Eastern spirituality really stresses the fact that God wants sons and daughters, not slaves. St. Paul speaks about “sonship by grace.” God respects the free will of His children, as clearly seen in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. We … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Theosis
In this article before Christmas, I shared with my readers the debate that the Church Fathers had about finding just the right words to express Who Jesus is. The words they chose are Greek philosophical terms that have a very … Continue reading
Perhaps the one thing that differentiates Eastern Spirituality from the all others is its concept of Theosis. I have, over that past several years, written much about this idea. However, no matter how much I write and read about it … Continue reading
As I suggested in the last issue of this article, Eastern theology doesn’t spend time placing sinful acts into categories. Sin is sin. Therefore, a better way to look at sin would be the following: Are my actions, my thoughts, … Continue reading
The Greek patristic understanding of man never denies the unity of mankind or replaces it with a radical individualism. The Pauline doctrine of the two Adams (“As in Adam all men die, so also in Christ shall all be brought … Continue reading
I sincerely believe that Eastern spirituality has much to offer humankind. I also truly believe, however, that whether we are aware of it or not, our thinking about spirituality has been highly influenced by the western world which seems to … Continue reading
If you have been following this article in my Bulletin, you are probably aware that it is my belief that truly vibrant spiritual communities have members who understand to some degree that they care called to holiness. The followers of … Continue reading
I have been in this article the ideas of Maximus the Confessor about spiritual progress and divinization. Maximus is considered one of the preeminent Fathers of the Eastern Church. He expressed his belief that by practicing asceticism (life of habits … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article, I began sharing Maximus the Confessor’s ideas about Theosis or Divinization. Maximus maintained that God will recognize and divinize His own, that is, those who willfully employ their true nature. He maintained that … Continue reading
Perhaps the greatest contribution the Eastern Fathers of the Church have made to Christianity is found in two different areas: (1) the dogma of the Church (the thinking of the Eastern Fathers is the basis for the formulation of the … Continue reading