Podcasts about Holy Wisdom

It's one thing to have knowledge – it's something else to possess wisdom.Knowledge is the accumulation of information.Wisdom is the application of insight. Knowledge provides you with the facts of life.Wisdom gives you the ability to live.Knowledge is measured by degrees acquired.Wisdom is measured by deeds accomplished.James begins verse thirteen by asking the question, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” Our natural response is, “I am!” But James says, in effect, “Not so fast.” “Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” (vs. 13)Mark it well. The qualifications for being wise have nothing to do with your I.Q. or even your Bible knowledge.  Wisdom is a function of a good life lived with humility.  Grace then truth.James refers to two kinds of wisdom: that which is from above and that which is from below.So how can you tell the difference?  In verse 14 the apostle describes Unholy Wisdom as that which is characterized by two things: Bitter EnvyPerhaps a more accurate translation would be “prickly zeal.” James is speaking about an enthusiasm that's gotten out of hand. Where you're right and everyone who disagrees with you is wrong.Selfish Ambition The Greek here has to do with having a “party spirit.”  Not like a birthday party but a political party.  The idea is that if you're not of my party... if you're not doing it my way... then we can't be real partners.When a prickly zeal or a party spirit is seen, when sides are taken and shots are fired at others, the wisdom being touted isn't God's wisdom at all. Such unholy wisdom may claim to be from God, but its source is...well...otherwise.  (vs. 15-16)In contrast to this, vs.17 describes godly or Holy Wisdom as:Pure: free from contamination or defilement Peaceable: the desire to get along and work together with others Considerate: being reasonable Submissive: willing to yield Full of mercy: going the extra mile; not demanding its own way Impartial: doesn't favor some at the expense of others Sincere: No deception, manipulation, or maneuveringSo, are you wise or otherwise?   Text: James 3:13-18 Originally recorded on April 18, 2010, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN

The Cabin is presented by the Wisconsin Counties Association and this week we're featuring Clark County; https://www.wicounties.org/counties/clark-county/The Cabin is also presented by Group Health Trust: www.wcaght.org  Campfire Conversation: Eric, Ana, and Jake discuss a variety of places to head in Wisconsin if you're in the mood for a solo trip, and they each go solo in doing so. Ana begins with retreats - always a good choice for a solo venture - including the Wild Rice Retreat in Bayfield, The Christine Center in Clark County, Holy Hill in Washington County, and Holy Wisdom near Middleton. Spas and other nice resorts for good getaways begin to factor in as well, including Blue Harbor in Sheboygan, the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva as well as The Abbey nearby in Fontana, The Edgewater in Madison, and the Sundara Spa in Wisconsin Dells. They're a little different from the retreats; as Anna noted, "Don't go to Holy Hill if you're wanting a massage or a pedicure." With camping, Ana notes Peaceful Pines and the Wild Eagle Lodge in Eagle River; camping in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, where some serious space between you and other people can be found; plus several other lodges. State Recreation Areas and Parks offer great places for solo stays and experiences, too, and that gets covered from several perspectives. A nice solo road trip can help you unwind while you explore, we note good examples in Wisconsin's five designated scenic byways, including the Great River Road, the Lower Wisconsin River Road, the Door County Caoastal Byway, and the Lake Superior Scenic Byway. They offer beauty on the road and great stops along the way, whether or not you have others along for the ride. Rustic Roads offer even more peace and quiet. Jake offers some events to explore on your own, from home shows to the upcoming Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee or the Dairy State Beer & Cheese Festival coming up in Kenosha. There's even a cool tech conference coming up, and he fills you in. Check out this episode, and get ready to enjoy a trip and reconnect with yourself!Inside Sponsors:Jefferson County: https://www.enjoyjeffersoncounty.com/Best Western Hotels: https://bit.ly/3zCCK3f   

In this beautiful Christmas special, we're learning from the most famous of all mothers: Mary, the Mother of God. My guest Christine Valters Paintner is the author of “Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal”. Christine has a PhD in Christian Spirituality, is an abbess and the author of over twenty books on spirituality. Christine tells us about her mother Susan, a United Nations employee, who struggled with rheumatoid arthritis but turned her suffering into a gift for others as she earned an MA in social studies to became an advocate for people with disabilities. Susan teaches us to empower other people, to not be victims but turn challenges into gifts for others, and to embrace the power that comes with older age. In the second part of the episode, we talked about Holy Mary and her lessons: to show up in the world, to accept the calling to create, to embrace the power of the sacred feminine (such as the intuition, creativity, dreams, gestation), and to be a loving and present witness both in birth and death, positive and negative. Susan also talked about one of the most important lessons for most women: that we're not responsible for everything, and that sometimes, we also need to be taken care of. Finally, she talked about healing our ancestors by healing ourselves. And I invite you to think about Mary and her presence, and what she represents to you, during these holidays. I wish you, dear listeners, blessed holidays and a happy 2024!  To learn more about Christine, please visit the Abbey of the Arts website. To subscribe to Ana's new "Mama Loves…” newsletter, please go here.  To contact Ana, to be a guest, or suggest a guest, please send your mail to: info@thankyoumama.net For more about “Thank You, Mama", please visit: http://www.thankyoumama.net To connect with Ana on social media:  https://www.instagram.com/anatajder/  https://www.facebook.com/ana.tajder  https://www.linkedin.com/in/anatajder/  https://twitter.com/tajder       

 Many years ago, I had very less money and there was a cheap flight to Turkey about $100 from Bremen/Germany…This was my first trip to Turkey; I had read some Sufi books from a British Author who traveled to Turkey…I flew to Istanbul… It blew me away…I visited the huge Moshes like the previous Cathedral Holy Wisdom…  The St. Peter's Basilica of the Vatican is just meaningless if we compare it with the Holy Wisdom…I saw Diamonds in the size of my fist owned by the Sultan …His Harem had 5000 women… And I was also in the Turkish Steam bath…Then I traveled by buses to Antalya, I got invited again and again… And I loved the fresh figs.Turkey is one of the most interesting country in the world… Hard to beat!From Antalya I went to Konya.In the bus there was running these disgusting killing, - brutal -horror movies, even I closed my eyes, but then I could not see the mountains… It was sunset, the light dawned, the movie stopped and we heard the praising of Allah from the loud speaker… We were approaching Konya…The bus went down the mountains and there was over the whole city a light, like the north light in the very North of Europe…I could not believe that… We had already night, it was pitch dark, but over the city, there was this magic light…And we heard the praising of Allah…It was so magical… I never will forget that. I could see that magic light every night. Next day, I went to the Monastery of Rumi, where the Sufis were whirling to connect with Allah… The Rumi Monastery is charged with spiritual energy… I went directly in meditation mood…The magic of Turkey, the friendly people and the good music…If we see then the news from Turkey… Only negative stuff, the big inflation, … Who cares if the people are friendly, the country is exotic and amazing…?As a couchsurfer I hosted quite a lot of Turkish women… Did they had been suppressed? Why they could travel alone?Even why they slept in a house with a single man? It is all rubbish what the press is telling from Turkey!!!    My Video: Episode 28 I saw the Light in Konya https://youtu.be/_5ugU-DbRZcMy Audio: https://divinesuccess.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/Podcast1/Episode.28.I.saw.the.Light.in.Konya.mp3

Hospital chaplains are called to some of the holiest work, entering rooms where grief and vulnerability are often palpable. Rev. Emma Landowski Sancomb shares her experiences with us - what it's like entering those spaces, how she prepares her own heart, and how she tries to move out of the way so God's wisdom can speak through her. She does the same in the journaling workshops she offers, which she says are all about allowing space for the Holy Wisdom of God to flow through us.About Rev. EmmaRev. Emma Landowski-Sancomb, BCC is ordained in the United Church of Christ and a Board Certified Chaplain that works at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital in Mequon, WI. Emma is also certified in Holy Fire Reiki I.  Through Emma's Ministry of Sacred Transition, journaling workshops are offered, alongside officiating weddings, creating ceremonies and rituals for all of life's sacred transitions.  Emma's desire is to meet each individual where they are and to help them honor experiences of transition, celebration or grief.  Emma's spirituality is shaped by the larger ecosystem and how we are called to be in community with each other. Outside of ministry and work, Emma can be found spending time with her family outside, gardening or hiking. Connect with Rev. EmmaVia her website: https://www.sacred-transition.com/, Facebook, or InstagramConnect with us!Sign up to receive a little Gospel in your inbox every Monday Morning with our weekly devotional.Check out our website for great resources, previous blog posts, and more.Get some Lady Preacher Podcast swag!Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook

For almost fifteen hundred years, the largest basilica in the world, Hagia Sophia, was at the spiritual centre of both the Christian and Muslim worlds. An architectural wonder, it inspired builders and designers of sacred spaces for centuries.Duration - 23:12Credit: NPR excerpt on 'The Sound of The Hagia Sophia, More Than 500 Years Ago.'Posted: August 13, 2023Highlights:Architectural features of the Hagia SophiaTransformation of the Hagia Sophia from a church to a mosqueHistorical and cultural significance of the Hagia SophiaAcoustic engineering of the Hagia SophiaUse of technology to explore the buildingSignificance of the Hagia Sophia as a sanctuary and safe harborStrategic location of Constantinople and its wallsParallels between the walls of Constantinople and modern geopoliticsShift in focus from cathedrals to skyscrapers and commercial structuresPower and influence of large institutions and organizations

Join us for our first in-person episode in many months! In this episode, we look at the philosophical ideas of the Church Fathers, the natures of Jesus Christ, the relationship of the Holy Trinity, and the authority of the Church. Focusing on figures like Origen, Cyril of Alexandria, Ambrose, and especially Augustine, we look at the early Church's answers to the false teachings of Arianism, Docetism, Nestorianism, Monarchianism, and more! We also manage to revive the age-old debate of whether or not God exists within time, this time focusing on if God is changeable in His perfection!Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/UlmtdOpinions

Let's court powerful ancient goddesses and learn to make them work in our lives. Beyond their engaging myths and histories, we'll understand the mystical Hellenistic world that honored these deities. You probably haven't heard of many of these deities like Atargatis and Epona, and you'll find new dimensions to renowned ones like Isis, Athena, Cybele, Aphrodite, and Tyche. Of course, we'll cover Holy Wisdom.Astral Guest – Jo Graham, author of Seven Goddesses of the Hellenistic World: Ancient Worship for Modern Times. Join the Virtual Alexandria AcademyThis is a partial show. For the interview's second half, please become a member or patron at Patreon.Get the simple, effective, and affordable Red Circle Private RSS Feed for all full shows:More information on JoGet the bookSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/aeon-byte-gnostic-radio/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Episode SummaryIn the second-part of our conversation about the Divine Feminine, we look at the ramifications of believing God is a guy. Institutional Christianity has given us God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, a triune male God with “He/Him” pronouns. And this male dominated theology has created a male dominator culture that manifests itself politically, socially, sexually, religiously, and economically in pragmatism, patriotism, persecution, capitalism, greed, aggression, egoism, hierarchy, oppression, exclusion, bigotry, ignorance, and emotionally stunted men. All of which has the planet on the brink of destruction. But what if we're wrong? What if God isn't a guy after all? And how would seeing God in female form change the way we understand ourselves and the world around us?Rediscovering the Divine female attributes of God is one of the first steps toward our collective liberation from the dominant power structures that rule our lives. In this episode, we uncover all the ways God is referenced in female language throughout Scripture and church history. We also look at Jesus' primordial identity as Holy Wisdom, or the Sophia of God, making the historical Jesus the personification of the Divine Feminine. Quotables“If God is male, the male is God.”“Domination of women has provided a key link, both socially and symbolically, to the domination of earth.”“The symbolic evidence of women's invisibility in the human race is most clear perhaps in her suppression, her camouflage, her negation even in language. Women are subsumed, excised, erased by male pronouns, by male terminology, by male prayers, even by exclusively male images of God.”“There has always been a vocal minority recognizing the many pronouns for God, including “He/Him,” “She/Her,” “They/Them.”“All Language about God is metaphorical, but those metaphors matter.”“One of the most ancient metaphorical understandings and expressions of Divinity is God as womb of the world.”“How can women be made in the image of God if God cannot be imagined in female form?”“What does God do all day long? God gives birth. From all eternity God lies on a maternity bed giving birth.”“Sophia is the first of God's works, God's female companion in the creation of the cosmos.”“Sophia became flesh and dwelt among us.”“Just as God is our Father, so God is also our Mother.”Please follow us on social media (use the buttons below) and help us get the word out! (Also, please don't hesitate to use any of these channels or email to contact us with any questions, concerns, or feedback.)If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review

