Meekness and
Humility by The Patriarch
Humility and meekness are noble and divine virtues
which complement each other. For, by our humility, we glorify God,
confessing His great benevolence toward us. Because He is our
Creator, Who cares for us. Thus, it behooves us to continually offer
thanksgiving to His majesty, admitting our weakness and need for His
mercy.
Humility:
Getting It and Keeping It
Scripture is filled with teachings, examples, violations, commands,
and encouragements regarding humility. Nothing cinches it for
believers like knowing that even Jesus Christ was humble and became
our example.
Humility: It Has a Power All
Its Own
Humility. It's in far too short supply these days in every strata of
life, but even in the ministry where one would think we would have
enough to export.
How to Have Unity in the Church
Great harm can come when a group of people, including a church, is
divided. We have all experienced quarreling and division before.
Division has always been a problem, even among God's people, and
almost every New Testament epistle deals with this topic, or
mentions it in one way or another. Even the 12 Apostles did not
always get along with each other. The problem is common because it
is a common problem in all of life. ...
The Causes and Cure
of Conflict
Depraved humanity will pay good money to watch a fight, but few of us want to be in a
fight. We do not want the stress of conflict, but the blessing of peace. You may be experiencing
conflict right now in your life. How can we overcome the problem of conflict in our homes, our
churches, and in other groups of people? Well the apostle James gives some insight in our text of
Scripture today. ...
The Triumph Of The Church
By St. John Chrysostom
Christ planted the Church. It is by this means that we shall reveal
the power and prove the divinity of Christ. We shall see that it is
impossible to regard the dissemination of Christianity in the whole
wide world in such a short period of time as a human work. And
indeed, when Christian ethics invites people who have bad habits and
are slaves to sin to a higher life. And yet, the Lord managed to
liberate from such things not only us, but the entire human species.
...
Just
Believe
It was small enough to overlook. Only two words. I know I'd read that passage a
hundred times. But I'd never seen it. But I won't miss it again. It's
highlighted in yellow and underlined in red.
The Message of The Cross
From Jesus' birth and youth, the cross cast its shadow ahead of Him.
The cross is inextricably tied to the Person and the work of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus + Nothing =
Everything
Christ offers forgiveness full and free from both our self-righteous
goodness and our unrighteous badness. This is the hardest thing for
us to believe as Christians. We think it's a mark of spiritual
maturity to hang onto our guilt and shame.
The New Year: The Mystery of Time
On New Year's Eve we feel the mystery of time more powerfully than at any other
time. We feel, in other words, that its flow " in which we live and in which
everything constantly vanishes as the 'past' and constantly places us face to
face with the unknown future " essentially contains within itself the main
question that everyone is called to answer with their lives.
Pride: The Sin That Looks Most Like Me
When a British newspaper invited readers to submit their answers to the question
"What's Wrong With the World?" the inimitable G. K. Chesterton wrote: "Editors:
I am. Sincerely, G. K. Chesterton."
Of the so-called seven deadly sins, pride always leads the parade. It's the
grand daddy of them all, the source of the other six.
David and Bathsheba
Because David remained married to Bathsheba after the incident
without reprimand, and because their son, Solomon, was allowed to
rule and perpetuate the messianic line, we have no choice but to
conclude that David, whatever his sin may have been concerning
Bathsheba, did not commit adultery.
Draw Near To God And He Will Draw Near To You
Today I invite you to consider three people who drew near to God..
and see how drawing near to God impacted their lives and the lives
of others.
And the Greatest
of These is Hope
St. Augustine tells us that of the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and
love, the greatest of these is hope. By faith we know God is, says Augustine; by
love we know God is Good; by hope we know God will work God's will. And hope,
says Augustine, has two lovely daughters: anger and courage. Anger so that what
must not be cannot be, and courage so that what can be will be.
Humility: Getting It and Keeping It
I know precious little about humility. However I know one big thing:
God wants it in His people. Scripture is filled with teachings,
examples, violations, commands, and encouragements regarding
humility. Nothing cinches it for believers like knowing that even
Jesus Christ was humble and became our example.
