Our Community Life

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers ... And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts ..." (Acts 2:42-47)

Wheat Field

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The Kingdom and the Anarchists

The Kingdom and the Anarchists

Barbara Krensavage was not in the habit of eating clams. Yet, one snowy day, she had an urge to try out an old recipe. She drove to the store and bought four dozen quahogs — a common clam along the New England shores. Her husband was shucking the clams when he came across one that looked diseased. Taking a closer look, he opened the clam, and, to his astonishment, discovered a rare, purple pearl. One in two million quahog clams is likely to have a genuine pearl inside. This o

Do You Want Grace? Embrace Shame

Do You Want Grace? Embrace Shame

+ Word Into Spirit + I. Do You Want Grace? Embrace Shame *The following notes are taken from The Sacrament of Reconciliation by Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou of Essex, compiled in Word into Spirit: Pastoral Perspectives on Confession. Becoming Aware of Personal Sin “In order for a person to repent and to be healed from sin, he must first become aware of his sinfulness…The gift of the grace of awareness of one’s sinfulness, which is of essential and fundamental value t

To Bring God Joy

To Bring God Joy

She burst with pleasure while she baked. A young bride labored all afternoon with yeast and flour. Her husband would come home after a tiring day. He would walk in to smell the risen bread. She daydreamed and hummed away as she worked, knowing what joy her labors would bring. In this way, we have to learn to rejoice in our labors for God. There is so much menial work in the Christian life. A small parish can be the most demanding. Everyone has a role to play. Bills need to be

The Existential Encounter

The Existential Encounter

+ Word Into Spirit + I. The Existential Encounter *The following notes are taken from Word into Spirit: Pastoral Perspectives on Confession, a collection of articles compiled by editors Vasileios Thermos and Stephen Muse. I hope that the words offered bring insight into our relationship with God and this most Holy Sacrament and Crown of the Christian life.* 1. Synergy Between God and Man “Confession is Synergy. Words transformed by Spirit, issuing from a repentant heart

Forsaking the World

Forsaking the World

“Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:29). Forsake is a strong word. It means being cut off, discharged, or exiled. Few understood the word so well as St. Benedict. As a young man born into wealth, he gave up everything for the kingdom of God. He forsook the luxury of city life for poverty in the wilde

HABIT & RITUAL: Three Practical Steps Towards Holiness

HABIT & RITUAL: Three Practical Steps Towards Holiness

“No other human factor is such an aid to success as our firm and steady resolve and a carefully worked-out regime....It is incontrovertible proof that regulation in life is the main factor in spiritual progress” ~ St. Joseph the Hesychast. “The more you understand the power of a habit, the more should you endeavor to be rid of a bad habit and change yourself over to a good one." ~ St. John Chrysostom 1. Three Steps to Holy Habits Alright, all spirituality boils

Know Thyself: The Healing Sacrament of Confession

Know Thyself: The Healing Sacrament of Confession

“You have a job to do, soul, and a great one, if you like: examine yourself, what it is you are and how you act, where you come from, and where you are going to end, and whether to live in this very life you are living, or something else besides. You have a job to do, soul: by these things cleanse yourself.” ~ St. Gregory the Theologian “Know Thyself” was carved at the entrance of the temple of Delphi. It became a mantra among the Greek philosophers; a pillar of philosophy an