Grace to you and peace from God our parent, Jesus our Savior, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Ahh yes, the Beatitudes, one of the passages of the Gospel that everyone seems to have heard and many love it. A nice passage providing hope for the future, even possibly for after we die and are joined with the saints in the heavenly kin-dom. A passage letting us know that even if things aren't all that great here on Earth, that they will be much better once we are with God. Or is it?  Is this what it is about?  I think there is a lot more here. Just like much of Jesus's life and preaching, Jesus was being counter-cultural here. He was going against everything that society, religion, and government was telling people. Wealth, religious piety in high positions in the church, power, strength, fighting for what they thought was right, forcing people into their ways, happiness - were all things society, then, and still today, values as a whole. In other parts of the Gospel, John the Baptist and others tell people to repent, which means to turn around. They were being told - “Hey - you are going the wrong way - you are on the wrong path - turn around!” They were being told that they were living their lives not as God intended. In today's Gospel, the message changes to tell us which people are blessed. As Pastor Ellen very nicely explains in her study guide for today's readings, “Jesus begins his message, the inaugural address of his ministry, by saying, “Blessed.”  Now, the Jewish people really knew their Hebrew scripture and they knew the Psalms. They knew that the great Law Psalm, Psalm 1, begins with exactly the same word, blessed.  You see, Psalm 1 begins like this, “Blessed is the one who walks not in the way of the wicked but in the way of the Lord.”  And ashar, the Hebrew word for blessed, really means something like ‘You are on the right road.'” So we are switching from telling people that they are on the wrong road - to telling us who is on the right road, the right path, headed in the right direction - and it isn't anything like what society is telling people. The ones on the right path are those who are poor in spirit - maybe they feel like they aren't worshiping correctly, or don't have the resources to worship as society tells them they should. Those who want righteousness and peace, not war and violence. Those who are truly pure in heart - not just putting on a show for others. The ones who were probably shunned or outcast from society because of who they were and what they believed in or had the means to do, were now being told that they are on the right path, they are blessed. Also to note is that who is described as blessed tends to be based on who they are, not what they do.  “Blessed are the merciful”, not “blessed are those who show or act with mercy”. “Blessed are the pure in heart” not “blessed are those who act correctly”. This is showing that we are on the right path, blessed, by being true to who God created us to be, not because of doing what we think are the right things to please God. As noted in today's Micah reading, the people of God often had it wrong as to what would please the Lord - they think that offerings of a calf, or thousands of rams, or ten thousands of rivers of oil would please the Lord. However, they are told that isn't what the Lord wants - all that is required is “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Also, the promises for us, are for us now - not for some far off future. We often think of the kin-dom of God or the kin-dom of Heaven as where we'll go when we die, but as we pray in the Lord's Prayer “your kin-dom come”, we are calling for the kin-dom to come to us here, in our lives today, as has been promised to us. It may be hard to see the comfort or mercy or inheritance we receive now when we are on the right path because it is often hidden by society and the ways of the world, but the promise is there for us now, and if we open our hearts and minds to receive it, we'll start seeing it amidst the turmoil of the world. So the Gospel is telling people that they are blessed, on the right path, because of who God created them to be, even though society says otherwise. We have all been called blessed in our baptism, not through our actions. We are all God's children because of who we are since we were created whole as a child of God. So how does this pertain to us today? Before we get there - a brief story about me. You all know me as “Rich”.  However, that isn't my only name.  My legal name is “Richard” and that is what I use when signing legal documents and in more formal situations. Although I don't remember it, I'm sure I was baptized as “Richard” as well. When I was a baby and infant - up until I started kindergarten, I was called “Ricky”. Then, and this is one of the strange things I remember from my childhood, after church one Sunday, by the coat rack, my dad talked to me and said that I'd be starting school soon and if I had thoughts about what I wanted to be called in school - and I decided on “Richard.”  So in elementary, middle, and part of high school, I was “Richard.”  Then somehow in high school my friends started calling me “Rich,” even though I still used “Richard” for everything.  Well, “Rich” stuck around and I eventually started using it myself, and that is who I am today.  Except for my family.  My family still calls me “Rick.” Oh yeah, and occasionally growing up when I wasn't behaving the right way, my name became a very stern “Richard Dale”.  So here I am, one person, the exact same person God created me to be, with a handful of names over the years. And God is like that. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, Creator, Holy Ghost, Jesus, Savior, Abba, Teacher, Servant, Holy Wisdom, and so many more names - all referring to our one God. In Islamic scripture it says they have 99 names for God, but when they list out the names, there are more than that.  So while God has many names, each name looking at a different aspect of God, there is still one God. Different names don't change who God is, God is still God. During the transfiguration of Jesus we are told, “And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” [Luke 9:29] yet even with his drastic change in appearance, the disciples knew who Jesus was. The appearance of Jesus was just that - his appearance, who Jesus is, didn't change. Just like me - I didn't always have a beard and I used to have more hair on the top of my head, that has changed. I wear different clothing. None of that changes who I am, a child of God. I was created whole, and that stays the same. So, names and appearances don't change who we are or who God is. The nature of who we are is always the same - a child of God, exactly how we were created whole. Many things about us may change, a little bit or drastically, over the years, but the very nature of “self” remains the same. So, the beatitudes today. Just as Jesus was counter-cultural and declared people to be on the right path, declare them blessed, for who they are, against what society said of them - that is the call of us as proclaimers of Christ today. To be counter-cultural today and proclaim God's unconditional love for all, to proclaim that people are created whole as a child of God, and are on the right path, are blessed. We live in a society that wants to call gay, lesbian, and bisexual people as groomers and proclaim they are corrupting our youth. That transgender people are perverts and against God's nature and that they shouldn't exist or participate in society. That our black and brown siblings should go back where they came from, they aren't welcome here, and that they are criminals and their lives don't matter. That our Asian American siblings are also not welcome here, that they come from countries that bring disease, and do nothing but cause problems. That Native Americans should adopt “our ways” and be happy with small pieces of land we “give” to them. Our society constantly vilifies these people, declares they are all on the wrong path and need to repent. Society is often against these people so much that society will often murder them either directly or indirectly by not providing the care they need. This is where we, as proclaimers of Christ, come in - we must proclaim to these people the true message, the counter-cultural message, that they are loved, they are children of God, not because of anything they do, but simply because they are God's children. They are created whole in God's image and they are blessed. Living into the person God created us to be is what puts us on the right path with God. In case my message wasn't clear before when stating that names and appearances don't change who we truly are, I am talking about our transgender siblings here. God loves our transgender siblings for exactly who they are, who they were created to be, a beloved child of God. From before birth and continuing forever, God loves them for who they are. No matter what appearance they have today, yesterday, or tomorrow; no matter what name or pronouns they use, and no matter how often they might change - God loves them, and all of us, for our very being. Declaring God's truth of God's unconditional love and proclaiming it to the world, shouting “You are blessed” to everyone that society calls “other” or  “unwanted” is hard work. As Jesus showed, very hard work - to the point that going against society, religious leaders, and the government got him murdered.  Yes - to fully live into God's call to us can be risky. Fully living into our call is what is needed if we are going to stick to the truth of our call as stated in Micah 6:8, to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. No doubt this is hard work, no doubt we are going to get it wrong, but that is where the good news comes in - we have been given grace by God, through our faith in Jesus, so that we can do this work.  As my friend Pastor Rachel Laughlin mentioned in a comment on Facebook recently, “Grace isn't a pass for not trying. ‘Should we continue in sin so that grace may abound? By no means!' writes Paul in Romans 6:1-2. Grace is freedom to boldly strive to do justice and mercy and love our neighbors even when we aren't sure how to do those things well. It is freedom to fail at all of it, then try again and again and again as we learn and grow.” We have been created whole by God, every single one of us, we are blessed by being God's children and living fully into who God created us to be, let us go and boldly strive to continue to proclaim that to all. Amen.

Part 20 Church in the Middle Ages 3 Today we continue looking there by looking at the man Thomas Aquinas before going on to see the Eastern and Western Churches fall apart spectacularly. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Thomas Aquinas was born in Italy in 1225. Starting his clerical career with the Dominicans, he quickly established himself as a theologian and philosopher of note. Indeed, he is perhaps the greatest theologian of this period. Aquinas was well noted for being an orator and debater, renowned for having a keen and quick intellect. With his intellect, he continued to attempt to reconcile faith with reason and the Scriptures. He also sought to prove the existence of God and developed the 'Five Ways', a system of natural theology. Here is a very crude summary of the “Five Ways” taken from his work “Summa Theologica”. 1. The first way is an argument from motion. It is certain, and in accordance with sense experience, that some things in this world are moved. He concludes with this section with: We are therefore bound to arrive at a first mover which is not moved by anything, and all men understand that this is God. 2. The second way is from the nature of an efficient cause. We find that there is a sequence of efficient causes in sensible things. He concludes this section with: We are therefore bound to suppose that there is a first efficient cause. And all men call this God. 3. The third way is from the nature of possibility and necessity. There are some things which may either exist or not exist, since some things come to be and pass away, and may therefore be or not be. He concludes this section with: We are therefore bound to suppose something necessary in itself, which does not owe its necessity to anything else, but which is the cause of the necessity of other things. And all men call this God. 4. The fourth way is from the degrees that occur in things, which are found to be more and less good, true, noble, and so on. He concludes this section with: There is therefore something which is the cause of the being of all things that are, as well as of their goodness and their every perfection. This we call God. 5. The fifth way is from the governance of things. We see how some things, like natural bodies, work for an end even though they have no knowledge. He concludes this section with: There is therefore an intelligent being by whom all natural things are directed to their end. This we call God. Thomism (Aquinas theology) was declared eternally valid by the Pope in 1879. You can download a copy of perhaps Aquinas' greatest work, 'Summa Theologica' freely at Christian Classics Ethereal Library Here is one of his prayers. You will see the richness of his theology and faith – much of which formed our theology today! Perhaps you can pray it, even now! A prayer of Thomas Aquinas O Almighty and all-knowing God, Who is without beginning or end! Who is the giver, preserver, and rewarder of all virtue! Grant me to stand firm on the solid foundation of faith, be protected by the invincible shield of hope, and be adorned by the nuptial garment of charity. Grant me by justice to obey you, by prudence to resist the crafts of the Devil, by temperance to hold to moderation, by fortitude to bear adversity with patience. Grant that the goods I have I may share liberally with those who have not, and the goods which I do not have I may seek with humility from those who have. Grant that I may truly recognise the guilt of the evil I have done, and bear with equanimity the punishments I have deserved; that I may never lust after the goods of my neighbour, but always give thanks to you for all thy good gifts. Plant in me, O Lord, all thy virtues, that in divine matters I might be devout, in human affairs wise, and in the proper needs of the flesh onerous to no one. And grant that I may never rush to do things hastily, nor balk to do things demanding, so that I neither yearn for things too soon, nor desert things before they are finished. Eastern Orthodox Church During this time there was also upheaval coming in the Eastern church. The Slavic nations of Eastern Europe were Christianised during the 10th & 12th centuries. Christianity spread to Russia in the 10th century. According to legend, the prince Vladimir sent envoys to investigate Islam, Judaism & Christianity. They were so impressed with Christianity in Constantinople, that Vladimir ordered a mass baptism of Russians. We saw earlier in this series, how the Eastern and Western churches were moving apart. Now we approach the official parting of ways. In the year 1054, papal representatives of Pope Leo XV entered the Church of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople. Cardinal Humbert was sent initially to work out a conciliatory agreement with the Eastern Orthodox leadership. However, while the Russian emperor was willing, the Patriarch Michael Cerularius was intractable. With similar personalities and intolerance, Ceralarius and Humbert clashed. The clash provoked Humber to issue an official document which excommunicated the Eastern Church from the Roman Catholic Church. Humber and his colleagues marched into Constantinople's Church of Holy Wisdom and issued a Papal document excommunicating the Eastern Church. The impact of this is still felt even today. But a greater chasm was to come to the Roman Catholic church, and we will see that later in our series. Tap or click here to download this as an audio mp3 file

Committing to the way of the sacred feminine means making time for silence and reflection, and tending to our inner lives. Christine Valters Paintner believes that embracing the wisdom of Mary the Blessed Mother and her many faces is one way to welcome the sacred feminine into our lives. She's here to share familiar and unfamiliar names of Mary, expressed as archetypes that are shared across cultures … to open pathways of creativity, healing, and justice. Christine Valters Paintner, PhD and Registered Expressive Arts Consultant/Educator,  is the online Abbess of abbeyofthearts.com, a virtual monastery and global community. The Abbey offers online programs and retreats to help integrate contemplative practice and creative expression. Christine is the author of 18 books on spirituality including her most recent, Birthing the Holy: Wisdom of Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal.

