Before the Fall, our consciousness (nous) was clear and undivided, focused on God and transparent to Him, without distractions from within or from without. But now we are perpetually distracted by logismoi (low-giz-mee)—not merely “thoughts” in the narrow sense, but also images and ideas running through our awareness tempting and beguiling us. Logismoi constitute a “raging … [Read more...] about Are You Drowning in Your Own Stream of Consciousness? Logismoi and How to Cope with Them
Philosophy & Theology
How to Read the Bible and Why
"The Bible is a biography of God in this world. In it the Indescribable One has described Himself." So declares St Justin Popovich, not only a saint of the Orthodox Church, but one of its greatest theologians of the twentieth century. St Justin’s rapturous love for the Bible emanates from every line of these reflections in a way that sparks a contagious excitement and … [Read more...] about How to Read the Bible and Why
How To Read The Holy Psalter
The Psalms of David are the Prayer Book of the Bible, not only for the ancient Jewish people, but even more for Christians, who discovered that these elusively simple poems contained far more than their Hebrew predecessors had realized, for Christ Himself appears everywhere throughout them. As Fr Patrick Henry Reardon points out in his fine book "Christ in the Psalms," it is … [Read more...] about How To Read The Holy Psalter
The Cross as a Means of Sanctification and Transformation of the World
In one month's time we celebrate the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross. The cross, writes Orthodox theologian Fr. Dumitru Staniloae, is the means -- if we adopt it -- by which paradise is restored. This paradise is not only that which which will be experienced at the end of the Christian's earthly life, but "...may also be an evolving paradise here on earth, a restitution of … [Read more...] about The Cross as a Means of Sanctification and Transformation of the World
The Great Homecoming: The Life Of The World To Come
In the darkness of our contemporary world, God has provided us with abundant illumination cast from from the lives and works of many holy saints of the Orthodox Church. St Nicholai of Žica and Ohrid, who along with St Justin Popovich was one of the brightest lights shining in Serbia, ended his life in the United States at St Sava’s Seminary, St Tikhon’s Seminary, … [Read more...] about The Great Homecoming: The Life Of The World To Come