Articles
The Mystery of Integrity: An Overview The Holy Mystery of Integrity: A Mere Footnote to History
A Tale of Integrity and Conformity
The king of Babylon sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezeki’ah; for he heard that Hezeki’ah had been sick. And Hezeki’ah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses; there was nothing in…
I was asked a question . . .
Regarding the following paper: Our World At War: Part II – Darkness At Noon . . . I was asked a question about this paragraph: “All of the above is reinforced by a priest who has, in response to parishioner queries said, “This is a problem for the priests, not the laity.” It should have…
Cowardice
If you pursue virtue in a monastery or community, you are not likely to be attacked much by fear. But the man who spends his time in more solitary places should make every effort to avoid being overcome by that offspring of vainglory, that daughter of unbelief: cowardice. Cowardice is a childish disposition in an…
Our World At War
Our World At War: Part 1. A Warfare Theodicy Our World At War: Part 2. Darkness At Noon
Will You Run Out of Time?
“Several years ago, my father died as he had done most things throughout his life: without preparation and without consulting anyone. He simply went to bed one night, yielded his brain to a monstrous blood clot, and was found the next morning lying amidst the sheets like his own stone monument. “It was hard for…
Conformism
Conformism, meanwhile, is a preference to act in the same way as others in one’s community. The urge to conform is a profound part of the human psyche and one that can lead us to take actions we know to be harmful. When we add conformism to the model, what we see is the emergence…
It’s What I’ve Said Before
Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brother Karamazov, pages 48-49 Richard Pevear, (Translator), Larissa Volokhonsky, (Translator) Yes, it’s clearly what I have said before. But judgmentalism, irrational emotionalism, and ego prevailed.
It’s Just Not True
A priest says that the “problem between Constantinople and Moscow [and the remainder of the local Orthodox Churches] is a concern of the priests and not the laity,” The priest is wrong. The problem is one of “apostolicity (the Holy Apostolic Priesthood and the Holy Mysteries) being compromised by Constantinople” by its communing with schismatics…
Valuing Manners . . .
Valuing manners over morals is not Christian, much less Orthodox Christian. She or he who holds manners above morals and Orthodox expectations is vain and selfish. Valuing manners over morals will not get you into heaven.