Post Mortem

From John Medaille: Ronald Reagan was half-right when he said, “The Hispanics are conservative, they just don’t know it.” The Hispanics are indeed deeply conservative, with a conservatism deeply rooted in strong family and communal values; they just refuse to recognize the Republicans’ Corporate Capitalism as “conservative.” In this, they know the Republicans better than …

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving Day. My thinking always goes in the direction of the Eucharist on Thanksgiving day because the Greek word eucharistia is translated "thanksgiving" in English. Alexander Schmemann once wrote, talking about the sacraments in general, not the Eucharist in particular, that we do not ask God to make things …

Good Quote

Man is more than a microcosm--he is a microtheos. Archimandrite Sophrony, His Life is Mine, p. 77.

Recommended Lecture on a Contemporary Symphonic Piece

I heard a most remarkable lecture today by Cecilia Sun entitled, “Arvo Pärt’s ‘Credo’: Composition in a Time of Crisis.” It is part of the Saint Katherine College Forum lecture series, originally presented Oct. 15, 2012. Pärt’s ‘Credo’ is neither music I would understand nor care for without a lot of explanation. Dr. Sun offers …

I’m Not Sure Whether This Is A Post About Wrath or Pressuppositions

I am reminded how difficult it is to change one’s presuppositions, in this case, about divine wrath. Back in 2009 Thomas Hopko offered a three part podcast on the wrath of God (found here, here, and here, both in podcast and transcript form). It turned my thinking about the subject around. In short, he observes …

The Humility of the Holy Spirit

The following is from Archimandrite Sophrony’s book, His Life Is Mine. The Holy Spirit comes when we are receptive. He does not compel. He approaches so meekly that we may not even notice. If we would know the Holy Spirit we need to examine ourselves in the light of the Gospel teaching, to detect any …