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Beyond Polemics: Ascetic Truth and the Loss of Phronema in East and West
Why the Crisis Is Not Theological but Ascetical Abstract This reflection is written in response to “Why the Eastern Orthodox Church Needs the Western Rite: Moving Past Polemics, Restoring the Whole Tradition, and Fulfilling Our Mission in the West” by the Very Rev. Fr. Patrick Cardine, originally published in The Basilian Journal (Fall 2020). While affirming Fr. Cardine’s critique of anti-Western polemics within contemporary Orthodox discourse and his call to reclaim the We
Father Charbel Abernethy
4 days ago4 min read
When the Fathers Refuse to Answer Us
Eastern Christian Phronema and the Patience of Truth “Teach your mouth to say what is in your heart.” — Abba Poemen “Do not try to discern the things of God with your intellect, but with purity of heart.” — St. Isaac the Syrian There are moments when reading the Fathers does not console us but unsettles us. Not because they contradict the Gospel, but because they refuse to meet us where we expect clarity to be delivered. A story is told. A silence follows. A tension remains u
Father Charbel Abernethy
Jan 63 min read
Part I: St. Paul the Hermit - A Dialogue in the Desert on Psalm 69 and the Ascetical Heart of Christianity
The Seeker and St. Paul the Hermit The desert breathes with the slow rhythm of evening. St. Paul the Hermit sits at the entrance of his cave, the sand warm beneath his hands, the silence heavy and alive. The seeker approaches with hesitation, carrying a psalter worn thin with prayer. Seeker: Father, my soul cries out with the psalmist, “Save me, O God, for the waters have risen to my neck. I have sunk into the mud of the deep and there is no foothold.” This is how I feel when
Father Charbel Abernethy
Nov 19, 20255 min read
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