Committing to the way of the sacred feminine means making time for silence and reflection, and tending to our inner lives. Christine Valters Paintner believes that embracing the wisdom of Mary the Blessed Mother and her many faces is one way to welcome the sacred feminine into our lives. She's here to share familiar and unfamiliar names of Mary, expressed as archetypes that are shared across cultures … to open pathways of creativity, healing, and justice. Christine Valters Paintner, PhD and Registered Expressive Arts Consultant/Educator, is the online Abbess of abbeyofthearts.com, a virtual monastery and global community. The Abbey offers online programs and retreats to help integrate contemplative practice and creative expression. Christine is the author of 18 books on spirituality including her most recent, Birthing the Holy: Wisdom of Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal.

All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: Magnificat by Simon de Voil from Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 14 by Rev. Christine Robinson Reading of the Night from Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, Jesus: Miriam's Child, Sophia's Prophet (New York: Continuum, 1994), 187. Closing Song: Litany of Mary by Tomás Pascual (1595-1635), adapted by Laura Ash, from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine Closing Blessing written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: Calling Maria by Alexa Sunshine Rose from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine First Reading from Elizabeth A. Johnson, Truly Our Sister: A Theology of Mary in the Communion of Saints. New York: Continuum (2009) page 78-79. Sung Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 17 by Rev. Christine Robinson Second Reading from Joy Cowley, Modern Magnificat Prayers of Concern written by Polly Paton-Brown SUNG RESPONSE based on Litany of Mary by Laura Ash. Adapted & recorded by Simon de Voil and Alexa Sunshine Rose. Closing Song: Mother Earth by Betsey Beckman from the album Earth, Our Original Monastery: Singing Our Way to the Sacred Closing Blessing: written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

The Woman Wisdom stands at the crossroads, calling all to listen and learn. Her teachings are an invitation to wonder at creation and to approach life with a spirit of discovery. How can we become wiser by seeing creation through the eyes of wonder? What is God's Wisdom trying to teach us?This weeks message of the week comes from Pastor Abigail Ozanne who highlights the feminine attributes of the Trinity and shares her own story of learning and wisdom.

Psalm 8 John 16: 12-15

Psalm 8 John 16: 12-15

All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: We Are Bringing God to Birth by Betsey Beckman from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine First Reading from Elizabeth A. Johnson, Truly Our Sister. (New York: Continuum, 2009), 34 Sung Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 93 by Rev. Christine Robinson Second Reading from The Gospel According to Luke (2:6-7 – NRSV) Prayers of Concern written by Valerie Allen SUNG RESPONSE based on Litany of Mary by Laura Ash. Adapted & recorded by Simon de Voil and Alexa Sunshine Rose. Closing Song: Behold, I Make All Things New by Alana Levandoski from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Closing Blessing written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

ll songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: Maria Wanders Through the Thorns (traditional) sung by Kristy Karen Smith from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 87 by Rev. Christine Robinson Reading of the Night from Cardinal John Henry Newman Closing Song: Litany of Guadalupe by Tomás Pascual (1595-1635), adapted by Laura Ash, from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine Closing Blessing written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: Requiem by Eliza Gilkyson (sung by Simon de Voil) from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine First Reading from Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Untie the Strong Woman (Boulder, CO: Sounds True, 2011), 34 Sung Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 119 v. 25-49 by Rev. Christine Robinson Second Reading from The Gospel According to John (19:25b-27 – NRSV) Prayers of Concern written by Valerie Allen SUNG RESPONSE based on Litany of Mary by Laura Ash. Adapted & recorded by Simon de Voil and Alexa Sunshine Rose Closing Song: Listening to My Sighing by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Closing Blessing written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: Viriditas by Betsey Beckman from the album Singing with Saints and Mystics Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 65 by Rev. Christine Robinson Reading of the Night from Courtney Hall Lee, Black Madonna: A Womanist Look at Mary of Nazareth (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017,) Closing Song: O Viridissima Virga written by Hildegard of Bingen (sung by Laura Ash) from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine Closing Blessing written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: Black Madonna by Soyinka Rahim from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 102 by Rev. Christine Robinson Reading of the Night from Marion Woodman and Elinor Dickinson, Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Consciousness. Shambala (1997), 7. Closing Blessing written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Closing Song: I am Here by Deírdre Ni Chennéide from the album The Soul's Slow Ripening: Songs for Celtic Seekers Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: In the Silence by John Coleman from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living First Reading from Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude Sung Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 46 by Rev. Christine Robinson Second Reading from The Gospel According to Luke (2:16-20 -NRSV) Prayers of Concern written by Valerie Allen SUNG RESPONSE based on Litany of Mary by Laura Ash. Adapted & recorded by Simon de Voil and Alexa Sunshine Rose Closing Song: Our Lady of Silence by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine Closing Blessing: written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: Stella Maris by Gina Salā on the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine First Reading from Bernard of Clairvaux, Homilies in Praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary, (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1993), 30. Sung Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 123 by Rev. Christine Robinson Second Reading: The Gospel According to Matthew (2:9-11 -NRSV) Prayers of Concern written by Polly Paton-Brown SUNG RESPONSE based on Litany of Mary by Laura Ash. Adapted & recorded by Simon de Voil and Alexa Sunshine Rose Closing Song: Deep Peace by Sara Thomsen from the album The Soul's Slow Ripening: Songs for Celtic Seekers Closing Blessing: written by Christine Valters Paintner  from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and  Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion).  Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: If in Your Heart by Ana Hernández from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 71 by Rev. Christine Robinson Reading of the Night from 2 Corinthians 4:7, NRSV Closing Song:  O Sun by Peter Mayer on the album Earth, Our Original Monastery: Singing Our Way to the Sacred Closing Poem by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and  Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion).  Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

CREDITS All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: Undo Me by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine First Reading: Thomas Merton, Seven-Storey Mountain (New York: Harcourt Publishing, 1948), 143. Sung Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 26 by Rev. Christine Robinson Second Reading: The Gospel According to John (2:1-5 - NRSV) Prayers of Concern written by Polly Paton-Brown SUNG RESPONSE based on Litany of Mary by Laura Ash. Adapted & recorded by Simon de Voil and Alexa Sunshine Rose Closing Song: Prayer of St. Francis by Simon de Voil from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Closing Blessing: written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

CREDITS All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: Hail Mary by Alana Levandoski from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 122 by Rev. Christine Robinson Reading of the Night Adapted from Clear Qur'an 3:42-49 Closing Song: Litany of Mary by Laura Ash from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine Closing Blessing by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

CREDITS All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: Mary, Queen of Angels by Lorraine Bayes from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine First Reading from St. Bonaventure Sung Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 20 by Rev. Christine Robinson Second Reading from The Gospel of Luke (1:26-28) NRSV Prayers of Concern written by Polly Paton-Brown SUNG RESPONSE based on Litany of Mary by Laura Ash. Adapted & recorded by Simon de Voil and Alexa Sunshine Rose Closing Song: Archangel Invocation by Simon de Voil from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Closing Blessing: written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

CREDITS All songs and texts used with permission Opening Prayer written by Christine Valters Paintner, arranged by Melinda Thomas Opening Song: Ave Maria by Simon de Voil from the album Birthing the Holy: Singing with Mary and the Sacred Feminine Psalm Opening and Doxology by Richard Bruxvoort Colligan from the album Monk in the World: Songs for Contemplative Living Interpretation of Psalm 16 by Rev. Christine Robinson Reading of the Night Burke, Mariann, Re-Imagining Mary,( Sheridan, WY: Fisher King Press, 2009,) 26 Closing Song: Hail Mary by Betsey Beckman from the album Singing with Monks and Mystics Closing Blessing written by Christine Valters Paintner from Birthing the Holy: Wisdom from Mary to Nurture Creativity and Renewal used with permission from Ave Maria Press Please note: All of the songs and prayer responses are published on CDs in the Abbey of the Arts collection. In addition, these songs & responses have accompanying gesture prayers and/or dances created by Betsey Beckman that can be found on the corresponding DVD (each album has a DVD companion). Audio and video recordings of the Prayer Cycles are available at AbbeyoftheArts.com.

3rd Eye Salon:►Thanks: https://ko-fi.com/3rdeyesalon/ (Buy 3rd Eye Salon a Coffee!)►Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3rdeyesalon►Homepage: https://www.3rdeyesalon.com/►Telegram: https://t.me/ThirdEyeSalon►Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3rd-eye-salon/id1603899554►Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YartXNwExBpXdHDsVOehr?si=eb8066da1b03445fTanis Helliwell founded the International Institute for Transformation (IIT) in 2000, offering programs to assist individuals to become conscious creators to work with the spiritual and natural laws that govern our world. In Germany and Switzerland she worked with psychiatrists and doctors pioneering healing psychological wounds through using higher states of consciousness.Her books include Hybrids: So you think you are human, Summer with the Leprechauns, Pilgrimage with the Leprechauns, Take Your Soul to Work, Manifest Your Soul's Purpose, Decoding Your Destiny: Keys to humanity's spiritual transformation, High Beings of Hawaii: Encounters with mystical ancestors. Tanis has spoken at conferences including The Science and Consciousness Conference, The World Future Society in Washington, DC; Spirit and Business conferences in Boston, Toronto, Vancouver and Mexico. She's also presented at Findhorn, Hollyhock, A.R.E. Edgar Cayce, Alice Bailey and Anthroposophical events.In addition to spiritual workshops, she worked consecutively for 30 years as a consultant to businesses, universities and government to create healthy organizations, and to help people develop their personal and professional potential. She was a faculty member of the Banff Centre for Leadership for over 20 years and numbered IBM, and many medical, social service and environmental agencies among her clients. Both in corporate and spiritual work, Tanis is committed to helping people to develop right relationships with themselves, others and the Earth. For more information see www.myspiritualtransformation.com (in English/German/ Spanish) and www.tanishelliwell.comTanis Helliwell:www.facebook.com/Tanis.Helliwelltanis@tanishelliwell.comhttps://www.myspiritualtransformation.com/CoHost: Angela AndersonHomepage: https://www.energyofoneness.com/aboutYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR4G3I3YCJKfHMtRLmxTcVwInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/energy.of.onenessFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/energy.of.onenessTo book a Session: https://onenessworksllc.simplybook.me/v2/ ★ Support this podcast ★

The building that has become iconic in Istanbul, today was consecrated as a church 'The Holy Wisdom',  Under the Ottomans it became a mosque, Attaturk turned into a museum and Erdogan has turned it back into a mosque

In this episode of the Gnostic Warrior Radio Show and Podcast, I have the pleasure of interviewing scholar and author, James Brantingham. James is the author of a new book called The Wisdom and The Holy Logos of God and several other books. This podcast was also done with my co-host, Miguel Conner of Aeon Byte Radio.

Fr. John discusses Wisdom in the Catholic tradition, and cultivating it with the remembrance of our final end.

