2016

Too often we place our hopes in words and human thinking.  But, can human thought or words ever gain for us what we seek? St Gregory Palamas says, If someone attempts to touch the stars with his hand, even though he is tall and stretched his arm further than the rest, he is almost as far away from those ethereal heights as men of much shorter stature, the difference not being worth mentioning. In the same way, on subjects transcending words, eminent speakers are not significantly better at saying something than anyone else. Who can attempt to treat of matters which utterly defy all words without being seen to give  away beneath the weight of these topics, like those reputed to have ...

According to the Proto-Gospel of James, Righteous Joseph was away for the summer doing construction work while the infant Christ was growing in the womb of Mary. In the autumn, Joseph returned home to find his espoused wife seven months pregnant. The details of this encounter between Joseph and Mary are not recorded in the Scripture.  A few of the Fathers of the Church have attempted to construct a possible dialog between the two, with a frustrated Joseph making accusations and a preachy Mary quoting scripture.  I find such supposed dialogs hard to imagine.  After all, the Gospels say that Mary “treasured these things in her heart,” implying that she was not wont to talk about her spiritual experiences. Also, Her ...

One reason why people today suffer and have weak nervous systems is that they lack the power from above which the Church gives. And if you remember, when Christ ascended into heaven, where were the disciples told to go? To the upper room in Jerusalem, until they were ‘clothed with the power from on high’. It is precisely this power from on high that we must take and which is given freely to us, provided we desire it, provided we want it, provided we work for it and ask for it.