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The Courage to Begin Again
Repentance as the Continual Turning of the Heart Toward Christ “If he is a true laborer, he can make a new beginning at every moment.” — Abba Silouan Synopsis of Tonight’s Group on The Evergetinos Volume III Hypothesis IX D3 - Hypothesis X A-C1 There is an intensity in the Fathers that can sometimes frighten us. They speak of vigilance, struggle, examination, tears, watchfulness, and the danger of negligence. St. Synkletike tells of a servant of God who watched the movements
Father Charbel Abernethy
3 days ago5 min read
Open the Roof
To share in the life of Christ is to learn to carry the weakness of another toward Him “They opened the roof and lowered him down to the feet of Christ.” — St. Augustine, On Pastors There is a severity in Augustine’s words because there is a severity in love. “You have failed to strengthen the weak.” The accusation is directed toward shepherds, and rightly so. Those entrusted with the care of souls cannot feed upon the flock while remaining indifferent to its wounds. The shep
Father Charbel Abernethy
Sep 205 min read
The Manifest Beauty of a Soul Given to God
St. Isaac the Syrian and the Monastic Heart of the Gospel “For these are a monk’s manifest beauties stated in brief, and they bear witness to his dying utterly to the world and his nearness to God.” — St. Isaac the Syrian Synopsis of Tonight’s Group on The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian Homily 11 paragraphs 3a and 4 There is something striking in the way that St. Isaac the Syrian speaks about the monastic life. He does not speak of it romantically. There is no sen
Father Charbel Abernethy
May 64 min read
Do Not Use Mercy to Desecrate the Temple
St. Isaac the Syrian on repentance, fear, and what we have become in Christ “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit within you?” — Saint Paul the Apostle Synopsis of Tonight's Group on The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian Homily 10 Many will read this homily of St. Isaac the Syrian and hear only threat. They will imagine that he is merely moralizing, merely warning, merely trying to frighten men into behaving. They will hear law where he is
Father Charbel Abernethy
Apr 224 min read
Into the Jordan with Christ
Theophany as Revelation, Descent, and the Cost of Divine Sonship Theophany shatters our spiritual evasions. Christ does not appear in glory on a mountain or speak from a safe distance. He walks into cold water meant for sinners. He steps into a river thick with confession and shame. The sinless One does not explain Himself. He descends. The Jordan is not poetic. It is murky. It carries the weight of human repentance. It is where people name what they would rather hide. And Ch
Father Charbel Abernethy
Jan 53 min read
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