Isn't is Dostoyevsky who said that without God anything is possible because nothing is forbidden? The family meal is the "Eucharist" of the domestic church. One Italian theologian once stated that American eating habits and fast food were sinful because we were meant to eat together in fellowship with our fellow human beings. It is no accident that Our Savior gave us his greatest gift, the mass in the context of the Passover meal with His apostles.
I believe you're thinking of a quote by Emile Cammaerts, who wrote a book titled "The Laughing Prophet: The Seven Virtues and G.K. Chesterton" and published it a year after his dear friend Chesterton's death. According to wikipedia and goodreads (so, grain of salt), the quote “When men chose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing. They then become capable of believing in anything.” is from that book.
Beautiful reflection, Father! Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you always! You have helped save me and I am currently a Catechumen. I am so grateful for you. You have raised me from the dead. God bless you, Father! ❤️☦️
It's not that they're godless necessarily, it's that most people are their own god, worship idols or satan is their god. The Church is needed more than ever before! 🙏🏻☦️
Was listening to a podcast a few days ago, which delved into something I hadn't realized even existed: social media accounts, run by individuals with both neo-Nazi & Satanist ties, that specifically target younger people to carry out these horrific acts. Saying something is "demonic" has almost become cliche, but in these cases apparently it's true.
I grew up in the 60s/70s, and all the kids in my small town were baptized. Everybody's Grandmother wert to church somewhere. Now it's quite common for families to be raised with no church connection. Maybe Grandma watches an evangelical preacher on tv and that's all. Or they believe in a relativism normalized in the post Vat 2 world that permeated mainline Prots as well. But there's a 50/50 chance that Grandma has crystals, does yoga, or even wicca. So we have families that for 3 or 4 generations have de-christianized themselves. Some might live with a neo-pagan or gnostic worldview or morality, whether they know it or not, if we're lucky. But there's a new barbarism fed by selfishness and aggravated by hedonistic disappointment. That's what's fueling the anger and violence. On a subconscious level too. Short attention span dopamine addictions. I have hope because God is leading people to Orthodoxy in America. And people are talking about, and seeking, God in the "new media." I suspect the Black, Latino, and Muslim votes for Trump this past election have as much to do with moral issues as they do economic reasons. So even though I read the New York Post today where a guy lit a sleeping woman on fire on the subway and she burned to death, I'm still taking the white pill. "For where sin abounds..." And all that. "those who worshipped the stars were taught by a star to worship Thee..."
The Magi didn't worship the stars. They weren't astrologers. They were astronomers who knew the Hebrew Prophecies, and watched the sky for the sign of our Saviour's birth so they could worship Him.☦️
@Itasca1 I was quoting the Trparion for Dec 25: Your Nativity, O Christ our God, / has shone to the world the Light of knowledge; / for by it, those who worshipped the stars / were taught by a star to adore You, / the Sun of Righteousness / and to know You, the Dayspring from on High. / O Lord, glory to You!
Amen! Parents, please go to church if you are not currently going. I wish my parents had, and that I had been taken to church regularly. Thankful that our Lord is always faithful and saved me anyhow!
As an American (whose friend killed his brother in a shooting) I agree with you. However, I relayed your message to my Japanese wife. She said, Japanese people don't go to church and Japanese people are not killing each other. True enough. So we must consider what is the problem- church attendance? society? access to guns? drugs? SNS? genetics? i have no idea. Just pondering.
The shootings are terrible, but very few when we figure there’s 325,000,000 people in this country! Where many are good. But there is a negligence of the youth, where they’re like self guided and not sure what to do!
Padre ore por nosotros los hermanos y hermanas ortodoxos cristianos aca en el estado de Alabama que esa amenaza del maligno y de los santos ultimos dias no llegue aca. Amen 🙏 gracias
Dear Father , indeed it’s very painful to see this tragedy in American society, I believe it is consequence what happened when you have wrong faith and it is wrong faith it wrong theology,wrong education, culture, wrong perception of World and people. Blessing and enjoying Holy Nativity 🙏
I do agree with what you say, however with the greatest respect to you.. Christian monastics in the Easter Roman empire invented the concept of universal healthcare by following Christ's example. In times of peace monasteries have been sources of culture and in times of war they took in and sheltered women, children and resistance fighters. Some were places where armed revolutions started. Which is why during ww2 here in Greece where I live some were burnt down by the Germans. My shallow understanding is that they never stood apart from society. If you are willing to speak publicly about the spiritual decline that leads to gun violence, would you be willing to speak publicly against the spiritual and moral bankruptcy, the outright criminal behaviour of politicians and business leaders who kill thousands of innocent people a year by denying them available care because it cuts into their profits? It is fascinating to watch from a distance how such an obsession with money in sensitive areas like healthcare creates murderers, in those who need a job or want to identify as careerists, those who may have needed mental health services and clearly couldn't get that care and those who have been enraged by the injustice of a system that they were caught up in. If you see your people around you being slaughtered, as a Christian, what do you do? Leave it to someone else? Run away and let them die? I suppose only a saint would truly know. I would not have felt the inclination to write anything had I not lived through the IMF years here in Greece and saw the consequences. We live in a world under US influence. Sometimes it's good and other times it just isn't. God help us.
Isn't is Dostoyevsky who said that without God anything is possible because nothing is forbidden? The family meal is the "Eucharist" of the domestic church. One Italian theologian once stated that American eating habits and fast food were sinful because we were meant to eat together in fellowship with our fellow human beings. It is no accident that Our Savior gave us his greatest gift, the mass in the context of the Passover meal with His apostles.
I believe you're thinking of a quote by Emile Cammaerts, who wrote a book titled "The Laughing Prophet: The Seven Virtues and G.K. Chesterton" and published it a year after his dear friend Chesterton's death. According to wikipedia and goodreads (so, grain of salt), the quote “When men chose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing. They then become capable of believing in anything.” is from that book.
