January 10, 2022 • Patristic Faith

The Greatest of Miracles

Of all the miracles of Christ, the greatest is the Eucharist. The Gospels are filled with accounts of miracles performed by Christ, but the greatest of them all was when He offered the simple elements of bread and wine, made by man, and transformed them into His very Body and Blood. This miracle continues to this very day, after some two thousand years, to bring Christ into our very midst and allow us to receive Him for the healing of both our bodies and our souls. That He would use as agents for this transformation, priests, to call down the Holy Spirit to continue this miracle, is one of the great mysteries of our Christian Faith.

Abbot Tryphon

How Do I Receive Christ Into My Heart?

Those of us who have not switched to the new calendar, are currently celebrating the Feast of the Nativity. One of the great themes we often hear is that we are to create a Bethlehem in our hearts. Our hearts must be a place where Christ may come and dwell. A place where Christ may be born our hearts. And when we hear those words, of course, it is natural for us to say, “Well, looking at the poverty of my heart, the poverty in terms of what I can offer to God, looking at the true depth of sin and darkness that I recognize within myself, how can I imagine for a moment that Christ would be born in such a dark and sinful place, in me, in my heart?”

Father Spyridon

St Antony and His Encounters with Demons

In this paper I will analyze St. Athanasios’ Life of Saint Antony, particularly with regards to the element of demonology and spiritual warfare in the work. The Vita addresses many different topics and can be assessed from different perspectives – e.g., Antony’s physical journey as it mirrors the spiritual journey, a historical record of the development of monasticism, the problem of heretics and schismatics and how to deal with them, etc. I will not concentrate on these issues, but, after a brief historical background, I will address Antony’s encounter with the demons, and how that relates to his journey and to Scriptural data. Then, after addressing Antony’s most striking encounter with demons (involving physical injuries and a theodicy), I will analyze, from the text, (1) the demonic tactics and approaches, (2), the Christian response in faith and praxis, and (3) theological issues related to the topic as they are found in the Vita.

Patristic Faith

The Greatest of Miracles

How Do I Receive Christ Into My Heart?

St Antony and His Encounters with Demons

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