The Ego, The Greatest
Hindrance for Virtue
It is the first sin in the world, and the sin by which Satan fell
when he said in his heart, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt
my throne above the stars of God … I will be like the Most High."
(Isa 14: 13, 14), by which also he tempted our first parents to
fall, saying to them, "You will be like God" (Gen 3: 5)
The most serious sin in
one's life
A person often forgets the sins he committed, but there may be certain
unforgettable sins.
The
Family Spirit
Mother Angelica stresses the importance of our family relationship
and the effect it has on our lives.
Matrimony -
The Living Sacrament
Mother Angelica writes on the Sacrament of Matrimony. She says it is
"a sign to the world of the invisible God living in our midst—the
living God who bears fruit in the lives of two people."
Marriage Is Bigger Than We Are
There is always a sense of God at the weddings I
have been a part of. After all, we know and acknowledge that God is the one who
ordained marriage, He is the one who defines and upholds it, for marriage is
Holy.
11 Ways
Jesus Speaks into Your Sorrow
Many experiences can leave you struggling with deep sorrow. You may
often find that the people around you simply don't know what to say
to you in your sorrow. But Jesus does.
Spiritual Success
Many a times what is termed as successful in this world could be a
failure in the sight of the Lord, while what is seen as failure by
the world could actually be a success before God.
The Cross of Christ - 2
If we leave the cross out of life of Christ, we have nothing left,
and certainly not Christianity. Cross is related to our sin.
The Lord of the Living, not of the Dead – An Easter Meditation
Why do we remember the
departed in our prayers?
Since we do believe in God and follow
his commandments and his will, we are alive and we will never die.
Our forefathers lived in God so they are not dead; they are in
eternal rest in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Existence of God:
Seven Threads of Evidence
Scripture attests to seven aspects of God's word, accessed through
the physical, rational, social, and spiritual domains of the human
experience. They are like the threads of a tapestry that come
together to tell a story that engages the heart, soul, mind, and
body of our humanness. A brief introduction of each follows.
Are you condemned?
We can make a religion of anything that we are devoted to. My
religion is Christianity. There are a set of practices that are associated with
the Christian religion, but I think my Christian belief encompasses much more
that a set of practices or rules of behavior.
The
Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s Well - A Lenten Reflection
A Lenten reflection based on St. John 4: 6
The
Lamb of God
John pointed out the Lamb who, when sacrificed, would end all
sacrifices in the temple, because He would takes away the sins of
the world. The lamb was most often used as a victim of sacrifice.
An Assurance of God's
Love
God loves you completely and absolutely and He is never too busy, too
distracted, too distant, too limited.
The Amazing Story of
Louis Zamperini
Incredible story of survival and forgiveness. Must read.
Thy Kingdom Come: The
Prayer that Changes the World
The Lord's Prayer can be rote and without thought or true petition
of the heart, or it can become a divine force unleashing God's
glorious blessing. One may pray "Thy kingdom come" without any
regard for the intent of Jesus, or one may pray "Thy kingdom come"
and the world itself begins to change.
How do I reconcile
an all-powerful creator with the God of the Judeo-Christian Bible?
How do I reconcile the creator (of the Universe) with the God of the Judeo-Christian Bible, which
is full of stories about vengeance, pain and suffering. Why would I believe in a
deity who shows such cruelty and inconsistency?
Getting the 'I'
Out of Your Eye
Isn't that a work of the Cross? A smaller "I" and a greater Christ? Don't focus
on yourself; focus on all that you have in Christ. Focus on the encouragement in
Christ, the consolation of Christ, the love of Christ, the fellowship of the
Spirit, the affection and compassion of heaven.
The Woodcutter's Wisdom
Life's mishaps and horrors are only a page out of a grand book. We
must be slow about drawing conclusions. We must reserve judgment on
life's storms until we know the whole story.
