The First Words From The Apostles' Lips:

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The Patron Saint of Protestantism

In sweet ecumenical fashion, the Orthodox Church celebrates today the Patron Saints and Founding Fathers of Catholicism and Protestantism: namely, the Holy, All-Praised, and Fore-Most Apostles Peter and Paul. :-)

On Orthodox Fasting Practices

Read more about it here.

Fasting and Social Life

The First Words From The Forerunner's Lips:

Matthew 3:1-2 ¶In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying: Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The Holiest Man That Ever Lived

Matthew 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

...because the Baptist himself was never "born again from water and the Spirit", let alone "baptized with the Holy Ghost"...

On the Holy Spirit

Why is the last -but not least- Person of the Holy Trinity called the Holy Spirit?

Why isn't He simply called Spirit, for instance?

Or why aren't then the first two called Holy Father and Holy Son as well?

Because the Spirit (breath, respiration) is the element of life, and, if sin and death are umbilically connected (Romans 5:12), then the same can be said about life and holiness as well.

God's Wonderful Plan For Your Life

Galatians 5:24

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

The Son's Role in the Procession of the Holy Spirit

About the same as Seth's role in the creation of Eve from Adam's side.

On the Shortness and Shalowness of My Posts

Wisdom 1:4

For into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter; nor dwell in the body that is subject unto sin.

The Sin Against the Holy Spirit

Removing the Epiclesis from Mass.

The Blasphemy Against the Holy Ghost

Filioque.

Why the Son and the Spirit Are Not the Same Person

Because Christ called Him "another Comforter".

On the Personhood of the Holy Spirit

The Scriptures call Him "Comforter", not "Comfort(ing)".

Talmudic Trinity

"I was looking down until chairs were set down, and the Ancient of days seated himself" (Daniel 7:9)

"The chairs": Why are they in plural? One for Him and one for David. So Rabbi Aqiba in a Boraitha.

Said Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah to him: "Aqiba, how do you dare to make the Shekhina common? It means one chair for judgment and one for mercy".

Did Aqiba accept this, or not? Come and hear the following Boraitha: "One for judgment and one for mercy". So Rabbi Aqiba.

Said Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah to him: "Aqiba, what hast thou to do with Haggada? It means one for a chair to sit upon and one for a footstool".

Babylonian Talmud, Tract Sanhedrin, Haggadah

Now:
Is it only me, or does the imagery of God standing between His enthroned attributes of Justice and Mercy not help his case?...

As for the two thrones being one for sitting down and one for resting one's feet upon, then -according to the Holy Prophet Isaiah- these are Heaven and earth: which would support the Incarnation, especially in the light of Psalms 99:5 and 132:7, where His footstool, the earth (from which Man / Adam was taken), is being worshipped.

As for the second throne belonging to King David, whose son was the Messiah supposed to be?

On The Great Schism (With My Previous Blog)

Here's how it didn't happen... :-)

Pious Patristic Prayer

Lord, grant me chastity and continence! – but not yet...

I Have SO Much In Common With Saint Augustine !

...except for brains and sanctity...

I'm Just Like Saint Augustine !

...before he repented and became a Saint...

My Patron Saint

Saint Augustine,

Patron of depraved and debauched intellectuals,
pray for us and our filthy, rotten souls.

Amen.

On My Years As An Orthodox Blogger

A Question To The Reader

How then shall I be delivered from the enemy, being such a great lover of sin?

Second Stanza of the Second Antiphon on the Sixth Voice

(As usually, Damascene sees straight through me...)

Christ Is Risen!

...but we're still dead in our sins...

A Friend Wrote My Autobiography In His Name

For so long, I attempted to justify myself.

I was on the shoulders of men I considered holy, and I sought to follow their example. Yet come sundown, I was nothing more than a fraud. I was one of the whitewashed tombs to which our Lord compared the scribes and Pharisees (Matt 23:27).

I was the apathetic Christian and a hypocrite, conforming to the church when I was in the church and conforming to the world when I was in the world.

I had plenty of supporters, both in person and online. I had people regularly complimenting me, saying how smart I was and that I'd make a good church leader. In truth, maybe I rode on that. Maybe it felt good. It made me feel justified in my faith, and ultimately it was this earthly praise that became the treasure I was storing up.

My ears hungered for the wasteful food of praise, and they were being fed.

Tony Allen, Design of Providence,
My Confession