The Joy of BaconWith just a few days left before Pascha, the dominant logismoi distracting me from proper prayer (and analysis) is … bacon. I love it. I especially love the really fatty kind that just melts in your mouth. The best of the best is fried salo, a sort of bacon cut so that it […]
Problems with Talking to the Rider
March 24, 2015 By
In a previous post, I shared the strong finding from psychology that many of our moral decisions are made pre-cognitively (i.e. by the elephant), with the active mind (i.e. the rider) pretending to play the role of objective and pious investigator but actually playing the role of marketing guy for the decision the gut had […]
Becoming a Peacemaker
March 23, 2015 By
How can I become a Peacemaker? Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.What man is he that desireth life, that loveth to see good days?Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.Turn away from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (Psalm […]
Homily on St. John of the Ladder
March 22, 2015 By
Every Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated to person or event, with the sequence of these commemorations designed to prepare us for a deeper participation in Christ’s passion and resurrection. This Sunday is dedicated to the life and work of St. John of the Ladder. Saint John was an ascetic, a spiritual athlete, and a […]
Fast Mimicking Diet (dry eating)
March 20, 2015 By
From https://www.quora.com/What-is-an-example-of-fasting-mimicking-diet Grocery List Quick oats Wheat bread Baby carrots Broccoli Bananas Blueberries Strawberries Avocado V-8 Juice (normal) Macadamia nuts (unflavored) Dry roasted almonds Peanuts Recipe One: Easy Mode Day 1 Water 1 cup dry quick oats, ample water, pinch of salt, 2 teaspoons of butter (10g protein, 12g fat, 54g carbs) 3 ounces carrots (~9 […]
A Plea for Pastoral Gentleness
March 17, 2015 By
Thoughts on the calling of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew Matthew was a tax collector. When Jesus gave him the invitation to “follow me”, he responded with hospitality. He opened his house to the Lord, his disciples, fellow tax collectors, and unspecified sinners. Just to make sure everyone had a good time, this was […]
Homily on the Cross (notes)
March 15, 2015 By
St. Mark 8:34-9:1 Context: Christ has told his disciples about his coming passion. Peter rejected it; and Christ widened the coming persecution to include Himself. He had done this in his greatest homily saying “Blessed are you, when people revile you, and persecute you, and shall say terrible things about you falsely, for my sake.” […]
The Challenge of Post-Hoc Moral Decision Making
March 10, 2015 By
The Rational Decision-makerIn the post-enlightenment west, we have this idea that man is rational; that when he approaches a decision, he gathers the available data, calculates the costs and benefits of each alternative, and selects the one that he determines is most likely to be the best (i.e. expected utility maximization). Very few people […]
Homily on St. Gregory Palamas (notes)
March 8, 2015 By
What God do you meet in those moments of transcendence? Humans are built with the ability to enjoy and bask in the glory of God (brief warmth of sun after a long winter) Was meant to be a permanent reality; but we chose another way But we still have moments when we feel a special […]
Homily for the Sunday of Orthodoxy: Extreme Orthodoxy (notes)
March 1, 2015 By
A Note on Extremism Extremism is the only way to become perfect in God Extremism? Yeah it can be dangerous That’s why we’d better get it right What does Extreme Christianity look like? Orthodoxy! But what does that mean? Danger of Orthodox fundamentalism: the primacy of rules, Phariseeism, and judgmentalism How do we do Extreme […]