Belief in angelic or human-bird/avianoid as a messenger between the divine and humans is found in the Abrahamic, ancient Greek, Mesopotamian and Egyptian records, and worldwide among shamanic and animistic peoples. Are these beings real or just mortal projections? Or in between? We traveled to prehistoric and ancient history to find out. We were joined by Bernie Taylor, author of Before Orion: Finding the Face of the Hero. The show got very Jungian archetypal, alternative archeological, and just awe-inspiring. And Bigfoot made a lot of appearances, for some reason.As mentioned in the intro, get Holy Wisdom and the Logos of God by James Brantingham on Kindle. Only 99 cents through the month of October! https://amzn.to/3onH0OEThis is a partial show. For the second half of the interview, please become a member or patron at Patreon. Get the simple, effective, and affordable Private RSS feed for all full shows: Exclusive Aeon Byte Podcast Feed | RedCircleMore information on BernieListen to Bernie's past interview on Aeon ByteGet Bernie's bookSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/aeon-byte-gnostic-radio/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

John introduces this year's theme for the season of creation, - A home for all? Renewing the Oikos of God – joining worldwide church in responding to God's invitation to work together to renew our world as an interconnected and interdependent global beloved community.This week invite us to join in praying, using the Season of Creation Prayer Season of Creation 2021 Prayer Creator of All, We are grateful that from your communion of love you created our planet to be a home for all. By your Holy Wisdom you made the Earth to bring forth a diversity of living beings that filled the soil, water, and air. Each part of creation praises you in their being, and cares for one another from our place in the web of life. With the Psalmist, we sing your praise that in your house “even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young.” We remember that you call human beings to keep your garden in ways that honour the dignity of each creature and conserve their place in the abundance of life on Earth. But we know that our will to power pushes the planet beyond her limits. Our consumption is out of harmony and rhythm with Earth's capacity to heal herself. Habitats are left barren or lost. Species are lost and systems fail. Where reefs and burrows, mountaintops and ocean deeps once teemed with life and relationships, wet and dry deserts lie empty, as if uncreated. Human families are displaced by insecurity and conflict, migrating in search of peace. Animals flee fires, deforestation, and famine, wandering in search of a new place to find a home to lay their young and live. In this Season of Creation, we pray that the breath of your creative Word would move our hearts, as in the waters of our birth and baptism. Give us faith to follow Christ to our just place in the beloved community. Enlighten us with the grace to respond to your covenant and call to care for our common home. In our tilling and keeping, gladden our hearts to know that we participate with your Holy Spirit to renew the face of your Earth, and safeguard a home for all. In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ. Amen.The notes for this sermon can be found here

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost COLLECT Collect O God of love your embrace includes everyone: open our hearts and minds to your generous will That in what we say and do we proclaim Christ's love And serve the needs of our neighbours; Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen. Reading from Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 1 If you have to choose between a good reputation and great wealth, choose a good reputation. 2 The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD made them both. Reading from James 2: 1-10, 5 Listen, my dear friends! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him. THE GOSPEL according to Mark 7: 24-37 24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 28 But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 29 Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go--the demon has left your daughter." Creator of All, we are grateful that from your communion of love you created our planet to be a home for all. By your Holy Wisdom you made the Earth to bring forth a diversity of living beings that filled the soil, water and air. Each part of creation praises you in their being, and cares for one another from our place in the web of life. With the Psalmist, we sing your praise that in your house “even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young.” We remember that you call human beings to keep your garden in ways that honour the dignity of each creature and conserve their place in the abundance of life on Earth. But we know that our will to power pushes the planet beyond her limits. Our consumption is out of harmony and rhythm with Earth's capacity to heal herself. Habitats are left barren or lost. Species are lost and systems fail. Where reefs and burrows, mountaintops and ocean deeps once teemed with life and relationships, wet and dry deserts lie empty, as if uncreated. Human families are displaced by insecurity and conflict, migrating in search of peace. Animals flee fires, deforestation and famine, wandering in search of a new place to find a home to lay their young and live. In this Season of Creation, we pray that the breath of your creative Word would move our hearts, as in the waters of our birth and baptism. Give us faith to follow Christ to our just place in the beloved community. Enlighten us with the grace to respond to your covenant and call to care for our common home. In our tilling and keeping, gladden our hearts to know that we participate with your Holy Spirit to renew the face of your Earth, and safeguard a home for all. In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ. BLESSING Go out in love, reconciled to one another in Christ. Lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. Live honourably, fulfilling the law through love for all. And may God mark you out for salvation; May Christ Jesus be present among you always, And may the Holy Spirit reconcile you to one another and fulfil the law of love among you. COMMISSIONING Go in peace with courage, to love and serve the Lord. Amen, Amen, Amen In the name of Christ. Amen. Amen, Amen.

“Holy Wisdom cries out, ‘You that are simple, come and share my table! Walk in the way of wisdom and live!” Why are the simplest things the hardest?! There is only one commandment: LOVE. But working out that commandment is a life-long—lives-long!—journey. Is it really that complicated, or are we just... simple? (Proverbs 9:1-6)The Congregational Church of Needham strives to be a radically inclusive, justice-seeking, peace- making, love-affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ in Needham, MA. Find us on the web at www.NeedhamUCC.org and join us for worship LIVE! in-person and via Zoom, Sundays @ 10am EDT.

 Many years ago, I had very less money and there was a cheap flight to Turkey about $100 from Bremen/Germany…This was my first trip to Turkey; I had read some Sufi books from a British Author who traveled to Turkey…I flew to Istanbul… It blew me away…I visited the huge Moshes like the previous Cathedral Holy Wisdom…  The St. Peter's Basilica of the Vatican is just meaningless if we compare it with the Holy Wisdom…I saw Diamonds in the size of my fist owned by the Sultan …His Harem had 5000 women… And I was also in the Turkish Steam bath…Then I traveled by buses to Antalya, I got invited again and again… And I loved the fresh figs.Turkey is one of the most interesting country in the world… Hard to beat!From Antalya I went to Konya.In the bus there was running these disgusting killing, - brutal -horror movies, even I closed my eyes, but then I could not see the mountains… It was sunset, the light dawned, the movie stopped and we heard the praising of Allah from the loud speaker… We were approaching Konya…The bus went down the mountains and there was over the whole city a light, like the north light in the very North of Europe…I could not believe that… We had already night, it was pitch dark, but over the city, there was this magic light…And we heard the praising of Allah…It was so magical… I never will forget that. I could see that magic light every night. Next day, I went to the Monastery of Rumi, where the Sufis were whirling to connect with Allah… The Rumi Monastery is charged with spiritual energy… I went directly in meditation mood…The magic of Turkey, the friendly people and the good music…If we see then the news from Turkey… Only negative stuff, the big inflation, … Who cares if the people are friendly, the country is exotic and amazing…?As a couchsurfer I hosted quite a lot of Turkish women… Did they had been suppressed? Why they could travel alone?Even why they slept in a house with a single man? It is all rubbish what the press is telling from Turkey!!!    My Video: Episode 28 I saw the Light in Konya https://youtu.be/_5ugU-DbRZcMy Audio: https://console.aws.amazon.com/s3/object/rudizimmerer?region=ap-southeast-1&prefix=6/Episode+28+I+saw+the+Light+in+Konya.mp3

I. Believers prove they fear God by their righteous, gentle lifestyle (3:13) II. Holy Seed: Believers Embrace God’s Holy Wisdom (3:17) III. Transformed Heart: Genuine Believers will Reflect God as They Bless Others (3:17b) IV. Righteous Fruit: Righteousness is the Harvest of Peacemakers (3:18) V. Challenge: Which Source of Wisdom Have You Embraced? Need to Embrace?

I. Believers prove they fear God by their righteous, gentle lifestyle (3:13) II. Holy Seed: Believers Embrace God’s Holy Wisdom (3:17) III. Transformed Heart: Genuine Believers will Reflect God as They Bless Others (3:17b) IV. Righteous Fruit: Righteousness is the Harvest of Peacemakers (3:18) V. Challenge: Which Source of Wisdom Have You Embraced? Need to Embrace?

"Holy Wisdom, Lamp of Learning" Author: Ruth C. Duck Meter: 8.7.8.7 D Publication Date: 2005 Copyright: © Pilgrim Press "Let Your Mercy Be On Us, O Lord" © 1987, 1994, GIA Publications, Inc.; Refrain I trans. © 1969, ICEL "Celtic Alleluia" Verse text: based on the Te Deum. Music and verses text © 1985, Fintan O'Carroll and Christopher Walker. Published by OCP, 5536 NE Hassalo, Portland, OR 97213. All rights reserved. All music reproduced and streamed with permission from ONE LICENSE, license #A-723939. Musicians: Thomas Conroy - organist and Fred Walter - Cantor Celebrant: Fr. Joe Keenan Today's readings (via USCCB): https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070421.cfm For more information regarding the announcement of our merged parishes, visit our parish website at MaryQueenofPeacePGH.org.

House of Joppa's small rosaries are the perfect size for your purse, backpack or Mass bag when you are on-the-go. This rosary is handmade by the Monastic Sisters in Lourdes, France. Click here to check it out. The Holy Rosary is THE weapon of choice in spiritual warfare and in striving to grow in holiness. Never forget the amazing power of our Mother's intercession. Learn more about the rosary here. God bless you! Find the full prayer below. Monday: JOYFUL Tuesday: SORROWFUL Wednesday: GLORIOUS Thursday: LUMINOUS Friday: SORROWFUL Saturday: JOYFUL Sundays of Advent and Christmas: JOYFUL Sundays of Lent: SORROWFUL Other Sundays: GLORIOUS The Glorious Mysteries The Resurrection. Fruit of the Mystery: Faith The Ascension. Fruit of the Mystery: Hope, Desire to Ascend to Heaven The Descent of the Holy Spirit. Fruit of the Mystery: Love of God, Holy Wisdom to know the truth and share it with everyone, Divine Charity, Worship of the Holy Spirit The Assumption of Mary. Fruit of the Mystery: Union with Mary and True Devotion to Mary The Coronation of the Virgin. Fruit of the Mystery: Perseverance and an Increase in Virtue (Trust in Mary's Intercession) The Holy Rosary Make the Sign of the Cross. Holding the Crucifix, say the Apostles' Creed. On the first bead, say an Our Father. Say one Hail Mary on each of the next three beads. Say the Glory Be. For each of the five decades, announce the Mystery (perhaps followed by a brief reading from Scripture) then say the Our Father. While fingering each of the ten beads of the decade, next say ten Hail Marys while meditating on the Mystery. Then say a Glory Be and the Fatima Prayer, O My Jesus. After saying the five decades, say the Hail, Holy Queen, followed by this dialogue and prayer: V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray: O God, whose Only Begotten Son, by his life, Death, and Resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. Make the Sign of the Cross. Don't forget to follow or subscribe to us on your favorite podcast platform to be notified when new prayers are released! If you have any specific prayer intentions, questions, or feedback for The Prayer Podcast, please check out: theprayerpodcast.fm/welcome to connect with us or sign up to be a part of our prayer chain email list. If you are interested in supporting this ministry, please visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/theprayerpodcast. Thank you and may God bless you!

Congratulations Dear Holy Nights traveler - you have made it beyond the threshold – past the 9 Angelic realms, into the Sphere of the Holy Spirit! O Holy Sophia, Holy Wisdom, Holy Joy, hidden for so long Come forth and reveal yourself in the world and in our souls! Help us to see with a loving eye Help us to hear with wit and intuition Show us how to be natural and kind Show us how to find ourselves in one another Lead us from who we think we are to who we really are. Let us learn from the flowers that we need not strive so hard. Teach us to allow that Light from within To unfold us, as a gift, like your lily, or the Rose. ~Alice O Howell --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hazel-archer-ginsberg/message

"One Question with Pastor Adam" is back for Season 2, and is now a Facebook Live show in addition to being a podcast! Tune in to the live broadcast on the Raven Foundation Facebook page on Thursdays at 2p CT. Podcast episodes will become available the following Monday.Have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? Submit it via email to aericksen@ravenfoundation.org.Also, be sure to download our FREE resource "Am I Scapegoating? A Practical Guide": https://bit.ly/Free-Scapegoating-Ebook

Music: "Holy Wisdom, Lamp of Learning" Contributors: Rosalee Elser Tune: harm. Rosalee Elser, © 1980 Community of Christ "As We Gather At Your Table" Contributors: Carl P. Daw, Jr. Text: © 1989, Hope Publishing Co. All music reproduced and streamed with permission from ONE LICENSE, license #A-723939. Musician: Thomas Conroy Celebrant: Fr. Michael Stumpf Lector: Thomas Conroy Today's readings (via USCCB): https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110820.cfm

An webinar lecture with Professor Torrance Kirby (McGill University), delivered August 11, 2020. Part of our summer webinar series on "Reason and Beauty in Renaissance Christian Thought and Culture," presented in collaboration with the American Cusanus Society Richard Hooker (1554-1600) was a preeminent theologian and philosopher of the Elizabethan Church. His seminal book, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1593), set out a path for Anglican theology that was distinct from both Puritan and Roman Catholic thought. In Book I, Hooker identifies Law with Holy Wisdom and his treatment echoes the sapiential books of Scripture, viz. Proverbs, Job, and the Wisdom of Solomon. Hooker also appeals to a hierarchical disposition of the species of law in the medieval scholastic conception of the ‘lex divinitatis', especially as formulated by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and later by Thomas Aquinas. For Hooker, the First Eternal Law concealed in the ‘Bosome of God' is unutterable, while its external emanation, the Second Eternal Law, is a ‘Voyce' whose utterance constitutes the beautiful ‘Harmony of the Worlde'. This distinction between two species of Eternal Law owes much to the ancient Neoplatonic metaphysics of Proclus. Both Hooker's sapiential theology and his invocation of the law of the ‘great chain' stand in creative tension with his professed adherence to doctrine expressed by the Elizabethan Articles of Religion (1571). In this webinar, Professor Torrance Kirby will examine the tension between Hooker's sources and his theology and will ask whether Hooker is successful in reconciling his legal metaphysics with his Reformed soteriology.

This episode analyzes the recurring concept of "Sophia" in Gnosticism and Orthodox Christian heresy, and how she relates to Carl Jung's idea of the Anima Archetype. The goal of this episode is to preserve Ecclesiastical beliefs regarding Mary (Theotokos), Holy Wisdom, and The Logos while creating a psychoanalytic framework that accounts for the hallucinations and mystical experiences reported by Christian Mystics.

