should admit that “the fact of primacy at the universal level is accepted by both East and West” but that the differences involve the exercise of that office and its foundation, “a matter that was already understood in different ways in the first millennium.”

This essay explains why, as an Orthodox Christian, I reconciled myself with the Holy Father. We need to get past the polemics and actually engage in a dialogue like Christians should: speaking the truth in love Eph. 4:15)) The reality is that the fatherhood of Papa is within the Church and conciliarity is the same as a father’s authority is within the family. The Vatican II document Lumen Gentium beautifully elucidated this relationship. Moreover, we should admit that “the fact of primacy at the universal level is accepted by both East and West” but that the differences involve the exercise of that office and its foundation, “a matter that was already understood in different ways in the first millennium.”

This essay explains why, as an Orthodox Christian, I reconciled myself with the Holy Father. We need to get past the polemics and actually engage in a dialogue like Christians should: speaking the truth in love Eph. 4:15)) The reality is that the fatherhood of Papa is within the Church and conciliarity is the same as a father’s authority is within the family. The Vatican II document Lumen Gentium beautifully elucidated this relationship. Moreover, we should admit that “the fact of primacy at the universal level is accepted by both East and West” but that the differences involve the exercise of that office and its foundation, “a matter that was already understood in different ways in the first millennium.”

This essay explains why, as an Orthodox Christian, I reconciled myself with the Holy Father. We need to get past the polemics and actually engage in a dialogue like Christians should: speaking the truth in love Eph. 4:15)) The reality is that the fatherhood of Papa is within the Church and conciliarity is the same as a father’s authority is within the family. The Vatican II document Lumen Gentium beautifully elucidated this relationship. Moreover, we should admit that “the fact of primacy at the universal level is accepted by both East and West” but that the differences involve the exercise of that office and its foundation, “a matter that was already understood in different ways in the first millennium.”

New Release! Lo-Fi Liturgy "Fragile EP" - Released: 21 November 2012 (Presentation of Mary) courtesy of MONKROCK. Lo-Fi Liturgy is a series of 21st century musical reflections that are firmly rooted in the tradition of the prophets, psalmists, troubadours, mystics and saints. The songs, like liturgical hymns, are prayers of praise (adoration), pleading on behalf of others (intercession) and complaint (lamentation). Yet, these songs are not intended for the sacred spaces of the Church’s sanctuary, choir or even one’s monastic cell, but simply to act as companions to contemplation in the desert, the wilderness, the stormy waters, and on the road to Emmaus.

I really came to blogging because I had so much material and I was sick of sending the pieces out one by one and waiting months to get an answer (often a rejection). So though of course I am always scrambling to earn a livelihood (fyi, the blog brought in maybe two grand in donations the whole year), in a way it started out and has remained a kind of spontaneous (though I spend hours and hours a week at it) eruption of love...I think to love Christ is to be fully human. Not a brand, not a shill for yourself as opposed to Christ, not an entrepreneur whose "product" is the Gospels. You can't promote the Cross... But you can, and in fact perhaps are obliged to, promote your own original thought, expression, work etc.

New! Official Music Video for "Audience of One" from Michael James Mette's album Bring Forth the Light. Written and Directed by Michael James Mette and Kevin Clay | Filmed and Edited by Michael James Mette

New Release! Lo-Fi Liturgy "Lift Me High EP" is available today 2 November 2012 (All Souls' Day) courtesy of MONKROCK. Lo-Fi Liturgy is a series of 21st century musical reflections that are firmly rooted in the tradition of the prophets, psalmists, troubadours, mystics and saints. The songs, like liturgical hymns, are prayers of praise (adoration), pleading on behalf of others (intercession) and complaint (lamentation). Yet, these songs are not intended for the sacred spaces of the Church’s sanctuary, choir or even one’s monastic cell, but simply to act as companions to contemplation in the desert, the wilderness, the stormy waters, and on the road to Emmaus.

New Release! Lo-Fi Liturgy "I'm Sorry EP" is available today 1 November 2012 (Solemnity of All Saints) courtesy of MONKROCK. Lo-Fi Liturgy is a series of 21st century musical reflections that are firmly rooted in the tradition of the prophets, psalmists, troubadours, mystics and saints. The songs, like liturgical hymns, are prayers of praise (adoration), pleading on behalf of others (intercession) and complaint (lamentation). Yet, these songs are not intended for the sacred spaces of the Church’s sanctuary, choir or even one’s monastic cell, but simply to act as companions to contemplation in the desert, the wilderness, the stormy waters, and on the road to Emmaus.

