A group of men visited a remote monastery. They were given time to visit with a venerable holy monk, who answered all their questions. Finally one of the visitors spoke to the monk: “Father, could you tell us something about yourself?” He leaned back. “Myself?” he mused. There was a long pause. “My name used …
The Khora of Salvation
Landscapes were important in defining God's interactions with the people of ancient Israel. And landscapes were important in Jesus' own ministry. Desert, mountain, sea, city and village - places, topoi, where the drama of salvation was played out in the Gospels. Those same landscapes became important in Orthodox tradition, in the writings and meditations of …
Iconostasis of Life
Father Alexander Schmemann wrote the following in his book, For the Life of the World: “…And if I make this new life mine, mine this hunger and thirst of the Kingdom, mine this expectation of Christ, mine the certitude that Christ is Life, my very death will be an act of communion with Life.” True …
Women of Freedom
I love the Gospel stories of the women who went to the tomb of Christ, especially the version in Mark's Gospel (16:1-8). There is something almost comic about the women walking to the tomb, to anoint the body of Christ, and wondering who would roll the stone away from the tomb. Clearly they won’t be able …
Trinitarian Thoughts
I recently had lunch with a friend who has always impressed me with his knowledge of the Bible. Though I must admit - as I have also told him more than once - the Bible for him is mostly the letters of Paul. Nevertheless, with Paul as his anchor and guide he has in the …
It’s His Nature
In the middle of Lent we pause to reflect on the Cross of Jesus Christ. And we hear again Jesus calling us to take up our cross and follow him. Take up the cross that represents the weight of my ungodly thoughts and actions, the weight of my neglect of the least of his brothers and …
Room for Mercy
At the heart of our Liturgy is Mercy. We say it so often that there's a Greek saying that makes fun of it. But make no mistake, Mercy is at the heart of our faith. And mercy is precisely what is missing in the world today. Everything comes from mercy. And the parable Jesus teaches …
The Mystical Power of Prepositions
I was about to start writing a commentary on today's verse, Psalm 139:9-10, when I looked at my weekly email from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks that had arrived yesterday but which I hadn't read yet. You can read it on his website. It is a very eloquent and profoundly theological statement, and in it he quotes …
A speech to end all speeches
By itself the verse highlighted today, Job 12:13, is not particularly remarkable. Ho hum, yes, we know God has wisdom and power, and all other good things. Let’s move on to something more interesting, right? Aha, yes move on and you find yourself in the midst of a very extraordinary speech by a man called Job. …
Majesty on high
Psalm 24 is one of my favorites and it has lent itself to profound use by the Christian church. Christian tradition came to associate this psalm with Easter and Ascension, and that is how George Frideric Handel used it in his masterpiece Messiah. You can watch a fine performance of this segment of Messiah here. …
Ancient Answers 