Music: "Holy Wisdom, Lamp of Learning" Words: Ruth Duck (b. 1947)© 1996 The Pilgrim Press Music: The Sacred Harp, 1844; © 1980 Community of Christ "Ps. 27: The Lord is My Light" Tune: David Haas, © 1983, GIA Publications, Inc. Text: David Haas, © 1983, GIA Publications, Inc. "Only This I Want" Text based on Philippians 3:7-16; 2:15, 18. Text and music: Dan Schutte, © 1981, OCP. All rights reserved. "Eye Has Not Seen" Tune: Marty Haugen, © 1982, GIA Publications, Inc. Text: © 1982, GIA Publications, Inc. All music reproduced and streamed with permission from ONE LICENSE, license #A-723939. Musicians: Thomas Conroy & Amanda Bruce Homilist: Deacon Rich Longo Today's readings (via USCCB): http://cms.usccb.org/bible/readings/052420-day.cfm

For almost fifteen hundred years, the largest basilica in the world, Hagia Sophia, was at the spiritual centre of both the Christian and Muslim worlds. An architectural wonder, it inspired builders and designers of sacred spaces for centuries.Duration - 24:45Includes: NPR excerpt - The Sound Of The Hagia Sophia, More Than 500 Years Ago.

Both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures contain an abundance of wisdom on healing and wholeness that will help us lead a healthy, happy life. The Holy One continues to speak today in the sacred text of our lives. Each of us is called to be a living Word of God in our contemporary world- proclaiming divine love, peace, justice, healing and wholeness. We often read Scripture from an outsider's perspective, remaining at a distance from its teachings and stories, yet trying to comprehend its meaning for our lives. The Gospel of John invites us to make God's Word our dwelling place: "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples." (8:31). This implies that we are to become participants and open ourselves to Holy Wisdom speaking to us today through the sacred texts of scripture and of our lives. Entering into Scripture takes imagination. Through imagi­native prayer we walk inside the biblical passage to become one with those who are involved in the scene. Praying Scripture with the imagina­tion means entering into the details and emotions of the passage and listening as the Holy One speak from within the text. This form of prayer can help us experience fresh insight into living vibrant lives today. As we pray Scripture using the gift of our imagination, we can see ourselves in the various characters in the story. Deep within each of us there is a hunger for a close, personal relationship with the Holy One. Through Scripture we can begin to recognize the Creator's loving presence everywhere. A real transformation can occur as our personal oneness with the divine develops. We find a fresh spiritual way of thinking, and adopt the mind and heart of Christ.

A sermon by Jamie Howison on Proverbs 8:1-4,22-31 for Trinity Sunday

Holy Wisdom, Hagia Sophia, can teach us about God, and about ourselves.

Proverbs 8:1-31 -

In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing: The Reverend Doctor John Mabry. John was ordained to the Old Catholic ministry in 1991. He has served as an associate pastor — and later the solo pastor — of Grace North Church in Berkeley, California since 1993. Grace North Church is a Congregational church that worships in a more-or-less Anglican fashion. John was consecrated a bishop in 2007 for the Old Catholic Order of Holy Wisdom, he served that community until he retired from the episcopacy in 2012, when he was received into the United Church of Christ as a pastor. He continues to serve Grace North Church, now also received into the UCC, and also serves at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Oakland. He holds a master’s degree in Culture and Creation Spirituality from Holy Names College and a doctorate in Philosophy and Religion from the California Institute of Integral Studies, where he majored in Hinduism and minored in Taoism. John holds certificates in Anglican Studies, Spiritual Direction, and Spiritual Direction Supervision, and for the past sixteen years has directed the Interfaith Spiritual Direction Certificate Program at the Chaplaincy Institute — an interfaith seminary in Berkeley, CA — where he also teaches comparative theology. He has taught spirituality, Christian mysticism, world religions, and pastoral ministry at various graduate schools in the Bay Area. John is the author of over thirty books. He also owns and operates The Apocryphile Press, a small publishing house with more than 200 titles by 50 authors around the world. Among many other things, Apocryphile publishes many important books on Old Catholic history, theology, and practice. John is married to Doctor Lisa Fullam, a veterinarian turned-theologian who currently serves as Professor of Moral Theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA. They live in Oakland and have three lovely dogs. In his spare time, John sings in two Bay Area progressive rock bands, Metaphor and Mind Furniture, which between them have released five CDs of original material over the past twenty years. We talked about several things, including: Jurisdictionalism within the Independent Sacramental Movement. Christian Mysticism. John’s Blackfriar novels, “The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory.” And other subjects, you just need to listen. Links: Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine. This podcast is produced by The Community of Saint George (The Young Rite).

In this episode, I had the honor of interviewing: Bishop Carol Vaccariello who follows a Braided Way. In addition to being an Independent Catholic bishop, she is also ordained in the United Church of Christ and Christian Church – Disciples of Christ as well as a Creation Spirituality Elder. She is the founding Bishop of Ordo Hagia Sophia or Order of Holy Wisdom. Carol holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan.  A Master of Divinity degree from Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio.  And also has a Master of Business Administration from Baldwin- Wallace College, in Berea Ohio. Carol is a ritual artist, produced and directed Cosmic Masses; she co-directed the Doctor of Ministry program at the University of Creation Spirituality; she mentored the design of the first Creation Spirituality ordination program. Carol is an inspirational speaker, storyteller, sacred chanter, healer, spiritual director, retreat facilitator, Zen Still Point practitioner, and plant whisperer. In this episode, we talk about several things including: Her elevator speech. She once wrote, “Creation Spirituality is the foundation for my spiritual life.” She elaborates on what she means by that statement. She talks about her spiritual path as a braided way and talks about what she means by “braided way.” She describes her experience at the Basilica of the Black Madonna, in Sicily. She talks about the Order of Holy Wisdom. What it is and her involvement in the order and how is it unique. She talks about her greatest challenge within ministry. And finally, she talks about her greatest blessing within ministry. Links: Braided Way Magazine. Learn more about Carol. Learn even more about Carol. Carol's personal website. What is the Cosmic Mass? The TCM Experience. The Black Madonna of Tindari, Sicily. Carol Vaccariello as a Spiritual Director. This episode is sponsored in part by Convergent Streams: The Premier ISM Magazine, why?  Because I read it, and I love it and think you will love it too.  If you haven’t checked out Convergent Streams, I encourage you to do so.   This podcast is produced by the Community of Saint George a jurisdiction within The Young Rite.  

We trust that all Scripture is breathed by God, and so we look to the Scriptures for teaching, testing, correction, and training in justice. The third in our five week series on reading the Bible, this week we explore the Biblical figure of Wisdom, a feminine image for the God who creates the world and liberates her people. Our sermon is delivered by our student minister, Mitchell Anderson, and works through Proverbs 1:20-21, 8:1, 22-31 and Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-8:1

September 16, 2018

Holy Wisdom, Earthbound Love

Dave Brisbin | 5.13.18 On Mothers' Day, we're recalling a question posed last year: I know that God loves me, but how do I know that he likes me? It's a brilliant question if you think about it, but at first blush, why would it even come up? If we know God loves us, isn't that enough? No, not really… We're commanded to love one another, even to love our enemies. But liking implies affection, genuine delight and pleasure, desire to be with, a playful attention that is beyond any commandment. We can choose who we love, but no one can choose who they like—any more than we can choose whether we like broccoli or bacon (I know, everyone likes bacon). We have so focused on God as Father and love as duty and justice, that we have lost the connection with God as Mother and love as compassion and affection. The notion of God as mother pushes all the wrong buttons in our culture, even sounds blasphemous to some, but can our scriptures, placed back in their original Hebrew context come to our rescue? When we look at the original meanings of father and mother in Hebrew, the non-dual continuum through which Hebrews viewed what appear to us a polar opposites, when we see how Hebrews personified Holy Wisdom and God as female, how Spirit and Kingdom are feminine nouns in Hebrew, a balance begins to appear. And when we consider that Jesus always led with mother's love—acceptance and connection—before he ever taught father's love— justice and law—we begin to see that God is the perfect balance of father and mother, loving and liking. We may well want to be liked more than loved, but as long as God remains centered in our minds and thoughts, he is Father only—loving and judging at the same time. When we step away from our thoughts about God and simply live our moments with full awareness, we begin experiencing the connection and acceptance of God as our Mother and the answer to our question.

Dave Brisbin | 5.13.18 On Mothers’ Day, we’re recalling a question posed last year: I know that God loves me, but how do I know that he likes me? It’s a brilliant question if you think about it, but at first blush, why would it even come up? If we know God loves us, isn’t that enough? No, not really… We’re commanded to love one another, even to love our enemies. But liking implies affection, genuine delight and pleasure, desire to be with, a playful attention that is beyond any commandment. We can choose who we love, but no one can choose who they like—any more than we can choose whether we like broccoli or bacon (I know, everyone likes bacon). We have so focused on God as Father and love as duty and justice, that we have lost the connection with God as Mother and love as compassion and affection. The notion of God as mother pushes all the wrong buttons in our culture, even sounds blasphemous to some, but can our scriptures, placed back in their original Hebrew context come to our rescue? When we look at the original meanings of father and mother in Hebrew, the non-dual continuum through which Hebrews viewed what appear to us a polar opposites, when we see how Hebrews personified Holy Wisdom and God as female, how Spirit and Kingdom are feminine nouns in Hebrew, a balance begins to appear. And when we consider that Jesus always led with mother’s love—acceptance and connection—before he ever taught father’s love— justice and law—we begin to see that God is the perfect balance of father and mother, loving and liking. We may well want to be liked more than loved, but as long as God remains centered in our minds and thoughts, he is Father only—loving and judging at the same time. When we step away from our thoughts about God and simply live our moments with full awareness, we begin experiencing the connection and acceptance of God as our Mother and the answer to our question.

Brody Holloway : Pure and Holy : Proverbs 4:20-27 : Feb. 23, 2018 Proverbs 4 tells the story of a father’s advice to his son regarding wisdom. This passage provides insight on … Continue readingThe post Pure and Holy: Wisdom Worth Guarding appeared first on Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters.Want to find out what we’re learning? Join the Snowbird Newsletter and get our list of favorite books! Learn more about our student and adult conferences at https://www.swoutfitters.com/==================================================Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the exposition of Scripture and personal relationships in order to equip the Church to impact this generation.

Wisdom is not so much grasped as she is welcomed into our life.

Audio track from Monday's Muse Video Ep. 41 with Pastor Rachael Keefe of Minneapolis.

A Catholic homily by Fr Guy de Gaynesford Readings: Wisdom 7: 7-11, Ps 89, Hebrews 4: 12-13, Mark 10: 17-30 … Continue reading →

The Call to Practice the Presence The Soul-Directed Life Book Club for February: Desert Wisdom One of the first treasures in my library was Desert Wisdom, a compendium of profound prayers and poems from the Middle East, translated by Dr. Neil Douglas-Klotz. It is divided into three questions: Diversity—Why am I here and what is my purpose? Interiority—Who am I and who is the self? Communion—How do I live and how do I die? The questions don't get any bigger than that! Dr. Klotz joins us from his home in Scotland to share ways to practice the Presence of the divine feminine, Hokman-Holy Wisdom-Sophia, and body prayer from I AM: The Secret Teachings of the Aramaic Jesus CD set.

It is claimed by the Russian Primary Chronicle that it was the experience of the Divine Liturgy in the church of the Holy Wisdom in Constantinople that persuaded the ambassadors of Prince Vladimir to recommend the adoption of Orthodoxy: ‘we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth… We only know that there God dwells among men'. The experience of the Divine Liturgy remains central to Orthodox experience, not least Russian Orthodox experience. First of all, the liturgy takes place in a sacred space; the church building is divided by an iconostasis which separates the sanctuary (called the altar) from the nave, the clergy from the people. ‘Separates'—but also links and unites: the deacon, in particular, passes between the nave and the altar, and in singing the litanies, carries the prayers of the people into the presence of God. Secondly, the differentiated space makes possible a movement of symbolism—from nave to altar, from earth to heaven. The 5 movement of the liturgy—processions, incensing—draws together heaven and earth. There is a sense of rhythm about the liturgy, which one very soon picks up. The music—sung by human voices, without instruments; that is, by ‘instruments' made by God in his image—the colour of the icons and the vestments, the splendour of the sacred vessels: in all of this, the material world is affirmed and offered to God. Thirdly, the splendour manifest in this way is the splendour of the Kingdom of God, of the Heavens, which is proclaimed by the priest at the beginning of the Liturgy—‘Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit'—and which recurs throughout the liturgy, until before Holy Communion, we beg to be ‘remembered in the Kingdom' along with the repentant thief.

