Posted in Scripture on Friday, 29 February 2008 | 6 Comments »
Today, the bonded leather editon of the Orthodox Study Bible came. At first glance, I’m fairly pleased with it. I’ve a couple of quibbles (stemming from my Protestant upbringing): no center column reference and margins too small for penciled notations. I would also add that the “You” instead of “Thou” when [...]
Posted in Saints and Martyrs on Friday, 29 February 2008 | No Comments »
Troparion Tone 6
In thy divine teachings thou wast a physician for souls, O Father Cassian,/ and setting aright the thoughts of monastics by grace,/ thou didst lead them to life everlasting./ Wherefore, we all honor thee with love.
Kontakion Tone 2
Having delighted in discipline, abstinence, and continence,/ O divinely wise one,/ and having bridled your carnal [...]
Posted in Blog Announcements on Wednesday, 27 February 2008 | No Comments »
Thanks to those who’ve expressed interest in some of my posts (”Dead Ends of Protestantism” is among my most viewed posts since this blog moved to WordPress). Regrettably, I find myself pretty worn out of late. I probably won’t be writing anything substantive for a bit (I still have three reflections on St. Gregory Palamas’ [...]
Posted in Orthodox Feasts and Fasts on Sunday, 24 February 2008 | No Comments »
Troparion Tone 8
The doors of repentance do Thou open to me, O Giver of life,
for my spirit waketh at dawn toward Thy holy temple,
bearing a temple of the body all defiled.
But in Thy compassion, cleanse it by the loving-kindness of Thy mercy.
Theotokion Tone 8
Guide me in the paths of salvation, O Theotokos,
for I have defiled [...]
Posted in Prayer on Friday, 22 February 2008 | No Comments »
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. . . . And without faith [...]
Posted in Prayer, Saints and Martyrs, True Philosophia, the Way of Life on Thursday, 21 February 2008 | 1 Comment »
One of the distinctions between those the Church recognizes for their holy life (which recognition is manifested in canonization as Saint So-and-so) and those of us who struggle in the life of faith now is that the Saints exercised an expectant faith which sought for and often saw the workings of God in their daily [...]
Posted in Prayer on Wednesday, 20 February 2008 | 2 Comments »
As near as I can tell, and if I read the Fathers rightly, the requisites for prayer are humility and trust. If pride, arrogance, self-vaunting, or manipulation enter into prayer, then our prayers are empty, though God may still condescend, loving Father as he is, to respond to the better of our prayers, even when [...]
Posted in Humor, Or Laughing My Fool Head Off on Wednesday, 20 February 2008 | No Comments »
Posted in Humor, Or Laughing My Fool Head Off on Tuesday, 19 February 2008 | 4 Comments »
Posted in Prayer on Monday, 18 February 2008 | 2 Comments »
God visits each of us in unique ways, and in his mercy, God gave me some timely and wonderful gifts yesterday, including the following verses:
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully [...]
Posted in Saints and Martyrs on Monday, 18 February 2008 | No Comments »
Troparion of St Leo Tone 3
Thou wast the Church’s instrument/ in strengthening the Church’s teaching of true doctrine;/ thou didst shine forth from the West like a sun/ and didst dispel the heretics’ error./ O righteous Leo, entreat Christ our God to grant us His great mercy.
Kontakion of St Leo Tone 3
From the throne of [...]
Posted in Prayer on Sunday, 17 February 2008 | 1 Comment »
For those souls given to a belief in God and to the practice of praying to him, a difficult struggle inevitably undergone is that between faith and doubt. Even events that could be labeled unmistakably miraculous are subject to reinterpretation, and more so those events that on the surface seem to be answers to [...]
Posted in Orthodox Feasts and Fasts on Sunday, 17 February 2008 | No Comments »
Troparion of the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee Tone 8
The doors of repentance do Thou open to me, O Giver of life,
for my spirit waketh at dawn toward Thy holy temple,
bearing a temple of the body all defiled.
But in Thy compassion, cleanse it by the loving-kindness of Thy mercy.
Theotokion Tone 8
Guide me in [...]
Posted in Prayer on Wednesday, 13 February 2008 | 2 Comments »
When it comes to prayer, the faithful man or woman of God is confronted by a host of seeming contradictions. On the one hand, God respects human free will so much that he will allow a man or woman to freely reject him forever. And yet, so much of the way God provides for his [...]
Posted in Kansas on Monday, 11 February 2008 | No Comments »
The darkening Kansas skies of spring are not always a welcome sight, for they can bring chaos and destruction in the blink of an eye. But when the grey clouds begin to gather, and the dusty wet smell fills the nostrils, a man can welcome the coming rain. The drama of a Kansas thunderstorm, with [...]
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