@@KnoxEmDown You are probably correct. at a certain age the origins of the quotes being to mingle!!!!!!!!
Beautiful reflection, Father! Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you always! You have helped save me and I am currently a Catechumen. I am so grateful for you. You have raised me from the dead. God bless you, Father! ❤️☦️
Yay the abbot is back.
These are truly godless times
It's not that they're godless necessarily, it's that most people are their own god, worship idols or satan is their god. The Church is needed more than ever before! 🙏🏻☦️
They are hedonistic times.
Was listening to a podcast a few days ago, which delved into something I hadn't realized even existed: social media accounts, run by individuals with both neo-Nazi & Satanist ties, that specifically target younger people to carry out these horrific acts. Saying something is "demonic" has almost become cliche, but in these cases apparently it's true.
Those are 110% feds.
@@BodhiCody-mh2ec Yes
Thank you for putting this out! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Every point you have made Father is totally valid!!!! Thank you!!!!! Bless you!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I grew up in the 60s/70s, and all the kids in my small town were baptized. Everybody's Grandmother wert to church somewhere.
Now it's quite common for families to be raised with no church connection. Maybe Grandma watches an evangelical preacher on tv and that's all. Or they believe in a relativism normalized in the post Vat 2 world that permeated mainline Prots as well. But there's a 50/50 chance that Grandma has crystals, does yoga, or even wicca.
So we have families that for 3 or 4 generations have de-christianized themselves. Some might live with a neo-pagan or gnostic worldview or morality, whether they know it or not, if we're lucky. But there's a new barbarism fed by selfishness and aggravated by hedonistic disappointment. That's what's fueling the anger and violence. On a subconscious level too. Short attention span dopamine addictions.
I have hope because God is leading people to Orthodoxy in America. And people are talking about, and seeking, God in the "new media." I suspect the Black, Latino, and Muslim votes for Trump this past election have as much to do with moral issues as they do economic reasons.
So even though I read the New York Post today where a guy lit a sleeping woman on fire on the subway and she burned to death, I'm still taking the white pill. "For where sin abounds..." And all that.
"those who worshipped the stars were taught by a star to worship Thee..."
The Magi didn't worship the stars. They weren't astrologers. They were astronomers who knew the Hebrew Prophecies, and watched the sky for the sign of our Saviour's birth so they could worship Him.☦️
@@Itasca1 Pretty sure rusty beltway is quoting the troparion of the nativity, one of them at least.
@Itasca1 I was quoting the Trparion for Dec 25:
Your Nativity, O Christ our God, / has shone to the world the Light of knowledge; / for by it, those who worshipped the stars / were taught by a star to adore You, / the Sun of Righteousness / and to know You, the Dayspring from on High. / O Lord, glory to You!
@@KnoxEmDown Thank you!
@@rustybeltway2373 And, Thank you, rustybeltway!
The parents are narcissists, distracted, disconnected- thus the offspring. Throw in a divorce or two and oila, there you have it.
Very true!
Pray for me. I'm a sinner and my heart is recently hard.
Thank you, Father
Thank you for this word fr.
Amen. Amen🙏❤️Lord have mercy
Amen!
Parents, please go to church if you are not currently going. I wish my parents had, and that I had been taken to church regularly. Thankful that our Lord is always faithful and saved me anyhow!
I'll never understand why people need to do this.
Thank you
As an American (whose friend killed his brother in a shooting) I agree with you. However, I relayed your message to my Japanese wife. She said, Japanese people don't go to church and Japanese people are not killing each other. True enough. So we must consider what is the problem- church attendance? society? access to guns? drugs? SNS? genetics? i have no idea. Just pondering.
Maybe each nation has it's peculiar affliction or weakness?
Culture .
The shootings are terrible, but very few when we figure there’s 325,000,000 people in this country! Where many are good. But there is a negligence of the youth, where they’re like self guided and not sure what to do!
Padre ore por nosotros los hermanos y hermanas ortodoxos cristianos aca en el estado de Alabama que esa amenaza del maligno y de los santos ultimos dias no llegue aca. Amen 🙏 gracias
Dear Father , indeed it’s very painful to see this tragedy in American society, I believe it is consequence what happened when you have wrong faith and it is wrong faith it wrong theology,wrong education, culture, wrong perception of World and people. Blessing and enjoying Holy Nativity 🙏
I think that Godless family is not a good out come 😢
I do agree with what you say, however with the greatest respect to you.. Christian monastics in the Easter Roman empire invented the concept of universal healthcare by following Christ's example. In times of peace monasteries have been sources of culture and in times of war they took in and sheltered women, children and resistance fighters. Some were places where armed revolutions started. Which is why during ww2 here in Greece where I live some were burnt down by the Germans. My shallow understanding is that they never stood apart from society. If you are willing to speak publicly about the spiritual decline that leads to gun violence, would you be willing to speak publicly against the spiritual and moral bankruptcy, the outright criminal behaviour of politicians and business leaders who kill thousands of innocent people a year by denying them available care because it cuts into their profits? It is fascinating to watch from a distance how such an obsession with money in sensitive areas like healthcare creates murderers, in those who need a job or want to identify as careerists, those who may have needed mental health services and clearly couldn't get that care and those who have been enraged by the injustice of a system that they were caught up in. If you see your people around you being slaughtered, as a Christian, what do you do? Leave it to someone else? Run away and let them die? I suppose only a saint would truly know. I would not have felt the inclination to write anything had I not lived through the IMF years here in Greece and saw the consequences. We live in a world under US influence. Sometimes it's good and other times it just isn't. God help us.
End times are here. Glad you are here Father to guide and do the work the Lord provides you.