Fasting
by HH Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas,
Patriarch of Universal Syrian Orthodox Church and All The East
Fasting is a voluntary act of abandoning worldly life. It is a sign of man’s
obedience to, and respect of God’s laws and his observance of God’s offices by
his voluntary abstinence from food or drink for a specific period of time.
Satan's
version of the sermon on the mount
There Is No Dog
Arguments used by skeptics against the existence of God and some
answers.
The Gospel of Jesus
Christ
What is the gospel? Gospel is from
the Greek word "evangelion" which means ‘a message of good’ or ‘good news‘.
The Form of
Sound Words (Spurgeon Classic Sermon)
My incessant anxiety for you is that I may be able to teach you what God's truth
is; and then, trusting that I have to the best of my ability taught
you what I believe to be God's most holy gospel, my next anxiety is,
that you should "hold fast the form of sound words."
Woman, What Have
I to Do With Thee?
Undoubtedly, we all have listened interpretations of this verse during first
Sunday sermon in Holy 50 day lent. Priests are hell-bent to prove and convince
the faithful that it no way degrades relationship of Mother of God,
Mary and Jesus.
Early Life of Jesus
Christ
Saint Luke tells us about three important meetings in the temple in
Jerusalem by the Child Jesus. The infant Jesus met Moses, Simeon,
and Anna.
Are You a Fool? Part 1: Fools and Their Disobedience
The Bible has much to say about fools and without hesitation it
presents the foolish in a negative light. Why study fools? If the
Bible frowns on the foolish, then it would behoove man to learn
about fools so that they can avoid being one.
Are You a Fool?, Part 2: Fools and their Speech
A failure to share knowledge, dwelling on sinfulness, and uttering
words which are personally detrimental, these are identifying
attributes of fools. Again, they are opposite of what identifies a
wise man. They are not qualities with which any person should be
acquainted.
Are You a Fool? Part 3: Fools and their Anger
As with both disobedience and the speech of a fool, anger and the
behaviors that go with it are a choice. It carries the same penalty
as the other sins mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21 as the works of the
flesh.
Are You a Fool? Part 4: Fools and Their Knowledge
The gathering of knowledge which sees an individual through his earthly life
begins at birth and ends at death. There are some
fools who have a vast amount of knowledge gathered in short or long lifetimes.
The first concern regarding their knowledge is: Does the fool have the right
knowledge?
Are You a Fool? Part 5: Fools and Their Consequences
The Fool's actions of disobedience,
unbridled speech, anger, and knowledge without wisdom will result in
opposite and equal consequences. the Bible establishes there will be
affliction, falling, and destruction for the fool
Judge Not
The first sin of ego is hubris - arrogance. The arrogance of ego is
to insist, "I know best." "I know what is right." "I know the
answers." "I know the way." "And the world will conform to my will."
The
God In The Cave
Jesus was born in a cave. He was buried in a cave also. In both
cases, there was Joseph and Mary besides him. What is the symbolism
of the two events that shaped Christianity?
A
Woman And An Angel
Comparison between St. Mary and Eve.
The Sign of the
Swaddling Clothes
Our God bound himself, he allowed himself to be bound by men, that
men might be free of sin! We can only join those who have given us
our beloved Christmas Carols.
God has not forgotten
you
Have you ever thought that God has forgotten you? You may have been serving
faithfully for a long time. It isn’t that you want to be paid for your Christian
service but a little recognition would be nice. Have you wondered whether you
will ever get the blessings you long for?
Selfishness and Consequences
Let us have a re-examination of our own hearts. Let
us see whether we are influenced by the pride of the heart. The
pride plays a key role in the spiritual lives of the faithful making
distractions from God.
Are Science and
Christianity Compatible?
Although the Bible clearly states that God created the universe, it reveals nothing about how He did it. Yet its
message that God is rational and personal profoundly influenced scientists such as Copernicus, Galileo, Newton,
Pascal and Faraday. Their belief that the world was created by a reasonable God gave them confidence in
scientific observation and experimentation.
Why
Jesus? Is Jesus relevant today?
Although other philosophers and religious leaders have offered their
answers to the meaning of life, only Jesus Christ proved his
credentials by rising from the dead.
