…True peace, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” that guards our “hearts and minds” (Philippians 4:7, NKJV) comes only when we are faithful to our personal vocations.
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As the Mother of God is for the fearful citizens of Constantinople, we, you, me, can be for all those we meet. But this is only possible if–like the Virgin Mary–I hear the word of God “and keep it.”
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Working together doesn’t mean I tell you what to do or you tell me what today. Rather, we are to help each other pursue the work God has called each of us to accomplish in this life.
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…is it really true that sexual orientation or gender identity is absolutely central to a person’s identity while a person’s religion is merely a superficial addon?
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For many, the Gospel is less about picking up the cross and following Jesus and more a coping mechanism. Yes, I can use the Gospel to protect myself from the bumps and bruises (and worse) of life. Doing so, however, means that I prefer the things of God more than God Himself.
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The problem, to put it directly, isn’t that I love father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, house, work, country or myself but that I fail to love them all. What I must give up to follow Jesus are my selfish illusions about life. I must give up the comforting half-truths I tell myself to avoid accepting responsibility for my actions.
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The task given to the disciples on that first Pentecost is given to us today. Their vocation, their calling, is ours as well.
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…the great sorrow of human life is that most people don’t know who they are, they don’t know what God has called them to do and so become. Many, even most Orthodox Christians, are in this situation. This is why so few of us attend church and even fewer of us regularly receive the sacraments.
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Haughtiness is the lie that I don’t need the neighbor that I can see; pride that I don’t need the God Who I can’t see (see 1 John 4:20). As for idolatry, this is the lie that would have me find in the works of my own hands a fitting object for worship.
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By its nature, Christian marriage isn’t simply a personal vocation (and all vocations are personal). It is also a call to marry a particular person. This makes it a shared vocation. No one has a vocation to be married in general. Christ calls a person to marry this person, at this time in their lives.
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