Truly in essence, this call to holiness is really a call to spirituality. Spirituality refers to the practices and beliefs that individuals or groups hold with regard to their relationship to God – or the Divine, if that word is … Continue reading
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I have found, when trying to help people come to a deeper understanding of Sacred Scripture, that the most difficult idea a person has to deal with is Biblical Inspiration. What confuses most people is that there are various religions … Continue reading
Acquiring the “mind of Christ” doesn’t happen through osmosis. It requires first that we have a sincere desire to “put on Christ” and then the willingness to actually work at changing and transforming ourselves into humans who make every attempt … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article I introduced the idea of TRADITION. The big question that must be answered is: What is SACRED TRADITION? As I shared, Tradition is not CUSTOMS. Before introducing a definition for TRADITION, I would … Continue reading
The history of the eucharistic service, the Divine Liturgy, can be divided into several periods. Initial Period: The Lord’s Supper is separated from the agape and the Word service becomes permanently joined to it. This emerges in the Middle of … Continue reading
As I shared with you, my readers, the 19th Step on John’s Ladder is difficult to truly understand in many ways. No one, not even the saints, can live without sleep. But if we truly love prayer (especially when we … Continue reading
When the Most High descended and confused tongues, He scattered the people; but when He distributed the tongues of fire, He called all men to unity. Therefore, with one voice, let us praise the Most Holy Spirit. On this glorious … Continue reading
Step 19 of the Spiritual Ladder is, I believe, more difficult to understand. St. John places this step under the category of spiritual passions. This may seem curious to many. We do not tend to think of sleep as a … Continue reading
Byzantine spirituality is intensely communal. It is deeply rooted in Byzantine thought that an individual is not saved as an individual but as a member of the Body of Christ, the Church. Incorporation into the Church brings not only salvation … Continue reading
All Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe that during the Divine Liturgy the bread and wine offered are turned into the Body and Blood of Christ. Western Catholics also believe this, albeit this miracle is expressed in a different manner. … Continue reading