It is claimed by the Russian Primary Chronicle that it was the experience of the Divine Liturgy in the church of the Holy Wisdom in Constantinople that persuaded the ambassadors of Prince Vladimir to recommend the adoption of Orthodoxy: ‘we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth… We only know that there God dwells among men’. The experience of the Divine Liturgy remains central to Orthodox experience, not least Russian Orthodox experience. First of all, the liturgy takes place in a sacred space; the church building is divided by an iconostasis which separates the sanctuary (called the altar) from the nave, the clergy from the people. ‘Separates’—but also links and unites: the deacon, in particular, passes between the nave and the altar, and in singing the litanies, carries the prayers of the people into the presence of God. Secondly, the differentiated space makes possible a movement of symbolism—from nave to altar, from earth to heaven. The 5 movement of the liturgy—processions, incensing—draws together heaven and earth. There is a sense of rhythm about the liturgy, which one very soon picks up. The music—sung by human voices, without instruments; that is, by ‘instruments’ made by God in his image—the colour of the icons and the vestments, the splendour of the sacred vessels: in all of this, the material world is affirmed and offered to God. Thirdly, the splendour manifest in this way is the splendour of the Kingdom of God, of the Heavens, which is proclaimed by the priest at the beginning of the Liturgy—‘Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit’—and which recurs throughout the liturgy, until before Holy Communion, we beg to be ‘remembered in the Kingdom’ along with the repentant thief.

Vladimir Solovyov - "All in azure today" - with commentary by Ivan M. Granger. Solovyov was a philosopher, poet, literary critic and a mystic with an intense connection to the Divine in the form of the feminine archetype of Sophia or Holy Wisdom.

This episode is a bit different from our usual fare in that it's devoted to the subject of art in Church History. It's in no way intended to be a comprehensive review of religious art. We'll take just a cursory look at the development of art in the early centuries.Much has been written about the philosophy of art. And as anyone who's taken an art history course in college knows, much debate has ensued over what defines art. It's not our aim here to enter that fray, but instead of step back and simply chart the development of artistic expression in the First Centuries.It's to be expected the followers of Jesus would get around to using art as an expression of their faith quickly in Church History. Man is, after all, an emotional being and art is often the product of that emotion. People who would convert from headlong hedonism to an austere asceticism didn't usually do so simply based on cold intellectualism. Strong emotions were involved. Those emotions often found their output in artistic expression.Thus, we have Christian art. Emotions & the imagination are as much in need of redemption and capable of sanctification, as the reason and will. We'd better hope so, at least, or we're all doomed to a grotesquely lopsided spiritual life. How sad it would be if the call to love God with all our heart, soul & mind didn't extend to our creative faculty and art.Indeed, the Christian believes the work of the Holy Spirit after her/his conversion, is to conform the believer into the very image of Christ. And since God is The Creator, it's reasonable to assume the Spirit would bend humanity's penchant for artifice to serve the glory of God and the enjoyment of man.Scripture even says we are to worship God “in the beauty of holiness.” A review of the instructions for the making of the tabernacle make it clear God's intention was that it be a thing of astounding beauty. And looked at from what we'd call a classical perspective, nearly all art aims to simply duplicate the beauty God as First Artist made when He spoke and the universe leapt into existence.Historians tend to divide Early Church History into two large blocks using The First Council of Nicaea in 325 as the dividing line. The Ante-Nicaean Era runs from the time of the Apostles, the Apostolic Age, to Nicaea. Then the Post-Nicaean Era runs from the Council to The Medieval Era. This was the time of the first what are called 7 Ecumenical Councils; the last of which, is conveniently called the 2nd Nicaean Council, held in 787. So the Ante-Nicaean Era lasted only a couple hundred yrs while the Post-Nicaean Age was 500.It would be nice if Art Historians would sync up their timelines to this plan, but they divide the history of Church Art differently. They refer to Pre-Constantinian Art, while From the 4th thru 7th Cs is called Early Christian Art.The beginnings of identifiable Christian art are located in the last decades of the 2nd C. Now, it's not difficult to imagine there'd been some artistic expression connected to believers before this; it's just that we have no enduring record of it. Why is easy to surmise. Christians were a persecuted group and apart from some notable exceptions, were for the most part comprised of the lower classes. Christians simply didn't want to draw attention to themselves on one hand, and on the other, there wasn't a source of patronage base for art in service of the Gospel.Another reason there wasn't much art imagery generated before the 2nd C is because early generations of believers were mostly Jewish with a long-standing prohibition of making graven images, lest they violate the Commandments against idolatry. By the mid 2nd C, the Church had shifted to a primarily Gentile body. Gentiles had little cultural opposition to the use of images. Indeed, their prior paganism encouraged it. They quickly learned they were not to make idols, but had no reluctance to use images a symbols and representations to communicate the Gospel and express their faith.The style of this early art is drawn from Roman motifs of the Late Classical style and is found in association with the burial of believers. While pagans generally practiced cremation, the followers of Jesus shifted to burial as an expression of their hope in the Resurrection. So outside Rome's walls near major roadways, numerous catacombs were excavated where Christians both met when the heat of persecution was up, and where their dead were interred. Some of the oldest of Christian imagery is a simple outline of a ship or an anchor scratched into the wall of a crypt. Both were symbols of the Church. The anchor is drawn from the NT Book of Hebrews which refers to the hope of the believer as an anchor or the soul. The ship was an apt picture for the Church. A vessel which is IN the Sea, but mustn't have the sea in it, just as the Church is to be in the World, but the World is not to be in the Church. Another symbol used to make the resting place of Christians was the ubiquitous fish. As burial in the catacombs became de rigeur , families carved out entire rooms for the burial of their members. Bodies were placed in marble sarcophagi which over time were decorated with religious imagery; symbols and scenes drawn from Scripture.Missing from the art crafted by Christians at this time are the scenes that will later become common. There're few Nativity motifs, fewer crosses, and nothing depicting the resurrection. That's not to say Christians in this early era didn't regard the cross & resurrection as central to their faith. The writings of Ante-Nicene Fathers make it clear they did. It's just that they hadn't made their way into artistic expression yet. Rather than pointing DIRECTLY at Christ's crucifixion & resurrection, artists instead used OT stories that foreshadowed the Gospel. Images of Abraham sacrificing Isaac, Jonah & the fish, Daniel in the lion's den, Shadrach, Meshach, & Abed-Nego in the fiery furnace, as well as Moses striking the rock are all depicted in frescoes and tomb paintings.The few images of Jesus from the Pre-Constantinian art we see him presented as The Good Shepherd, surrounded either by figures who likely represent the apostles, and symbols from nature, like peacocks, vines, doves and so on.Nothing happened in the way of distinctly Christian architecture until Constantine for obvious reasons. Christians simply could not build their own places. When you're trying to avoid attention due to persecution, engaging a construction project's just not wise. But once The Faith was removed from the banned list, and the Rulers of Rome showed the emergent Faith favor, Christians began to shape their meeting places in a manner that maximized their utility, while also adorning them with imagery identifying them as dedicated to The Gospel. The discreet and out of the way places they'd met in before no longer served as suitable meeting places for the rapidly growing movement.After Christianity was allowed to own property, it raised local churches across the Roman empire. There may have been more of this kind of building in the 4th C than there has been since, excepting during the 19th C in the United States. Constantine and his mother Helena led the way. The Emperor adorned not only his new city of Constantinople, but also embarked on a campaign to secure the assumed holy Places in the Middle East. Basilicas Churches were erected using funds from his personal account, as well as State funds. His successors, with the exception of Julian, called The Apostate, as well as bishops and wealthy laymen, vied with each other in building, beautifying, and enriching churches. The Faith that had not long before been a cause of great persecution, became a game to compete in; as the wealthy hoped to earn a higher place in heaven by the churches they raised. Churches became a venue for bragging rights. The Church Father Chrysostom lamented that the poor were being forgotten in favor of buildings, and recommended it wasn't altars, but souls, God wanted. Jerome rebuked those who trampled over the needy to build a house of stone.It might be assumed Christians would adopt the form for their buildings they were used to as pagans – a temple. Interestingly, they didn't! Most pagan temples were relatively small affairs intended to hold little more than the idol of the god or goddess they were dedicated to. When pagans worshipped, they did so outdoors, often in a courtyard next to the temple. It wasn't until the 7th C that believers began to re-purpose some of the larger now abandoned pagan temples for their own use. Even during Constantine's time, Christians began to use layout of the secular basilica, the formal hall where a king or ruler would hold court.The floor plan of one of these basilicas had a central rectangular hall, called a nave, with two side aisles. The main door was on one of the short sides of the nave, and on the opposite wall was the apse where a raised platform was built for the altar where the minister led the service.During the 4th C saw Rome saw over 40 lrg churches built. In the New Rome of Constantinople, the Church of the Apostles and the Church of St. Sophia, originally built by Constantine, towered in majestic beauty. In the 5th C both were dramatically enlarged by Justinian.As I said earlier, in the 7th C, the now abandoned pagan temples were turned over to Christians. Emperor Phocas gave the famous Pantheon to Roman's bishop Boniface IV.Anyone who's been on a tour of Israel ought to be familiar with the term “Byzantine.” Because a good many of the ruins Christian tourists visit are labeled as Byzantine in architecture and era. The Byzantine style originated in the 6th C. and in the East continues to this day. It's akin to the influence the French Classicism of Louis XIV had on Western architecture.The main feature of the Byzantine style is a dome spanning the center of a floorplan that is cruciform. Let me see if I can help you picture this. Imagine a classic cross laid on the earth. The long bean is the central nave with the cross piece are the transverse sides used as side chapels. Suspended over the intersection of main & cross beams is a dome, decorated with frescoes of Biblically rich imagery.Previous basilicas tended to be flat, blocky affairs; earthbound in their ponderance. The Byzantine basilica lifted the roof and drew the eye to that dome which seemed to pierce heaven itself. The eye was drawn upward. That idea will be perfected centuries later in the soaring ceilings and arches of Europe's Gothic cathedrals.The most perfect execution of the Byzantine style is found in the Hagia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom in Istanbul. It was built by the Emperor Justinian in the 6th C on the plans of Anthemius & Isidore. It's 220' wide, 252' long; with a 180' diameter dome supported by four gigantic columns, rising 169' over the central altar. The dome is so constructed that the court biographer Procopius describes it as being suspended form heaven by golden chains.The cross, which today stands as the universal symbol for Christianity, wasn't used in artifice until at least the late 4th C. The historical record suggest Christians made the sign of the cross on their foreheads, over their eyes, mouths, & hearts as early as the 2nd C. But they didn't make permanent images of it till later. And then we find some church father urging Christians not to make magical talisman of them.Julian accused Christians of worshipping the cross. Chrysostom wrote, “The sign of universal detestation, the sign of extreme penalty, has become an object of desire and love. We see it everywhere; on houses, roofs, walls, in cities and villages, in markets, along roads, in deserts, on mountains & in valleys, on the sea, ships, books, weapons, garments, in honeymoon chambers, at banquets, on gold & silver vessels, engraved on pearls, in paintings, on beds, the bodies of sick animals, & the possessed, at dances of the merry, and in the brotherhoods of monks.”It isn't till the 5th C that we find the use of the crucifix; that is a cross that isn't bare. It now holds the figure of the impaled Christ.

