Musings from the High Desert

This week Father Gabriel focuses on the fool for Christ on this day when we commemorate St. Xenia of Petersburg. The Fools for Christ have much to teach us, as we learn in this week's sermon.

This week Father Gabriel focuses on the fool for Christ on this day when we commemorate St. Xenia of Petersburg. The Fools for Christ have much to teach us, as we learn in this week's sermon.

This week Fr. Gabriel discusses the life and work of St. Gregory of Nyssa, commemorated on 10 January, and surely one of the greatest figures in Orthodox Christian history. St. Gregory was instrumental in charting the path of our spiritual growth and he sounds remarkably contemporary. Fr. Gabriel invites you to consider just a portion of Gregory's monumental thought today.

This week Fr. Gabriel discusses the life and work of St. Gregory of Nyssa, commemorated on 10 January, and surely one of the greatest figures in Orthodox Christian history. St. Gregory was instrumental in charting the path of our spiritual growth and he sounds remarkably contemporary. Fr. Gabriel invites you to consider just a portion of Gregory's monumental thought today.

As we begin the new civil year, Fr. Gabriel reviews the concept of a Gospel, the uniqueness of the Gospel of Mark is, and the extraordinary way Mark begins in the center of Jesus's life and gives us his approach to that life in a few words. The Gospel leads directly to the baptism, and Fr. Gabriel uses St. Gregory Nazianzus to direct our attention to the many meanings of this for our lives.

As we begin the new civil year, Fr. Gabriel reviews the concept of a Gospel, the uniqueness of the Gospel of Mark is, and the extraordinary way Mark begins in the center of Jesus's life and gives us his approach to that life in a few words. The Gospel leads directly to the baptism, and Fr. Gabriel uses St. Gregory Nazianzus to direct our attention to the many meanings of this for our lives.

This week Fr. Gabriel combines thoughts from three different homilies at the time of the Nativity to offer you a diptych. One side of the diptych is a sketch of our approach to the Festival through image, symbol, and literary allusions; the other side is a sketch of the aftermath of the Feast, when we begin to contemplate with sobriety following Christ, the cost of which we see in the martyrs' days that immediately follow.

This week Fr. Gabriel combines thoughts from three different homilies at the time of the Nativity to offer you a diptych. One side of the diptych is a sketch of our approach to the Festival through image, symbol, and literary allusions; the other side is a sketch of the aftermath of the Feast, when we begin to contemplate with sobriety following Christ, the cost of which we see in the martyrs' days that immediately follow.

As we come to the conclusion of this great epistle concerning the Mystery of Christ in the Church, Fr. Gabriel considers the armor of the Christian in the fight against principalities and powers, those unseen (and seen) forces that tear down our faith and confront us. Paul leaves us with these thoughts as we continue, as a community, to live in, but not of, the world.

As we come to the conclusion of this great epistle concerning the Mystery of Christ in the Church, Fr. Gabriel considers the armor of the Christian in the fight against principalities and powers, those unseen (and seen) forces that tear down our faith and confront us. Paul leaves us with these thoughts as we continue, as a community, to live in, but not of, the world.

Fr. Gabriel sums up the content of the Epistle to date and moves into chapter 5, which begins with the call to be "imitators of God"—a tall order, indeed, but one followed up with practical advice on behavior. Paul tackles three movements in the Christian life: from lust to love, from darkness to light, and from folly to wisdom. The last movement hearkens back to the Old Testament's wisdom tradition, in which wisdom is an attitude rather than an attainment, a behavior rather than an intellectual task.

Fr. Gabriel sums up the content of the Epistle to date and moves into chapter 5, which begins with the call to be "imitators of God"—a tall order, indeed, but one followed up with practical advice on behavior. Paul tackles three movements in the Christian life: from lust to love, from darkness to light, and from folly to wisdom. The last movement hearkens back to the Old Testament's wisdom tradition, in which wisdom is an attitude rather than an attainment, a behavior rather than an intellectual task.

This brief passage at the beginning of the fourth chapter of Ephesians is like the hinge on a diptych. In chapters one to three, Paul has laid the foundation for our calling or election by God into the covenant with Christ that overcomes the barrier between Jew and Gentile. In chapter four he will focus on the structure and the ministries of the church which is Christ's Body. Chapter 4:1-6 at once sums up and propels us forward, from our faith in the one God known in Trinity to our unity with one another.

This brief passage at the beginning of the fourth chapter of Ephesians is like the hinge on a diptych. In chapters one to three, Paul has laid the foundation for our calling or election by God into the covenant with Christ that overcomes the barrier between Jew and Gentile. In chapter four he will focus on the structure and the ministries of the church which is Christ's Body. Chapter 4:1-6 at once sums up and propels us forward, from our faith in the one God known in Trinity to our unity with one another.

In Ephesians, Paul expresses a breathtaking vision of the unity of the universe in Christ. Often termed the Cosmic Christ in the Ephesian and Colossian letters, here is a vision of humanity renewed. But as with all visions, it must begin somewhere, so Paul comes down to the ground and gives us the broken wall between Jew and Gentile, from which we move out to see that any wall can be broken.