Archives for 2017

There is no contemporary Greek who does not understand the concept of profit and loss, regardless of the profession they are practicing. Profit is a measurable parameter and we mean, as a rule, the economic profit translated into euros.

Correspondingly goes the concept of loss, meaning the loss of existing profits. But it is not just the existing profits and goods that are being damaged. There is also the expected profit, what I could get and I did not get. Then the loss is not only of money but it is a loss of courage, since my attempt failed.

We all know that this last element, the loss of courage and trust, is a detrimental factor because it leads to frustration, condemns us to inaction, gradually removes optimism from our lives, sluggishness replaces activity, and ultimately not only there are no profits, but the soil is also cultivated for long-term desolation and disaster.

In the life of faith, these parameters not only apply as they do in the case of commercial gains or losses, but because stakes are not only ephemeral but also eternal and irreplaceable goods, their deprivation provides the next generations with a negative sign and a low starting point . And what our people live today is the X-ray of this truth.

Familiarization is a double-edged knife. On the one hand it can ease, and on the other it can ruin. It makes things easier if we want to get to know something deeper, it ruins if we consider intimacy as a means of getting acquainted enough and we do not want to go deeper.

In matters of faith this is of great importance, because acquaintance, familiarity with something, must be accompanied by deeper interest and quest. Otherwise the acquaintance stays on the surface, there is no interest in cultivation, and while the right course is from good to better and from mega to major, we become satisfied with the existing acquaintance and soon any progress, any challenge for new steps, falls in the vacuum with the satisfaction that comes from the mentality of “I know and do not need to know anything new”.

The Greeks know Christ as a name and as a form from the depictions of the Church. But we do not know the teaching of Christ adequately, and more importantly we do not care to educate ourselves in hearing and applying the teaching, so, as a result, we lose a lot of capital from the gifts of God. In the latter case, we are not only losing, but gradually immersing ourselves in the pool of unbelief and ultimately infidelity along with individual deprivation and loss of not only material but also indestructible goods.

The arrow was always an aggressive weapon and had the advantage of distance between the two opponents. While the sword required the physical contact of opponents, the archer with the arrow had the comfort of watching the opponent’s moves and striking from a safe place.

This difference between the sword and the arrow also gives a meaning to our struggle in everyday life because there are attacks where the opponent is visible and known, but there are also attacks where the opponent is invisible and unknown.

And it is obvious that the adversary on issues of living faith is generally neither visible nor known, since they use arrows that reach us from unknown sources and directions.

So the man who is interested in keeping the faith alive and the Word active is called upon to train in this unorthodox battle, not only to repel the arrows but also to treat the injured members, so that the adversary’s insult will not have permanent and devastating results, but will act as an educational part of our everyday life.

The pendulum is the instrument, whose index reaches from the left end to the right end.

We all understand that this movement, from one end to the other end, is the natural flow that keeps the movement alive and assists the mechanical function. Without arriving at the extreme position, the restoration, the return and the continuation of the pendulum is not possible. The same applies to our personal behavior when we reach the extremes.

The extremes may be uncomfortable, but this is the only way to test the endurance, the only way for our thoughts and opinions to be manifested and judged so that we take our lesson.

From the examples of the Bible, we learn not only about the success of the people who lived in the extreme, but also about the condescending attitude of God towards human, extreme but honest behavior [Jacob’s fight, Peter on the waves]. There is one characteristic though; When they took their lesson, people returned to regularity.

Great successes, as a rule, come only through great trials, which do not overlook, but take into account the strengths of man with weaknesses, fear, doubt, and quest for something better.

Regular dust removal is a common in every clean and modern household. We all want our home, our workplace, and our environment, to be clean not only for reasons of decency but also for our health. And the best way to keep it clean is to remove dust and surface pollutants often.

This way, not only do we live in a clean and healthy environment, but we protect our health and our possessions from wear and tear. If the surface dust is not removed in time, it solidifies, changes into dirt and its removal requires a larger and more difficult process.

The same applies to our inner world, our consciousness, where daily contact with the environment results in the deposition of various pollutants, various negative elements that are not of our choice and we would happily remove them.

And Christ, on account of Peter’s attitude and view, clarifies that the pure person does not need radical changes every day, but it is sufficient to dust the feet, that is, to remove the daily pollutants in order to preserve their internal purity and hence the function of their consciousness. This has the direct consequence that their decisions are stable and that their actions are effective.