~ Church Attendance

So we come to church, to our true home, and we are truly glad. This is the greatest privilege which a Christian can have. Here we experience the grace of God. We experience our salvation, the results of the redemptive work of our God, of Christ, the great "High Priest" (Heb 2.17; 5.9-10; 7.24-27). Here, in church, we acquire a sense of the Apostle's words: "Christ, through his own blood, entered once for all into the Holy Place ... thus securing eternal redemption" (Heb 9.12). Christ lives for us, he prays for us, and raises his hands to the heavenly Father. He shed his blood for us only once. He entered into the Holy of Holies only once, and, from that day, he has not ceased to urge the saints - and particularly His Mother, Our Lady - to intercede for us to the heavenly Father, for our hearts, for our sins, for our pains, for the disappointments of our life. Once and for all he entered into heaven, where he remains eternally, never again to leave the throne where he took his place "at the right hand of the heavenly Father" (cf. Mk 16.19; Heb 10.12; 12.2). This means that coming to church to attend the Divine Liturgy is not a random act or chance occurrence. It isn't something about which you can say: Don't worry, it doesn't matter, I'll come tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. No. It's a unique act. We go to him whom we have loved, to him who gave his life for us, to Christ.

~ The Commandments as the path to salvation

And so, here's the first and only path to salvation-the fulfillment of the Lord's commandments. The Lord said concerning them that they're not grievous, but we can't fulfill them by our own strength. We must ask the Lord for help, and He will give it. It seems simple. Simple, but complicated as well. Let us pray to Him, that He strengthen us in His love. Amen.

~ Sin

the 'original' sin is not primarily that man has 'disobeyed' God; the sin is that he ceased to be hungry for Him and for Him alone, ceased to see his whole life depending on the whole world as a sacrament of communion with God. The sin was not that man neglected his religious duties. The sin was that he thought of God in terms of religion, i.e. opposing Him to life. The only real fall of man is his noneucharistic life in a noneucharistic world.

~ Faith

Yea so much power hath faith, that not the believer only is saved, but some have been saved by others believing. The paralytic in Capernaum was not a believer, but they believed who brought him, and let him down through the tiles?: for the sick man?s soul shared the sickness of his body. And think not that I accuse him without cause: the Gospel itself says, when Jesus saw, not his faith, but their faith, He saith to the sick of the palsy, Arise?! The bearers believed, and the sick of the palsy enjoyed the blessing of the cure.

~ Prayer

Do prayers then, you say, profit nothing? They profit even greatly: but it is when we also do something. For prayers indeed cooperate and assist, but a man cooperates with one that is operating, and assists one that is himself also working. But if thou remainest idle, thou wilt receive no great benefit. For if prayers had power to bring us to the kingdom while we do nothing, why do not all the Greeks become Christians? Do we not pray for all the world? Did not Paul also do this? Do we not entreat that all may be converted? Why do not the wicked become good without contributing anything of themselves? Prayers, then, profit greatly, when we also contribute our own parts.

~ Love

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins." Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

~ Salvation

[The Lord] says: See, see that I am and I have not changed [Cf. Dt. 32:39 and Mal. 3:6]. He loves all equally, he died on behalf of all, he sets before all inexhaustible delight, he is passionate for the salvation of all, and this to him is riches, for he says he is richly generous to all who call upon him [Rom. 10:12]. Therefore let us call upon him in what befalls us and he will give power and might [Ps. 67:36] to our souls. Let us embrace him and he will bring our enemies to naught [Ps. 107:14] both seen and invisible. Let us await him and he will crown us for the day of resurrection of the dead, for the day of his appearing; for which may we too be found worthy to attain without condemnation and to stand uncondemned at his judgement seat, giving a good defense, in Christ our Lord, to whom be glory and might, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

~ Zeal

I have intentionally directed your attention to this zeal, so that you become zealous. For once it is part of us, then Divine grace for its part will not omit doing everything with abundance. Thus, when there exists such zeal in the realm of faith and the search for salvation, then everything exists, and the accomplishing of our salvation is undoubtedly in motion and heading towards its goal. When there is no zeal, then there is nothing at all; he who is not zealous for salvation is a non-participant in salvation.