When browsing church websites and other promotional material, I have over the years developed methods of assessing the strength of the congregation and mission.
If a church website displays pictures of the building and no people, this means that there are no people.
If a church website displays pictures of the building full, but in black and white, this means there are no people.
If a church website displays pictures of only the ministry team and no people, this means there are no people.
The greatest threat to the evil one is the love for God.
The person who loves God is at the same time mocking the devil.
The devil envies that love because he does not understand it.
Rather than learning from the human how to love God, the devil in his abundant pride, convinces himself of his worth.
"I am an angel, superior to the human. What have I to learn from that which is beneath my rank?" Here lies the sin of pride.
The devil, in subversion to the love of God seeks to damage that which pleases the Almighty.
The moment a person becomes an adopted child of God through the sacrament of Baptism, they are a target for the enemy.
Do not envy the easy lives of the heathen, for they have their reward now.
But pray and help them always. Abandon them not lest you imitate he that seeks to rid you of your own inheritance.
Be vigilant always, and when temptation arises, rejoice.
Rejoice because it means the treasury of your soul contains something worth stealing, namely the love of God.
“The devil does not hunt after those who are lost; he hunts after those who are aware, those who are close to God. He takes from them trust in god and begins to afflict them with self-assurance, logic, thinking, criticism. Therefore we should not trust our logical minds.” - Elder Paisios of Mt. Athos
"The bodies of our fellow human beings must be treated with more
care than our own. Christian love teaches us to give our brethren not
only spiritual gifts, but material gifts as well. Even our last
thirst, our last piece of bread must be given to them. Personal
almsgiving and the most wide-ranging social work are equally
justifiable and necessary.
The way to God lies through love of
other people, and there is no other way. At the Last Judgement I
shall not be asked if I was successful in my ascetic exercises or how
many prostrations I made in the course of my prayers. I shall be
asked, did I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the prisoners: that is
all I shall be asked." - Mother Maria of Paris
One may know 'how' to discern right from wrong, true from false, but in the pace of life it is easier to accept opinions regardless of their integrity provided that they have peer support. The person who thinks is apart from their society.
This is a sacrifice one may make.
A sacrifice at the cost of relating with one's fellow people.
What use is 'truth' if it has no utility?
Truth in this sense becomes an academic toy, thought experiments for the eremetic philosopher.
Could it be argued effectively that we are our environment? The willingness for rational thought is overcome with the desire for easy living.
Today I was listening to the music of The Byrds, the '60/'70s psychadelic rock group who famously covered Bob Dylan's 'Hey Mr. Tambourine Man' and the song mentioned in this post.
Allowing the music to be steadily piped into my small room in 21st Cent. England, I became distracted by some potent lyrics.
I am not generally a lyrics person, favouring good music over words in nearly every case. Here is an example of where both aspects may be found in equally excellent measure.
It is a happy day when the Christian realises that they are able to think for themselves and so casting aside the guidebook named 'catechist', begin to live in the world for which they are created. In so doing they recognise their life in relation to the lives of each other, and ultimately the continuous presence of their Creator in each person they meet.