Jesus offers life with real meaning. He said that life is much more than making money,
having fun, being successful, and then ending up in a graveyard. Yet, many people still
try to find meaning in fame and success, even the greatest superstars…
Did Jesus rise from
the dead?
Is Jesus' resurrection a fantastic fact or a vicious myth? To find out, we need to look at the evidence
of history and draw our own conclusions. Let's see what skeptics who investigated the resurrection
discovered for themselves. A must read.
The Jesus of Christmas: Who was the baby in the manger?
So who was the baby in the manger? The answer to that question is the most important one in all history. For if Jesus was not who he
claimed to be, his promise of eternal peace is empty. But if Jesus was who he
claimed to be, then our lives can have no meaning without him.
Submit to God and Resist the Devil
We are living in a secular and materialistic world. Accordingly
everything is limited to the age and time and reality is only what
we can see, touch, and experience. We believers can see things which
are beyond the realm of this world. Our Lord taught us that He is
the way, truth and life. Undoubtedly we live in a world where evil
is prevalent.
Forgive Others As God Has Forgiven You
Forgiving others for deep hurts seems to be one of the hardest things a human
being can do. In fact -- very few are successful in forgiving.
Yet, in the Bible God commands us to forgive. Is God overly demanding, or...?
Holy Life on Earth
What does the word holy mean to you? Perfect? Pure? Awe-inspiring? The prophet
Isaiah saw seraphs (heavenly beings) calling to one another “Holy, holy, holy is
the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Certainly,
God is holy. He is the only perfect, pure and awe-inspiring One.
Sanctification
Sanctification means purifying or cleansing oneself physically. In
the Old Testament, these rituals were to be used at the time of
sacrifice or priestly approach to the Holy of Holies, before
personal approach to the tabernacle. Today, of course, it means
entering the church or the madbaha (alter), cleaning of temple or
ceremonial vessels and other processes. Sanctification or
purification is also spiritual.
To Live, We Must Die
When I say, "To live, we must die," it cannot be in the physical world, for we
know that in the physical world, we live until we die. But then, we may ask, "How must we die, that we may live forever?"
The answer is that we must die to our pride and to our other sins.
The Great Assize
A common sense of justice in every man's heart demands that there
shall be some great winding-up day, in which that which is now
inexplicable shall be explained.
A Momentous Quest
There are many people to whom the Bible does not amount to much. If
they merely look at the outside beauty, why it will no more lead
them to Christ than Washington's farewell address. It is the inward
light of God's Word you must get or die.
All the World Akin
Some have supposed that God originally made an Asiatic Adam and a
European Adam and an African Adam and an American Adam, but that
theory is entirely overthrown by my text, which says that all nations
are blood relatives, having sprung from one and the same stock. A
difference in climate makes much of the difference in national temper.
The Spiritual Father in Orthodox Christianity
One who climbs a mountain for the first time needs to follow a known route;
and he needs to have with him, as companion and guide, someone who has
been up before and is familiar with the way. To serve as such a companion and
guide is precisely the role of the "Abba" or spiritual father whom the
Greeks call "Geron" and the Russians "Starets", a title which in both languages
means "old man" or "elder."
A
Christian Wife
Many married couples are living life totally against God in word and
deed. 99% marriages involve sharing of bodies only biologically.
This is not what God wants.
Jezebel -
Today in our Times
In modern times, the name Jezebel has come to mean a loose woman or one of
low moral standards. The Jezebel of the Bible was a different sort of woman. She had more charges against
her than not following the accepted code of conduct. She has the dubious
distinction of being the most evil woman in the Bible.
Melchizedek
Can you help me by throwing some light on Melchizedek? The mention in Holy Bible is
too brief for me to understand much.
St Thomas in India
There is little doubt that Apostle Thomas came to India and
established a church in Malankara. There may be little physical
evidence, but based in the corroborating evidence and traditions
handed down, there is good acceptance of this fact.
