Author Archives: admin

on the Church Calendar and Prayer

The church year is a type of spiritual journey. It begins in the repentance of Advent and is consoled in the gift of Emmanuel, God with us. But to be with God is not the end but a new beginning. … Continue reading

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on Liturgy as spiritual exercise and the ills of heterodoxy 2

We live in a world so flooded with information that the powers of rational and spiritual integration are often in danger of dissolving into either vision-less tolerance or blinded bigotry. There is a need for dialogue, reflection, and logic.  The … Continue reading

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on Liturgy as spiritual exercise and the ills of heterodoxy 1

Allow me to begin with the thesis I have provided in another place. Liturgy is a discipline. It is a discipline both in the sense of an organized body of knowledge, and in the sense of a training exercise that … Continue reading

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on Devotion to Saints

I shall speculate and simply say half of Christendom indulges in devotion to saints, and half does not. In practice, devotion to a saint usually takes the form of prayers of supplication addressed to the saint. Some claim such devotion … Continue reading

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on the Rites of Baptism

Baptism comes from a Greek word meaning to plunge, and early baptisms were plunges into the water. Christians were neither the first nor only group to use a rite of baptism. The Jews practiced ritual baths for purification and for … Continue reading

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on Baptism

I offer you here a few sparks of light to illuminate the complexity of aspects that this ritual has opened up in Christian thought. The reality of being baptized, like the reality of being married, is something that one moves … Continue reading

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on Morning and Evening Prayer

Morning and evening prayers are structured around the ritual reading of sacred texts and meditating upon them. As in most liturgies, divine service here begins with bowing down before the Holy and acknowledging our sins. As in most liturgies, place … Continue reading

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