An Introduction to The Struggle For Virtue by Archbishop Averky
Category: Orthodoxy
I’m Back!
You know I couldn't stay away!
St. John Cassian On Anger
In which I confess that I am a worm, and not a man. Lord, have mercy.
Lessons of Repentance from Evagrios the Solitude in the Philokalia
Reflections on the Philokalia, instructions for beginning to pray.
St. Pachomius’ Prayer Rule
Christ is risen! Yesterday, we celebrated St. Pachomius. While scrolling though the daily readings, this name popped out to me. It was last year, while reading through On the Jesus Prayer by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov that I came across a very simple prayer rule: "An Angel of God taught St. Pachomius the Great a rule … Continue reading St. Pachomius’ Prayer Rule
What I Love Most About the Orthodox Church… and What Makes Me Uneasy
A few reflections on what I love about Orthodoxy, as well as some things that still make me uneasy as I continue to draw closer to the Church.
The Saints “Hearing” Our Prayers
A common objection to the theology of Saintly intercession is that the Saints can't "hear" us. While there is a theological argument to be made that they, in fact, can hear us, I think that's going to be a separate post. For now, I'd like to look at the biblical case for the Saints being … Continue reading The Saints “Hearing” Our Prayers
Asking Saints to “Save Us”
A quick study on the term "save" as used in contexts other than Christ's direct work with regards to the accusation of asking the Saints or the Theotokos to "save us" being heretical.
Catechetical Lectures: Of Sin and the Grace of God
St. Cyril of Jerusalem's Catechetical Lectures (Part II) In continuing my reading through St. Cyril's catechetical lectures, part II begins the major "lesson plan" after the introductory material of part I. The subject matter for this lecture is rather self-explanatory so I won't waste much time and dive right in. On Repentance and Remission of … Continue reading Catechetical Lectures: Of Sin and the Grace of God
God Incarnate: Jesus Christ is Divine
I've had a lot of people tell me that in order to understand the Orthodox view of the atonement, one must start with the Orthodox view of the incarnation. At first, this made little sense to me. However, what little knowledge I had before has helped to make sense of why this is the case. … Continue reading God Incarnate: Jesus Christ is Divine