Martyrdom of
St. Thomas
The Bible has not passed down any information concerning the
whereabouts, early life or the parents of St. Thomas and he is known
as the leader of silent apostles. He seemed to remain almost alone
and melancholic by nature among the 12 apostles.
The Kingdom
of God by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Even if we cannot share liturgically the bread and the wine, we can
share fully and completely what it stands for and be inseparable in
the mystery of faith. The Lamb of God is broken and distributed,
which though ever broken, never is divided, says the Orthodox
liturgy. This we can achieve beyond all separations through such
union, oneness with Christ, in one body broken, in one blood shed
for the salvation of the world.
Hypocrisy Prayers
As God is love, we also will have to love God in reciprocation by
following the footprints of the Savior, otherwise a slow-to anger
God provides a chance to Satan to overpower us. This pray and love
armchair cynicism is also a derivative of 'Heaven is within you and
two or three people gathering in my name' biblical
misinterpretations.
Who's to Blame
for Human Suffering?
I daresay that if the innocent suffer they do so because one of us -- you or me
or some other thug -- now or in the past has set their pain in motion. If the
innocent continue to suffer they do so because we have yet to take
responsibility for their pain; we have yet to take sufficient responsibility for
their relief.
Appeasing Gospel
"No one can serve two masters" (Matt.
6:24). However, Christians have spent the greater portion of the
last two centuries apparently trying to prove Jesus wrong. We have
told ourselves that we can indeed have both - the things of God and
the things of this world, acquiring real estates, palaces, and
mighty bank balances.
Faith is
'Taking God at His Word'
'Taking God at His word' is alien to the current Secular Humanistic way of
thinking that doubts even the 'Virgin Birth' and the 'Resurrection'. Secular
Humanism is part and parcel of God's plan for the 'end times'.
The Second Coming of
Christ
As Christians, we look forward to the return of Christ – the Second Coming.
It will be a time of blessing for believers but also a time of upheaval and
judgment for the wicked.
Some Thoughts on the Book of Revelation
What Day did Christ
Die?
In Daniel 9:25-26 it is said that there would be 69 prophetic weeks till the
Messiah
would appear, and would be cut off (Crucified) in the midst of the week.
This equals 483 years.
Jesus, according to Daniel's prophecy, was anointed the Messiah in
26 AD.,
which was 483 years after the Decree of Artaxerxes to restore Jerusalem.
Jesus Wasn't
Crucified on Friday or Resurrected on Sunday!
How can we fit three days and three nights between a Friday
afternoon crucifixion and an Easter Sunday sunrise? The fact is, we
can't. So what is the truth about when Jesus was crucified and
resurrected? Read
the article.
Was Jesus
crucified on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday?
An excellent treatment of the subject that is consistent with our
faith. The author presents a chronology of the events
surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ in a
plausible and logical way in an effort to resolve the question of
exactly when Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
Read the
article.
Appeasing Gospel
"No one can serve two masters" (Matt.
6:24). However, Christians have spent the greater portion of the
last two centuries apparently trying to prove Jesus wrong. We have
told ourselves that we can indeed have both - the things of God and
the things of this world, acquiring real estates, palaces, and
mighty bank balances.
Kingdom of God is Within You - Translation Errors in Bible
This is a wrong translation that has evicted many Christians from
their churches, and has caused many of our own people to take it for
granted not to participate in the church liturgy because the Kingdom
of God is within you (them). They satisfy themselves with their
routine and mundane minutes of baffling.
Ecumenism
in a Different Perspective
Ecumenism is a step forward to bring
back the original created order. A peripheral view of the creation
account evidences that God conceived total unity and harmony among
all created beings. God created man and woman single. The
multiplicity of all other living beings and singleness of human
being and conferring on man the charge of ruling over all creations
implies the ecumenical perspective of the Creator.
Who
is God? Who Is Man?
Ideal Parenting in Christian Perspective
A human being needs the growth of the
body and spirit in a good proportion. If the balance between the
growth of the body and spirit is disturbed, the growth will not
reach the desired dimension. If the growth is taking place in one
side only, the other side will perish. |
