Communion and communication share the same root. You cannot build one without the other, and both require a love robust enough to survive misunderstanding.
Evangelicals often quote pieces of 1 Cor 13 and 14 individually ("love is patient", "I gave up childish ways", "the greatest of these is love", etc...) but I don't think I ever realized they were continuous. Taken together, the meaning is both different and more easily understood.
This makes me think of the difference between hearing and listening.
Can you restate back to the person sitting across with you what they said? Can you ask them did I understand you correctly? If not, repeat and repeat until you truly understand their position.
A couple of years ago, Father Nick Halkias began doing the Parish’s Annual Home Blessings in the Fall instead of the traditional January/Winter time visits.
I had the privilege of being one of the parishioners who accompanied Father Nick on his visits for the home blessings.
During our one on one time in the car on route to the different parishioners homes we had some great conversations about Theosis and our personal journey to become more like God wants us to be on this Earth through the teachings of Jesus Christ. I told Father Nick that as a cradle Catholic and after my Chrismation into the Orthodox Faith that the commandment to “love one another” was the strongest message that was communicated to me by my becoming more active in our Holy Trinity Church community. I summarized that message as different people who come together and try to be more “ProLove for LIFE!”
Loving Actions every day and in every moment guided not by ones ego or by guilt but by the Holy Spirit in prayer and in communion with the Risen Christ.
Evangelicals often quote pieces of 1 Cor 13 and 14 individually ("love is patient", "I gave up childish ways", "the greatest of these is love", etc...) but I don't think I ever realized they were continuous. Taken together, the meaning is both different and more easily understood.
This makes me think of the difference between hearing and listening.
Can you restate back to the person sitting across with you what they said? Can you ask them did I understand you correctly? If not, repeat and repeat until you truly understand their position.
A couple of years ago, Father Nick Halkias began doing the Parish’s Annual Home Blessings in the Fall instead of the traditional January/Winter time visits.
I had the privilege of being one of the parishioners who accompanied Father Nick on his visits for the home blessings.
During our one on one time in the car on route to the different parishioners homes we had some great conversations about Theosis and our personal journey to become more like God wants us to be on this Earth through the teachings of Jesus Christ. I told Father Nick that as a cradle Catholic and after my Chrismation into the Orthodox Faith that the commandment to “love one another” was the strongest message that was communicated to me by my becoming more active in our Holy Trinity Church community. I summarized that message as different people who come together and try to be more “ProLove for LIFE!”
Loving Actions every day and in every moment guided not by ones ego or by guilt but by the Holy Spirit in prayer and in communion with the Risen Christ.