St. John of Krondstadt

"Never confuse the person, formed in the image of God, with the evil that is in him; because evil is but a chance misfortune, an illness, a devilish reverie. But the very essence of the person is the image of God, and this remains in him despite every disfigurement."

-- St. John of Kronstadt

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, we recently commemorated the life of St. John of Kronstadt on October 19th. A friend forwarded this quote to me. It presents quite the challenge: to avoid demonizing those with whom we disagree or have hurt us deeply; to understand and withhold judgment of 'the other'; to see God in every person we encounter.

More on the life of St. John of Kronstadt can be read here.

Demons

My friend, I've been lying all my life. Even when I was telling the truth. I never spoke for the truth, but only for myself, I knew that before, but only now do I see . . . Oh where are those friends whom I have insulted with my friendship all my life? And everyone, everyone! You know, perhaps I'm lying now; certainly I'm also lying now. The worst of it is that I believe myself when I lie. The most difficult thing in life is to live and not lie . . . and . . . and not believe one's own lie, yes, yes, that's precisely it! (Dostoevsky, Demons).

In recent days I have been aware of my limitations and even worse, my willing ignorance of my limitations. I am quick to judge, self-centered, impatient and often moved to anger. I wonder if any thought of mine (or words written on a public blog) is not tainted by pride (and false humility). These are not conclusions drawn from a view of human nature as being totally depraved or of an angry God who cannot tolerate sin. Rather, it is born from a view of God as Love, and my willing choice to betray that Love, moment by moment, day by day, both consciously and unconsciously.

May God grant each of us the grace to turn, to repent from our sin and self-delusion and to embrace the cure for our self-inflicted illness; a cure that for most of us is not brought about in a single moment, but rather a lifetime (and more) lived in repentance.

Fr. Thomas Hopko

In recent months I have been avidly listening to the podcasts on Ancient Faith Radio of Fr. Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary. In some ways, Fr. Tom reminds me of one of my history professors in college, Don Claspill. When listening to them speak in a seemingly endless stream on a particular subject, one gets the sense that they could go on for quite some time and that it would be beneficial to let them do so.

Recently Fr. Tom has spoken on the subject of "Church and State" (a series in which the first post was on September 25th) which addresses and expands upon some of the recent questions I have posted on in regards to politics. "A Chrsitian Response to Terrorism" (September 12th) is an excellent discussion of good and evil (and a provacative one at that). "The Meaning of Life" (September 12th) is a good devotional introduction to Fr. Tom's style. Highly recommended (hopefully not as a distraction from the spiritual life, but as an aid toward its deepening).

Tell Tale Signs

For those who may or may not be interested, NPR is streaming Bob Dylan's new album, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 - Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989 - 2006, which will be released next Tuesday. As much as I like Dylan's trio of 60s albums Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, and Blonde on Blonde, I enjoy his most recent work even more. Included in Vol. 8 of the Bootleg Series are outtakes and alternate versions of songs from his most recent albums, Oh Mercy, Love and Theft, Time Out of Mind (my personal favorite), and Modern Times.

I've grown that mustache once before. You better believe I'm going to grow it back again.