Dear readers of this poor little blog, I have a challenge for you...and more so, for me. The challenge is this - pick the person you know in your everyday life that drives you nuts, that you can't stand, that maybe even can't stand you. Then, go out of your way to show them the utmost kindness in every possible manner.

New Release! Lo-Fi Liturgy "See The Man Fall EP" is available today 22 October 2012 (Memorial of Bl. Pope John Paul II) courtesy of MONKROCK. Lo-Fi Liturgy is a series of 21st century musical reflections that are firmly rooted in the tradition of the prophets, psalmists, troubadours, mystics and saints. The songs, like liturgical hymns, are prayers of praise (adoration), pleading on behalf of others (intercession) and complaint (lamentation). Yet, these songs are not intended for the sacred spaces of the Church’s sanctuary, choir or even one’s monastic cell, but simply to act as companions to contemplation in the desert, the wilderness, the stormy waters, and on the road to Emmaus.

We are grateful to "The Idler" at Ascending Mount Carmel blog for his August 2012 article on MONKROCK - which we've just been made aware of - placing us in good company with Orthodox company Death To The World. "Both places are the antithesis of trying to be cool - both make outright declarations of conformity with the orthodox faith, and both are unapologetic in this." Thanks!

There really are about as many kinds of beers as there are theologians, and I feel that enough time has passed now between posts on the topic, that we may return to the heavenly pub without fear of gluttony and sin by doing so. Here, I wish to compare the giants of spiritual thought within the Protestant tradition, both as an exercise in extending the olive branch to our separated brothers and sisters in Christ, and simply because I have not focused very much on the leading lights of Reformation theology.

Back by popular demand! New Style! This throwback soccer jersey honors Bl. Pope John Paul II the Great, born Karol Jozef Wojtyla. The Jersey is a replica of a Polish national jersey. The Pope's native country Poland (Polska) is on the front along with his Totus Tuus ("Totally Yours") papal seal. On the back is the Pope's last name (Wojtyla) and the number 05 signifying the year of his passing (2005). Jersey: Red | Design: White

Lo-Fi Liturgy's song "Believe" was featured on Jeff Wisniewski's podcast "Approaching the Wardrobe" on Ancient Faith Radio. The purpose of the podcast is to help Orthodox Christians understand people who are on the journey toward Orthodoxy and to help those on their journey. In this episode - "It Is About the Stuff, and We’ve Been Robbed!" - Jeff discusses how God has always chosen to sanctify and empower physical things for His Glory and our transformation. Orthodox Christians are able to glorify God with the rich physical practices of the ancient faith. The song is played in its entirety at the end of the podcast.

Lo-Fi Liturgy's song "Atmosphere" was featured on Jeff Wisniewski's podcast "Approaching the Wardrobe" on Ancient Faith Radio. The purpose of the podcast is to help Orthodox Christians understand people who are on the journey toward Orthodoxy and to help those on their journey. In this episode - "It’s Kind of About the Stuff: Part 2" - Jeff discusses the essential "things" of Orthodoxy and how they are important to the Christian Faith, while contemplating spiritual lessons from Saint Spyridon. The song is played in its entirety at the end of the podcast.

New Release! Lo-Fi Liturgy "Adam EP" is available today 3 September 2012 (Feast of Pope St. Gregory the Great) courtesy of MONKROCK. Lo-Fi Liturgy is a series of 21st century musical reflections that are firmly rooted in the tradition of the prophets, psalmists, troubadours, mystics and saints. The songs, like liturgical hymns, are prayers of praise (adoration), pleading on behalf of others (intercession) and complaint (lamentation). Yet, these songs are not intended for the sacred spaces of the Church’s sanctuary, choir or even one’s monastic cell, but simply to act as companions to contemplation in the desert, the wilderness, the stormy waters, and on the road to Emmaus.

New Release! Lo-Fi Liturgy "Glow EP" is available today 28 August 2012 (Feast of St. Augustine) courtesy of MONKROCK. Lo-Fi Liturgy is a series of 21st century musical reflections that are firmly rooted in the tradition of the prophets, psalmists, troubadours, mystics and saints. The songs, like liturgical hymns, are prayers of praise (adoration), pleading on behalf of others (intercession) and complaint (lamentation). Yet, these songs are not intended for the sacred spaces of the Church’s sanctuary, choir or even one’s monastic cell, but simply to act as companions to contemplation in the desert, the wilderness, the stormy waters, and on the road to Emmaus.