This week's episode of Communion Sanctorum is titled – “Justinian Sayin'”During the 5th C, while the Western Roman Empire was falling to the Goths, the Eastern Empire centered at Constantinople looked like it would carry on for centuries. Though it identified itself as Roman, historians refer to the Eastern region as the Byzantine Empire & Era. It gets that title from Byzantium, the city's name before Constantine made it his new capital.During the 5th C, the entire empire, both East & West went into decline. But in the 6th  Century, the Emperor Justinian I lead a major revival of Roman civilization. Reigning for nearly 40 years, Justinian not only brought about a re-flowering of culture in the East, he attempted to reassert control over those lands in the West that had fallen to barbarian control.A diverse picture of Justinian the Great has emerged. For years the standard way to see him was as an intelligent, ambitious, energetic, gregarious leader plagued by an unhealthy dose of vanity. Dare I say it? Why not: He wanted to make Rome Great Again. While that's been the traditional way of understanding Justinian, more recently, that image has been edited slightly by giving his wife and queen Theodora, a more prominent role in fueling his ambition. Whatever else we might say about this husband and wife team, they were certainly devout in their faith.Justinian's reign was bolstered by the careers of several capable generals who were able to translate his desire to retake the West into reality. The most famous of these generals was Belisarius, a military genius on par with Hannibal, Caesar, & Alexander. During Justinian's reign, portions of Italy, North Africa & Spain were reconquered & put under Byzantine rule.The Western emperors in Rome's long history tended to be more austere in the demonstrations of their authority by keeping their wardrobe simple & the customs related to their rule modest, as befitted the idea of the Augustus as Princeps = meaning 1st  Citizen. Eastern emperors went the other way & eschewed humility in favor of an Oriental, or what we might call “Persian” model of majesty. It began with Constantine who broke with the long-held western tradition of Imperial modesty & arrayed himself as a glorious Eastern Monarch. Following Constantine, Eastern emperors wore elaborate robes, crowns, & festooned their courts with ostentatious symbols of wealth & power.  Encouraged by Theodora, Justinian advanced this movement and made his court a grand showcase. When people appeared before the Emperor, they had to prostrate themselves, as though bowing before a god. The pomp and ceremony of Justinian's court were quickly duplicated by the church at Constantinople because of the close tie between church & state in the East.It was this ambition for glory that moved Justinian to embark on a massive building campaign. He commissioned the construction of entire towns, roads, bridges, baths, palaces, & a host of churches & monasteries. His enduring legacy was the Church of the Holy Wisdom, or Cathedral of St. Sophia, the main church of Constantinople. The Hagia Sofia was the epitome of a new style of architecture centered on the dome, the largest to be built to that time.  Visitors to the church would stand for hours in awe staring up at the dome, incredulous that such a span could be built by man. Though the rich interior façade of the church has been gutted by years of conflict, the basic structure stands to this day as one of Istanbul's premier attractions.Justinian was no mean theologian in his own right. As Emperor he wanted to unite the Church under one creed and worked hard to resolve the major dispute of the day; the divide between the Orthodox faith as expressed in the Council of Chalcedon & the Monophysites.By way of review; the Monophysites followed the teachings of Cyril of Alexandria who'd contended with Nestorius over the nature of Christ. Nestorius emphasized the human nature of Jesus, while Cyril emphasized Jesus' deity. The followers of both took their doctrines too far so that the Nestorians who went East into Persia tended to diminish the deity of Christ, while the Cyrillians who went south into Egypt, elevated Jesus' deity at the expense of his humanity. They put such an emphasis on his deity they became Monophysites; meaning 1 nature-ites.Justinian tried to reconcile the Orthodox faith centered at Constantinople with the Monophysites based in Egypt by finessing the words used to describe the faith. Even though the Council of Chalcedon had officially ended the dispute, there was still a rift between the Church at Constantinople and that in Egypt.Justinian tried to clarify how to understand the natures of Jesus as God & Human. Did He have 1 nature or 2? And if 2. How did those 2 natures co-exist in the Son of God? Were they separate & distinct or merged into something new? If they were distinct, was one superior to the other? This was the crux of the debate the Council of Chalcedon had struggled with and which both Cyril & Nestorius contended over.Justinian had partial success in getting moderate Monophysites to agree with his theology. He was helped by the work of a monk named Leo of Byzantium. Leo proposed that in Christ, his 2 natures were so co-mingled & united so that they formed one nature, he identified as the Logos.In 544 Emperor Justinian issued an edict condemning some pro-Nestorian writings. Many Western bishops thought the edict a scandalous refutation of the Chalcedonian Creed. They assumed Justinian had come out as a Monophysite. Pope Vigilius condemned the edict and broke off fellowship with the Patriarch of Constantinople because he supported the Emperor's edict. Shortly thereafter, when Pope Vigilius visited Constantinople, he did an abrupt about-face, adding his own censure to the condemned pro-Nestorian writings. Then in 550, after several bishops criticized this reversal, Vigilius did another & said the writings weren't prohibited after all.Nothing like being a stalwart pillar of an unwavering stand. Vigilius was consistent; he consistently wavered when under pressure.All of this created so much controversy that in 553 Justinian called the 5th Ecumenical Council at Constantinople. Though it was supposed to be a counsel of the whole church, Pope Vigilius refused to attend. At Justinian's demand, the Council affirmed his original edict of 544, further condemning anyone who supported the pro-Nestorian writings. The Emperor banished Vigilius for his refusal to attend, saying he would be reinstated only on condition of his accepting the Council's decision.Guess what Vigilius did. Yep. He relented and endorsed the Council's finding. So the result was that the Chalcedonian Creed was reinterpreted along far more Monophysite lines. Jesus' deity was elevated to the foreground while his humanity was relegated to a distant backwater. This became the official position of the Eastern Orthodox Church.But Justinian's desire to bring unity wasn't achieved. The Western bishops refused to recognize the Council of Constantinople's interpretation of the Chalcedon Creed.  And while the new spin on Jesus' nature was embraced in the East, the hard-core Monophysites of Egypt stood their ground. They'd come to hold their theology with a fierce regional loyalty. To accept Justinian's formulation was deemed a compromise they saw not only as heretical but as unpatriotic. They vehemently refused to come under the control of Constantinople.What Justinian was unable to do by theological compromise and diplomacy, he attempted, by force. After all, as they say, a War is just diplomacy by other means. And as Justinian might say, “What good is it being King if you can't bash heads whenever you want?”The Emperor also sought to eradicate the last vestiges of paganism throughout the Empire. He commanded both civil officials & church leaders to seek out all pagan cultic practices and pre-Christian Greek philosophy and bring an immediate end to them. He closed the schools of Athens, the last institutions teaching Greek philosophy. He allowed the Jews to continue their faith but sought to regulate their practices. He decreed the death penalty for Manichaeans and other heretics like the Montanists. When his harsh policies stirred up rebellion, he was ruthless in putting it down.Toward the end of his reign, his wife Theodora's Monophysite beliefs influenced him to move further in that direction. He sought to recast the 5th Council's findings into a new form that would gain greater Monophysite support. This new view has been given the tongue-twisting label of Aph-thar-to-docetism.According to this view, even Jesus' physical body was divine so that from conception to death, it didn't change. This means Jesus didn't suffer or know the desires & passions of mortals.When he tried to impose this doctrine on the Church, the vast majority of bishops refused to comply. So Justinian made plans to enforce compliance but died before the campaign could begin, much to the relief of said bishops.Justinian took an active hand in ordering the Church in more than just theology. He passed laws dealing with various aspects of church life. He appointed bishops, assigned abbots to monasteries, ordained priests, managed church lands and oversaw the conduct of the clergy. He forbade the practice of simony; the sale of church offices. Being a church official could be quite lucrative, so the practice of simony was frequently a problem.The Emperor also forbade the clergy from attending chariot races and the theater. This seems harsh if we think of these as mere sporting and cultural events. They weren't. Both events were more often than not scenes of moral debauchery where ribald behavior was common. One did not attend a race for polite or dignified company. The races were à  well, racy. And the theater was a place where perversions were enacted onstage. That Justinian forbade clergy from attending these events means had been common for them to do so.He authorized bishops to function in a quasi-civil fashion by having them oversee public works and enforcing laws against vice. In some places, bishops served as governors.It was under Justinian that the church became an instrument of the state. That process had begun under Constantine but it wasn't until the 6th C under Justinian that it reached its zenith.Christianity continued to extend its influence along the borders of the Empire. With the re-conquest of North Africa, the Arianism that had taken root there was eradicated. The Faith moved up the Nile into what today we know as Sudan. The Berbers of North Africa were also converted. In Europe, Barbarian tribes along the Danube were reached.The divide between Monophysites & Orthodox Justinian had tried to heal continued to plague the church into the 7th C when a new thread emerged; Islam.Emperor after emperor knew a fragmented church meant a weakened society which would be easy prey to the new invaders. So they worked feverishly to bring about theological unity.Let's see – how do we bring the Orthodox & Monophysites together?Sergius, the Patriarch of Constantinople had an idea. Based on what were thought to be the writings of one of the early church fathers named Dionysis, Sergius thought he found support for a new idea that could reconcile the two sides. He said that while Jesus was both divine & human, He worked by only one energy. This sounded great to the Monophysites of Egypt and for a time it looked like there would be unity.  But other bishops cried foul, so Sergius quickly shifted ground and said, “Okay, forget the one energy deal and how about this; Christ was both divine & human but possessed only one will which was a merging of the 2 natures.” Pope Honorius put his stamp of approval on this view & now with the agreement of the 2 most influential churches, it looked like a theological slam-dunk. So in 638, Emperor Heraclius passed an edict expressing Sergius' views and forbidding further debate.The Emperor passed an edict – so that settles it right? >> Not quite.When Pope Honorius died, the next pope announced Jesus had two wills. Oh, & furthermore – that was the real position of Honorius – he'd just been misunderstood by Patriarch Sergius. Each Pope thereafter affirmed Jesus' divine & human wills as distinct though in harmony with each other. This view held sway in the West as opposed to Sergius' view which became the position of the East.When in 648 the issue threatened to once again tear the church & Empire in 2, Emperor Constans II declared all debate about 1 or 2 wills or energies, off-limits. But wouldn't you know it – when word of the ban reached Rome a year later, Pope Martin I called a synod to discuss the issue; decided Jesus had 2 wills and denounced the patriarch of Constantinople. The bishops also said, “How dare the Emperor tell us what we can and can't talk about!”Constans II decided to show the Pope how he dared and had him arrested & hauled to the capital where he was condemned, tortured, and banished. Martin died in exile.Then a funny thing happened. Not funny really – tragic more like. North Africa, that region of the Empire that had been so fastidiously devoted to Monophytism was conquered by Islam. And suddenly the debate lost its main voice. So Constantine IV, called a 6th Ecumenical council, again in Constantinople in 680. This council officially declared the idea of one energy & one will in Christ heretical. Jesus had 2 wills; one divine, the other human. The Council claimed its views were in accord with a similar council held in Rome a year before under the auspices of Pope Agatho.Most Church historians consider the 6th Council to be the last at which the nature of Jesus was the primary theological consideration. To be sure, the Nestorians continued to spread Eastward as they made their way to China and there were still pockets of monophytism in Egypt, but in both the Eastern & Western regions of the Empire, Orthodoxy or what is often called Catholic Christianity now held sway.

