Without the light of God, man alone does not know what is good

“Without the light of God, man alone does not know what is good for him. He believes in his pride, and all that he wants – subject to this temptation – is good.”

“Man alone cannot make sense of his human needs, because without the help of the Lord, he cannot be freed from the power of the enemy. Without the light of God, he does not know what is needed for him. The human will in itself does not know what to do for his profit. Therefore man needs to pray that the Lord may reveal His will so he may know what to do for his interest. Man alone cannot know what’s bad and that malice comes from the devil. He believes in his pride, and all that he wants, subject to this temptation – is good. “

(Father Dumitri Stăniloae, note 282, to Isaiah the Hermit , Twenty-nine words , Philokalia XII)

In the Clash of Destructive Errors, the Truth of the Church Stands Revealed

“In the midst of clash of mutually destructive errors, the church stands revealed not only by her own teaching but by that of her rivals.  The church ordained by the Lord and established by His apostles, is One for all but the frantic falling of discordant sects has severed from her; and it is obvious that these dissentions concerning the faith resulted from a distorted mind, which twists the words of Scripture into conformity with its opinion, instead of adjusting that opinion to the words of the Holy Scripture”.  (St. Hilary of Poitiers)

Focusing on this text by St. Hilary of Poitiers, Fr. Irenei explores the Saint’s conviction that the multitude of heresies and errors surrounding us in the world are not to be feared or to become a cause for despair, for through their very error the Truth of Christ is revealed all the more in the Church. For the audio please see: Ancient Faith Radio podcast

The End of Western civilization?

  Traditional Christian leaders have often shown the multiple wounds of Western societies, where the family was dethroned and humiliated by irresponsible legislation. Traditional family has been the foundation of healthy societies, without which the whole civilization will collapse. Despite this, family as the primary institution of human society is constantly under attack by governments and now  “churches” that have anti-human ideology.

  In the West, the traditional family is attacked by fornication – cohabitation outside marriages, divorce, hedonistic massive secularization and permissive legislation, while in the East, the family is attacked in her monogamous nature, equal dignity of the spouses, and promoting a family based on consumerism.

  The homosexual “marriage” that threatens the social foundation of the United States and other Western countries is another scourge to the future of humanity.

  Since 2005, eight governments have legalized same-sex partnerships, raising this sinful anomaly to the dignity of marriage. Changes in the law have made divorce a very convenient alternative but with disastrous consequences for children and parents alike. For Christian morality, divorce is a lost cause, most countries allowing it with the exception of Vatican and the Philippines.

  Abortion, contraception, fornication, pornography industry and so on… constitute a true threat to the traditional Christian family.

  The effect of this reality is frightening: in 20 years the sociologists estimate that natality will be reduced to zero, the immorality will cause a rapid aging of the population – especially children, while homosexual partners will be entitled to adoption.

  Several Christian leaders have warned that society will face extinction sooner than expected due to the massive pandemic of “disrupted erotic behavior” coupled by a culture of death.

  We remember Christ’s words referring to the End of the world “abomination and desolation will stand in the holy place”.

  A well renowned Greek theologian several years ago said that “all these outline the transformation of our world in a huge city of Sodom /Gomorrah”. Does anyone anticipate its end?