On the Mystery of Life

What is Orthodoxy? - The only way to live is: to live! - Fulfilment of external laws is not yet Christian life - God, primal source of life, permeates all matter - What is man: breath from God and clay from the field - To be grounded and to live in both - Roots in earth and heaven
Galatians 6:11-18 ☩
John 3:13-17
September 7, 2014

Mystery of Life

On the Creation Story

Adam and Eve - The Fall and abstraction - The West’s distance from God - True knowledge of God - The serpent, also in religion
Book of Genesis 1:26-3:24
Great Lent 2014

Creation Story

Annunciation to the Theotokos - God Begets Himself into the World

In mythical antiquity, unity of God and man - Falling out of paradise - The longing of the few for Him - Cosmic turning point in the midst of time - Mary and the birth of God - God’s priestly action - His self-sacrifice - Bursting all that can be imagined - Completion of divine self-emptying: the Holy Supper
Hebrews 2:11-18 ☩
Luke 1:24-38
March 25, 2014

Annunciation

Christmas - On the Spirit of Divine Sonship

God becomes man - Misunderstood and true apophatic theology - Spirit of sonship - The wonder of being a child - Capacity for bonds and faithfulness as fruits of blessed sonship - God the Father - God the Child! - Only love that surpasses all can work this - On the spirit of Herod
Galatians 4:4-7 ☩
Matthew 2:1-12
December 25, 2013

Christmas

Reconciliation - Breaking Open Our Stubbornness

Meaning and content of fasting - Orthodoxy is radiance, beauty from God - “Orthodoxism” - Abstraction, Pharisaism, know-it-all judgementalism - The beginning of the path: breaking evil in us - Orientation toward beauty and joy - The wondrous word: I have sinned, forgive me!
Romans 13:11-14:4 ☩
Matthew 6:14-21
March 2, 2014, Sunday of Forgiveness, beginning of Great Lent

Reconciliation

Prayer of the Heart - Overcoming Inner Paralysis

Primacy of mysticism - Theology of experience - Plato’s allegory of the cave - Learning to see spiritually - The way: the prayer of the heart
Hebrews 1:10-2:3 ☩
Mark 2:1-12
March 16, 2014, Sunday of St Gregory Palamas

Prayer of the Heart

Elijah, the Prophets and Monasticism

Elijah’s faithfulness to God - Elijah’s flight and encounter with God - The calling of Elisha - Who hears God’s call today? - Spiritual discernment, sobriety, clarity - Prophets are monks of the Old Covenant - Monasticism and total offering
1 Kings 17-19
July 20, 2014

Elijah

Spiritual Sword and True Manliness

Becoming holy - Obstacles on the way - Not tolerating blasphemy, despite the longing for harmony - Harmony and disharmony in naturally tuned chant - Harmony with God brings disharmony with evil, with the fallen world - Enduring such disharmony - Christ has come to bring the sword - True manliness - Romanian new martyrs - Whoever is in love cannot sin - True womanliness in the inner core of true manliness - Purity
Hebrews 11:33-12:2 ☩
Matthew 10:32-38; 19:27-30
All Saints 2013

Spiritual Sword and True Manliness