A journal of byzantine digressionS
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A Parochial Vice
Often times gossip can be used as a tool to “lure someone in” to the “inner circle” but… equally as often… the Gossiper fails to note that what is communicated is a sort of bullying: “If you betray me, I will gossip about you in this same manner.” I name this a “parochial vice” for
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Rest in Peace
The content features a YouTube video and a Psalm 103 (104 MT) excerpt, emphasizing the magnificence of the Lord in nature. It also includes a prayer from the Optina Elders, seeking guidance and peace in all circumstances. The resources mentioned delve into the numbering of Psalms and dragon imagery in the Bible.
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In Wisdom All Things
The content features a YouTube video and a Psalm 103 (104 MT) excerpt, emphasizing the magnificence of the Lord in nature. It also includes a prayer from the Optina Elders, seeking guidance and peace in all circumstances. The resources mentioned delve into the numbering of Psalms and dragon imagery in the Bible.
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There is no Random
You are in a desert. All around is silence, wind, sand. Dawn. As you grow accustomed to your location you realize all is not silent: there is the wind. And more: near the very edge of silence is the tinkling of the grains of sand. Look at your feet. For a few centimeters above the
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Psalms as Liturgy
The Daily Office – that is the daily recitation of the 150 biblical poems known as The Psalms of David – has been an important part of my devotion life since I joined the Episcopal Church in 1980 or ’81. The parish priest at Grace Church, Father (now the Rev’d Canon) John Osgood, was an
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Flashback Friday
Here are some pictures from July 7, 2002, and one from Pascha, 2003. I rescued them from the Internet Archive. Everyone’s very young here.
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Unfolding in Time
The Assignment: this is my final for Eucharistic Theology with Fr Dennis McManus. We were given a set of questions, from which pick one. The selected the option is take an image of the Eucharist in the pre-Incarnation scriptures and show how it was fulfilled in the Life of Jesus. We were required to use
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3 Holy Hierarchs
Today is the feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and St John Chrysostom. The story is that the people of Constantinople were trying to figure out which was the greatest. All three appeared in a vision saying “We all teach the same thing.” That should be true of everyone
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The Ordinary
A series of Lenten Meditation is planned.
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Review: The Genius of Israel
Listening to Kan English news has become a morning habit. I wake up at 4:30 AM in San Francisco, thirty mins after the 2:00 PM newscast is sent out from Israel. After Morning Prayers, during coffee, I have time to listen to Naomi Segal or Arieh O’Sullivan fill me in on what’s happening in the
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The Backstory
There’s a new link in the top navigation called “backstory”. There’s a history and since the website is 25 years old, I thought it might be nice to update with some Throwback Thursdays and some Flashback Fridays. Just one long “hit parade”. Although it all ends before 2010. The Backstory page is dedicated to Fr
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What is Man?
A couple of questions asked of a friend last week resulted in a struggle to read Bulgakov. Look, I’m not wise enough to navigate even a quarter of a percent of what he’s saying, but his text does give me some things on which to meditate and – in this case – to talk about
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And… action
Contrast and compare: active and contemplative life. Or, reunite?
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King Cake
It’s sugar flavor. One of my two favorite seasonal things to make, the other being cheese pascha. This is what you can do with two cups of flour, a pound and a half of dairy products, and some mincemeat, plus some food coloring and a heck of a lot of sugar. The bread or cake
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Long Suffering
I heard an intercession for the “Long Suffering People of Palestine” in Church and I was like… “eh”. I hear from white American Christians that when we are in the Holy Land often it is the Muslims who treat us better than the Israelis. I think there may be a bit of payback there, for
Orthoparadoxy 