This Episode of CS is titled, “Orthodoxy, with an Eastern Flavor.”We need to begin this episode by defining the term “Orthodoxy.”It comes from Greek. Orthos means “straight” & idiomatically means that which is right or true. Doxa is from the verb dokein = to think; doxa is one's opinion or belief.As it's most often used, orthodoxy means adherence to accepted norms. In reference to Christianity, it means conforming to the creeds of the early Church; those statements of faith issued by the church councils we've looked at in recent podcasts and we have a series on in Season 2.In opposition to orthodoxy is what's called heterodoxy; other-teaching. Heterodoxy deviates from the Faith defined by the Creeds. Specific instances of heterodoxy, that is - deviant doctrines are called heresy; with those who hold them known as heretics. When heresy causes a group of people to remove themselves from the Communion of Saints so they can form their own distinct community, it's called a Schism.But there's another, very different way the word Orthodox is used in Christianity. It's the name of one of the 4 great branches of the Church; Roman Catholic, Protestant, & Eastern Orthodox. The fourth is that branch of the Faith we've been looking at for the last couple episodes – The Nestorian Church, AKA The Church of the East.In the West, we're familiar with Roman Catholicism & Protestantism. We're less aware of Eastern Orthodoxy and most people haven't even heard of the Nestorian Church. Ignorance of Eastern Orthodoxy is tragic considering the Byzantine Empire which was home to the Orthodox Church continued to embody the values & traditions of the Roman Empire until the mid-15th C, a full millennium after the Fall of Rome in AD 476.It'll be many episodes of CS before we get to the year 1054 when the Great Schism took place between the Eastern & Western churches. But I think it helpful to understand how Eastern Orthodoxy differs from Roman Catholicism so we can stay a little closer to the narrative timeline of how the Church developed in upcoming episodes.One of the ways we can better understand the Eastern Orthodox Church is to quickly summarize the history of Roman Catholicism in Europe during the Middle Ages as a contrast.In the West, the Church, led by the Pope with cardinals & bishops, oversaw the spiritual & religious aspects of European culture. The affiliation between church & state that began with Constantine the Great & continued for the next century & a half was at best a tense arrangement. Sometimes the Pope & Emperor were close; at other times they were at odds & competed for power. Overall, it was an uneasy marriage of the secular & religious. During the Middle Ages, the Church exerted tremendous influence in the secular sphere, & civil rulers either sought to ally themselves with the church, or to break the Church's grip on power. Realizing how firm that grip was, some civil rulers even sought to infiltrate the ranks of the church to install their own bishops & popes. The Church played the same game & kept spies in many of Europe's courts. These agents reported to Rome & sought to influence political decisions.The situation was dramatically different in the East where the church & state worked in harmony.  Though foreign to the Western Mind, & especially the Modern Western Mind which considers a great barrier between Church & State, in the ancient Byzantine Empire, Church & State were partners in governance.  They weren't equivalent, but they worked together to shape policies & provide leadership that allowed the Eastern Empire to not only resist the forces that saw the West collapse, but to maintain the Empire until the 15th C  when it was finally over-run by the Ottoman Turks.In our attempt to understand Eastern Orthodoxy, we'll look to the description Marshall Shelly provides in his excellent book, Church History in Plain Language.The prime starting point for understanding Orthodoxy isn't to examine its basic doctrines but rather its use of holy images called icons. Icons are highly stylized portrayals of one or more saints, set against a golden background and a halo around the head. Icons are crucial in understanding Eastern Orthodoxy. Orthodox believers enter their church and go first to a wall covered with icons called the iconostasis. This wall separates the sanctuary from the nave. The worshipper kisses the icons before taking his/her place in the congregation. A visitor to an Orthodox home will find an icon in the east corner of the main room. If the guest is him/herself Orthodox, they'll greet the icon by crossing themselves & bowing. Only then will they greet the host.To the Orthodox, icons are much more than man-made images. They're manifestations of a divine ideal. They're considered a window into heaven. In the same way grace is thought to be imparted through the Roman Catholic Mass, grace is thought to flow from heaven to earth thru icons. Protestants can better understand the importance of icons to the Orthodox by considering how important The Bible is to them.  As Scripture is the written revelation of God's will & truth, so icons are considered as visual representations of truth that have as much if not more to impart by way of revelation to believers. In fact, icons aren't painted, they are said to be “written,” conveying the idea that they fulfill the same role as Scripture. The Bible is the Scripture in words; icons are scripture in images.As I said, an icon is a highly stylized portrayal of saints or Bible scenes on panels, usually made of wood, most often cypress which has been prepped with cloth & gesso. The background is gold leaf, depicting the glory of the divine realm the image is thought to come from, with bright tempura paint making the figures & decoration. When dry, the panel is covered in varnish. Some ancient icons are amazing pieces of art. Icon artists consider the writing of icons as a spiritual act & prepare by fasting & prayer, after having completed laborious technical training.Strictly speaking, Eastern Orthodox theology says icons are not objects of devotion themselves. They're thought to be windows into the spiritual realm by which the divine is able to infiltrate & effect the physical.  Though that's the official doctrinal position on icons, they are kissed & venerated at the beginning & at various points during a service.  Icons aren't worshipped, they're venerated; meaning while they aren't given the worship due God alone, they are esteemed as a medium by which grace is bestowed on worshippers. While this is the technical explanation for the use of icons, watching how worshipers use them and listening to how highly they're regarded, I'm hard-pressed to see how in a practical sense, there's any difference between veneration & worship. To many objective observers, the use of icons seems a clear violation of the Second Commandment prohibiting the use of images in the worship of God.Scholars debate when Eastern Christians began to use icons. Some say their use began in the late 6th or 7th C. Before icons became popular, relics played an important part of church life. Body parts of saints as well as items connected to Biblical stories were thought to possess spiritual power.Caution: I know opine à All of this was superstitious silliness, but it framed the thinking of many. Since there were only so many holy relics to go around and each church made claim to one to draw worshippers in, icons began to be used as surrogates for relics. If you can't have a piece of the cross, maybe a golden painting of Mary holding the baby Jesus would do the trick. If you can't have Stephen's index finger, how about his icon? Miraculous stories hovering round relics & icons were legion, each claiming some special connection to God & saints. Relics were said to bring healing. Icons were said to weep tears or bleed. The fragrant scent of incense was said to attend many of the greatest icons. The tales go on & on.The question in all these claims is; where do we find the use of such things in Scripture? By way of reminder, Evangelical Christians determine what defines Biblical as opposed to Eastern Orthodoxy by this set of questions –1) Did Jesus teach or model in in the Gospels? 2) Did the Early Church practice it in the book of Acts? 3) Do the NT epistles comment on or regulate it as normative for faith & practice?Using this 3-fold filter, the use of relics & icons isn't orthodox.The Eastern Orthodox church refers to itself as the Church of the 7 Councils. It claims a superior form of the Christian Faith because it draws its doctrine from what it says are the main Church Councils that defined normal Christian belief. The last Council, Nicaea II in AD 787, came about as a response to the Iconoclast Controversy which we'll talk about later. The point here is that Nicaea II declared the veneration of icons to be good & proper. What we're to glean from this is that claiming to be a church that adheres to the creeds of the 7 Councils doesn't mean much if those councils were just gatherings of men. It isn't their Creeds that are important & that define the Faith; It's Scripture alone that has that role. Creedal statements are only so good in as much as they are proper interpretations of the Word of God. But they are not themselves, that Word.Another important distinction between the Eastern & Western Church is how they view the object of salvation.Western Christians tend to understand the relationship between God & man in legal terms. Man is obliged to meet the demands of a just God. Sin, sacrifice, & salvation are all aspects of divine justice. Salvation is cast primarily in terms of justification.In Roman Catholicism, when a believer sins, a priest determines what payment or penance he owes to God. If he's unable to provide enough penance for some especially heinous sin, then purgatory in the afterlife provides a place where his soul can be expiated.In Protestantism, penance & purgatory are set aside for the Biblical doctrine of the substitutionary atonement of Christ whose work at the cross atones for all sin, for all time. Justification by grace through faith is a keystone of evangelical theology. But here still, the issue is legal & forensic.This legal emphasis is continued in Roman Catholicism's view of the papacy. According to Rome, Christ commissioned & authorized Peter & his successors, the popes. That legal authority is seen in the symbols of the papacy – a set of keys.Eastern Orthodoxy presents a contrast to this legal emphasis in Roman Catholicism & Protestantism. The core of Orthodox theology is the incarnation of God & how it effects the restoration & re-creation of fallen man. In Orthodoxy, sin isn't so much a violation of God's law as it is a denigration of God's image. Salvation is less an issue of making sinners just before a holy God as it is a restoration of God's image in them.In Western Christianity, Jesus is seen primarily as the substitutionary sacrifice Who atones for sin & reconciles sinners to God. There's a great burden of guilt due to the penalty of sin God's righteous justice must be paid for. His law has been broken; it must be set right. Jesus sets it right by the cross, His resurrection vindicating & validating His sacrifice as sufficient. This is why the crucifix is such a prominent feature in Roman Catholicism & the Cross is central to classic Protestant preaching.In Eastern Christianity, Christ is God incarnate & on mission to restore the image of God in man. And when I say ‘image,' think “icon”.  This is not to say that in Orthodoxy there's no mention of justification or that in Romanism there's no suggestion of restoration. There is. It's more about where the emphasis lies.In Orthodoxy, the church is far less the formal institution that developed in the West. It's conceived more as the mystical body of Christ continually renewed by the Holy Spirit. This seems a rather odd claim to Protestants who've visited an Eastern Orthodox church, which is filled with images & a formal liturgy that's quite formal. Compared to the spare architecture & decoration of Protestant churches, Orthodoxy does appear formal, but that formalism doesn't extend to the hierarchy of the church. There's no pope in the Eastern Orthodox church. Each of the major branches of Orthodoxy has its own patriarch, but there's no one over-arching head bishop who oversees the Orthodox Church, as the Pope rules in Rome. The Eastern Church sees itself as a community where men & women are restored to the likeness of God.So, we might ask: When did this fundamental difference between doctrinal emphases begin? That's difficult to say for certain because the theology grew through a slow, steady progression. But we could say the differences emerged when the Gospel arrived in Corinth, then Rome in the 1st Century. Corinth was Greek; Rome Latin. The Greeks were more philosophical by nature & the Gospel appealed to their ancient quest to perfect man. The Latin Romans were fascinated by all things legal. They were a race of lawyers. A brief look at the history of Rome's rulers reveals the importance the law played. Whoever could manipulate the courts & Senate ruled.A good way for us to get a handle on the difference between Eastern & Western Christianity as it exists today is this – many Western Christians look back at Constantine's uniting Church & State as a negative development. At the time, it seemed a blessed relief to a church hammered by 2 centuries of persecution, but looking forward form that ancient place, knowing what's coming, we lament the corruption that's in store for the church. So historians of Western Christianity speak of the enslavement of the church by the state.For Eastern Christians, Constantine is regarded as a hero & saint. Orthodoxy considers his reign as the climax of the Roman Empire. According to this view, Rome evolved into a religious monarchy with the emperor as the connecting link between God & the world.  The civil authority of the State was the earthly reflection of divine law while the Church was the religious reflection of Heaven on Earth. In Orthodoxy, the emperor was the place where the civil & religious authorities united. While the church & state were different entities, they weren't seen as separate spheres. They worked together to govern all of human society.Constantine's imprint on Eastern Orthodoxy is undeniable. He considered the empire the “bearer” or litter that carried the Church. As Emperor, his role was to lead both church & state. Recognizing the need to mark this new moment in history, Constantine moved his capital to what was called – “New Rome” or what the people called Constantine's City – Constantinople.  He built the splendid Church of the Holy Apostles to shift the center of Church life to the East. To indicate the importance of the Emperor as God's agent, in the midst of the 12 symbolic tombs of the apostles in the Church of the Holy Apostles, Constantine built a 13th for himself, making it clear he considered himself foundational to the faith & an equal to the Apostles.This helps us understand why Constantine was so zealous to find a solution to the trouble the heresy of Arianism caused. As Shelly says, Constantine was superstitiously anxious that God would hold him personally responsible for the divisions and quarrels among Christians. If Christianity lacked cohesion and unity, how could it be a proper religion for the empire? So Constantine and the emperors who followed him made every effort to secure agreement about the Christian faith.  Constantine thus adopted the practice already in use by Christians to settle differences on a local basis. He called ALL the leaders of the church to meet & agree upon proper belief & practice. This policy became an integral part of the Eastern Christian tradition. From the first Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 325, to the 7th in 787, also held in Nicaea, Emperors called the councils & imperial power presided over them.  That's why to this day the Eastern Orthodox Church refers to itself as the “The Church of the Seven Councils.”These councils produced the creeds which embody orthodoxy.  That orthodoxy was then enforced in society by the civil authorities. Faith ceased to be a purely spiritual or church matter; it took on a political dimension.[1]While the Byzantine Empire had several notable rulers, the most significant after Constantine was Justinian the Great who ruled from 527-65. Constantine maintained a distinction between being a Christian & the Emperor. Justinian merged the 2 to become a Christian emperor. And this reveals one of the fundamental differences between East & West.In the East, the head of the State & the head of the Church were fused into 1 office.In the West, while there were times when a pope wielded tremendous political power, it was in a covert manner. Civil rulers were also at times given great influence in church affairs but typically sought to use that influence behind the scenes. Church & state were kept in separate spheres in the West. In the East, they merged.Justinian thought himself God's agent & the executor of his will. The empire was God's instrument in the world. It bent its knee to Jesus, then rose to enforce its vision & version of Jesus' will on the Earth.This union of church & state continued on in the years that followed. Even under Communism, the Russian Orthodox Church, a branch of Eastern Orthodoxy, continued to operate through State license.It was under Justinian that the unique Byzantine merger of Roman law with Christian faith & Greek philosophy took place, all of it flavored by a dash of Orientalism. This is seen most clearly in Byzantine art. Whereas the West had gone in for the realism of the Greek Classical Age, the Byzantines submerged the physical world of human experience under the supernal & transcendent realm of the spiritual. Nothing revealed that more than the Church of Holy Wisdom, known today as the Hagia Sophia. Justinian's church was a remodel of an earlier church constructed by Constantine. Justinian gave the order it was to be the grandest building on the face of the Earth. Constructed in record time, it was indeed an amazing feat. When it was consecrated in 538, Justinian exclaimed he'd outdone Solomon. The dome, the largest to date, was thought to hang by a golden chain from heaven. It was so immense & high above the ground some thought it was a piece of the sky. The mosaics that made up the floor of the church dazzled the eye.Years later when emissaries from the king of Ukraine visited Constantinople on a quest to find a suitable new religion for the Ukrainians, they were overwhelmed by the Hagia Sophia. It may well have been their report back to their monarch that moved him to choose Christianity as the new state religion. The emissaries said when they stood in the Hagia Sophia, they didn't know if they were in heaven or on earth.It's important to mention here the Byzantines rarely if ever identified themselves as such; they were Romans. Constantinople was New Rome but they were not part of a new Empire called Byzantine. That's a label applied by much-later historians. They were Romans and part of the Roman Empire. The Western half of the Empire may have fallen to barbarian invaders, but the Empire lived on in the East & would do so for another thousand years.[1] Shelley, B. L. (1995). Church history in plain language (Updated 2nd ed.) (141–145). Dallas, Tex.: Word Pub.