New Release! Lo-Fi Liturgy is a series of 21st century musical reflections that are firmly rooted in the tradition of the prophets, psalmists, troubadours, mystics and saints. The songs, like liturgical hymns, are prayers of praise (adoration), pleading on behalf of others (intercession) and complaint (lamentation). Yet, these songs are not intended for the sacred spaces of the Church’s sanctuary, choir or even one’s monastic cell, but simply to act as companions to contemplation in the desert, the wilderness, the stormy waters, and on the road to Emmaus. “Lo-Fi Liturgy (Psalms, Hymns, Intercessions & Lamentations) Volume 1" was released 14 August 2012 (Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe) courtesy of MONKROCK.

Michael James Mette is a Catholic musician, speaker, youth minister, husband and father of five from St. Louis, Missouri. Michael's sophomore album "Bring Forth the Light" - recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and produced by Kevin Clay (Lo-Fi Liturgy, The Science of Letting On, My Little Dog China) and Steve Wilson (Ugly Kids Club, The Class of 98) - explores musical themes of human love, life, and the afterlife, and shows a mature variety of songs ranging from intimate worship ballads to punk-rock inspired anthems. Since it's release in June 2012, Michael has been actively touring the country, using his music as a springboard to share the Gospel and to lead others into an encounter with God. Michael tells us about his hometown, how he got into music, the making of the new album, his connection to MONKROCK and his "domestic monastery" - his family life of prayer, work, hospitality, fellowship and, most of all, joy.

MONKROCK now has a bandcamp site so you can listen to music from CDs we sell for free as well as download select titles. We are excited about sharing more music with you - not only sacred chant, choral and polyphony but also rock, pop and praise & worship, especially from artists we personally know, love and support. Listen now »

We Catholics seem to love our beer, given that the previous entry has been featured on a lot of sites and has started some fairly lively discussions. But it seems, and the most honorable Fr. Z himself has recommended some along with many others, that there must needs be a second round of pints served, as I have obviously not mentioned many, many figures that deserved it. Whilst I figure out which beers would be akin to St. Augustine and St. Bonaventure, I nonetheless offer up another serving of theologians for your reading pleasure.

Yesterday, my good friend and I were joking lightheartedly about theology and beer, and it occured to me, in all this posting on theology and prayer, that it might do me and anyone else who even happens to read this blog a bit of good to post something lighter in nature. Hence, since I am a beer connossieur of sorts, I wish to offer my list of which theologians would be which beers and ales.

In the last few centuries, the three great traditions of Christendom - Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism - have been threatened by something entirely foreign to the basic creeds of Christendom, and this is Restorationism. Nowadays, it is not hard to find a local Mormon "stake", a "kingdom hall" of Jehovah's Witnesses, or even a Christadelphian church somewhere in the neighbourhood. This is entirely fine - everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and religious freedom. But it is something that I feel warrants inclusion in this series.

Where my decisions concerning Eastern Orthodoxy were difficult because of my deep love for Eastern Christianity in general, my decision and views regarding the Reformed tradition are difficult to write of here because it is the one I have never had any desire to choose due to my disagreements with it from the get-go.

Here I come to the most difficult of my series on why I chose Catholic Christianity as opposed to any of the other traditions within Christendom, and this is why I did not choose Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

Many years ago, I watched a film simply entitled "Luther", starring Joseph Fiennes as Martin Luther himself. It was a powerful film, I must say, and I instantly bonded with the depiction of Luther as a man desperately seeking to uncover the truth. At the time, I had no substantial historical knowledge of Martin Luther's life, of the Catholic Church, nor anything else - all I really had was a cursory knowledge of the subject in its entirety.

In my first steps back towards Christ, with the lingering sourness of my Seventh-Day Adventist upbringing still in my mind, I immediately began to investigate Catholicism. But, much to my alarm, it did seem all rather heavy in a sense: the richness of its piety and devotional practices was almost too much, and it seemed to be a faith that completely integrated itself into the life of the faithful. Everything was presented undiluted, and in full force, and nothing left to sort of float around in a pond of middle ground.

As with all "big" things in life (getting married, getting a degree, getting a job, getting sober, getting divorced), you kind of think, all evidence to the contrary, When THIS happens, it's all gonna start coming together. Finally, I can rest. Finally, the shelf on which I live overlooking the abyss will be many feet wide, maybe even an acre or two, instead of three inches where I am always trying to find a foothold by day, and tossing and turning at night, and my heart is lurching lest I fall into the precipice. Finally I will have a little bit of money. Finally I will have friends...Then you realize two things. None of those things are going to happen. And two, they've happened, in their way, already.

Last week, a Facebook friend of mine abruptly deleted her account. Her husband posted a quick note that she had left and wouldn't be coming back. She did this for very noble reasons. And I can't say I don't fantasize about doing the same.