A 12th Century Letter To The Artist
Somewhere around the year 1122 AD, Benedictine artist/monk Roger of Helmarshausen, under the pseudonym Theophilus, wrote a treatise on artistic crafts titled ON DIVERS ARTS. It is the oldest surviviving manuscript on the arts written by a practicing artist. It describes 12th century techniques in painting, glass, and metalwork. ThisContinue Reading
Tolerance and the New Relativism
We don’t hear much about the dangers of relativism these days, that’s because it has a new name, tolerance. Tolerance can be a dangerous doctrine. Dangerous doctrines, like ancient heresies never really go away, they are just rebranded. Evil permeates our culture. Its existence is deeply rooted in our awarenessContinue Reading
The Trapper, The Dog, and The Christian Disposition
There was once a trapper who lived in the Alaskan wilderness alone with his two year old son. On one occasion their food supply was running low and the trapper was forced to leave the cabin to hunt in the middle of a storm. He left his son under theContinue Reading
Saint Mary Magdalene and the Red Egg
After Jesus rose from the dead, and after His Ascension into Heaven, Mary of Magdala traveled about the country. She proclaimed the Gospel to all she met, eagerly sharing the news, “Christ is risen!” Arriving in Rome, she sought an audience with Tiberius Caesar, intending to complain about the treatment ofContinue Reading
Of Iconography, Parables, and Fertile Soil
In traditional Orthodox iconography the goal of the iconographer is to be invisible. Individual expression or style is not sought after because it is considered a distraction to prayer and devotion. This is why icons from so many different periods by so many different artists all look similar, it isContinue Reading
Jonah and the Gift of Baptism
Are you aware of the great gift God has given us in Baptism? Jonah was a prophet, that is to say, he spoke for God. God called Jonah to go to the city of Ninevah and warn the people there that if they did not change their wicked ways, theirContinue Reading
Want to Find Your Purpose? Ask yourself this.
Are you struggling to find your purpose in life? There was once a cheerful old man who would ask the same question of just about everyone he fell into conversation with: What have you done that you believe in and you are proud of? He never asked the expected questionsContinue Reading
The Pope, The Dogs, and the True Presence
What exactly do we mean when we refer to the “True Presence?” In October of 1995, Pope John Paul II was scheduled to greet seminarians at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. At the last moment the Pope told his security team that after greeting the seminarians he would go intoContinue Reading
Upcoming Talk on Our Spiritual Journey
The Adventurous Life: storytelling and our spiritual journey. Do you have a sense that there is something wrong with the world? Even more, do you think that you should be able to do something about it? Are you are not sure where to begin? Do you feel a little lost?Continue Reading
How to Share the Faith
Why do we hesitate to share our faith? After all we have been sent out into the world to do just that. When this question is asked in surveys the answers usually fall into one of two general responses; either people do not think they are qualified or they doContinue Reading