Tag: faith
Be Doers of the Word
Saint James tells us: “Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those… Read More ›
The Depth of Our Faith
We came near to a tree, led by our kindly host, and there we stumbled upon a lion. At the sight of him my guide and I quaked, but the saintly old man went unfaltering on and we followed him. The wild beast – you would say it was at the command of God –… Read More ›
Never Doubt God’s Love or His Plans for Us
In the mind of Saint John Cassian, anger and sadness are two principal preventatives of prayer: “The disturbance caused by anger or sadness is, above all things, to be eliminated at its sources.” (Conferences 9.3) The reason for such emphasis is simple. Both anger and sadness represent a refusal on our part to accept a… Read More ›
What that does the future hold?
The future is many things at once. It is the vessel into which we pour all our hopes and all our fears. “When all else is lost,” Christian Bovee says, “the future still remains.” The problem is that future is a panacea for some and a threat to others. It is at the edge of… Read More ›
The Empty Church
Christianity in modern America is, in large part, innocuous. It tends to be easy, upbeat, convenient, and compatible. It does not require self-sacrifice, discipline, humility, a zeal for souls. There is little guilt and no punishment. The faith has been overwhelmed by the culture. Christianity becomes a cultural Christianity when the faith is dominated by… Read More ›
Patriarch, Pontiff and Prophet
Christ is the good Samaritan who rescues us as well as the physician who binds up our wounds: With what oil abounding was Christ anointed! From his bounty he poured oil into all our wounds! Yes, we are the wounded man who went down to Jericho, fell among brigands, was robbed, and wounded and left… Read More ›
Souls that love truth and God
Souls that love truth and God, that long with much hope and faith to put on Christ completely, do not need so much to be put in remembrance by others, nor do they endure, even for a while, to be deprived of the heavenly desire and of passionate affection to the Lord; but being wholly… Read More ›
Christ’s Love for All
The Word shows his compassion and impartiality through all saints, revealing and adapting himself, like a skillful physician, to whatever advantageous for us and understanding the weakness of our humanity. He tempts to teach the ignorant; he returns those who err to his own true way. He is easily found by those who seek with… Read More ›