It perhaps goes without saying that we have a tendency to construct our historical narratives less out of concern for accurately depicting the past and more out of a desire to make sense of the present, particularly where “making sense” means finding in history evidence for our own views with respect to contemporary debates. In…
Continue readingWhy Are These Saints Hugging?
Meditating on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
When you hear Jesus teach his Gospel message in Matthew 11:27-30, it has all the seeds of a classic spiritual master imparting wisdom to those he loves—just like the Russian Staretsy of old, the great Orthodox Jesus-elders from the nineteenth century—but this is Jesus himself. We hear a loving invitation, one of the most celebrated…
Continue readingA Jesus-Shaped Conscience
“Conscientious Objector.” That epitaph might aptly be placed on the life’s work of Jim Forest (1941-2022), the founder of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship and a prolific author. For decades he was a friend and co-laborer of some of the leading voices of Christian conscience in the United States, including Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, and Daniel…
Continue readingThe Feast of Pentecost
The major feast of Pentecost—in Greek, Πεντηκοστή which literally means the “fiftieth day”—commemorates the day on which the Holy Spirit, as a mighty wind, descended upon the disciples (cf. Acts 2), as Christ had promised during his earthly life (cf. Jn 14:26; 15:26), resting upon them in the form of tongues of fire (cf. Acts 2:3). In…
Continue readingAn Ordinary Exile: Fr. Bulgakov’s Spiritual Diary
by Andrew Kuiper Russian Sophiology has returned. For decades, speaking of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov or any of the Russian Sophiologists was usually to invoke a niche interest. Yet today, judging by translations and secondary literature, Fr. Bulgakov in particular has emerged as a force in systematic theology that far exceeds mere historical or confessional interest….
Continue readingRebuild Ukraine: The Long March to Becoming Fully Human
by Anberin Eugenia The quiet cadence of prayer and fasting as Lent began was shattered with the invasion of Ukraine. Forgiveness Vespers was ridden with sorrow and disbelief. There was no escaping the sadness and helplessness as we prayed. As I quietly mouthed the words to “Open to Me the Gates of Repentance,” the full…
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