One can say, I don’t understand all this high theology, I don’t understand what Liturgy is all about, I don’t understand how bread and wine can be the body and blood of Christ. One can say any of these things and be sincere. But what don’t you understand about “Go and do likewise”? It’s …
“Did you help?”
Dorothy Sayers began one of her public talks with the following words: What I am going to talk about is theology. ... I think it only fair to warn you about this, because I so often get letters from people saying that they "don't agree with theology.” They don't like it, as some people …
Abraham in the Center
Last week I speculated why our churches - including our own here in Portland - are slowly emptying. My answer last week was two-fold: Our Orthodox Church has forgotten its purpose to be a place of healing, and people simply don’t think they need healing - or to put it more radically, they don’t …
Liturgical Healing
Φιλάνθρωπος - that is one of the words that we use to refer to Jesus in our hymnography and prayers. As a matter of fact, our terminology goes even further and we call him μόνος φιλάνθρωπος! He is the ONLY lover of humankind! So today we sang, in Tone 1: Glory to your resurrection, O …
There’s an Icon for that
Seed falling on different types of soil: a beautiful image of how the same divine grace will produce different results in different people. But is divine grace the same for everyone? Every year in October we read the Gospel parable of the sower and the seed. Not a coincidence, because October is the time …
The Wine of Compassion
In 1334 Saint Gregory Palamas experienced a vision. In the vision he was carrying a vessel overflowing with milk, but the milk then turned into the finest wine. A youth appeared and rebuked Gregory for not sharing the wine with others and reminded him of the parable of the talents (cf. Matt. 25:14–30). Palamas interpreted the vision to mean …
He is re-making us
I usually don't quote extensively from the Fathers, because I prefer to speak with my own voice. But today's Gospel reading (Luke 6:31-36) prompts me to share some powerful messages from Saints Gregory Palamas and Isaac of Syria. In Homily 45 by St. Gregory Palamas (14th century) we read: He who alone fashioned our hearts …
The Passions of God
Fr. Sophrony Sakharov, a highly esteemed Russian monk who died in 1993 at his monastery in England, used to say, ‘To be a Christian, one must be like an artist.’ Just as artists are captivated by the subjects they paint and by the desire to portray them as perfectly as possible, so too the …
Bystanders are important too
Susan Holman is a researcher and writer at Harvard University. She has published several books about the early church. Her most recent book is titled Beholden: Religion, Global Health, and Human Rights, published by Oxford University Press. In the beginning of her book she talks about the death of her father in 2009 and …
Prescription for Healing
Today's Gospel reading follows the transfiguration. Something truly extraordinary happened on the mountain. Yes, Jesus was transfigured - but something even more important in the heart of Jesus happened: He revealed his purpose to two witnesses from the old covenant - Moses and Elijah. Luke tells us he spoke to them of his "exodus" (Luke …
Ancient Answers 