“The world today, and especially the West, is more and more inclined toward secular, worldly life. This means that in its life it departs from the scope of God and is increasingly immersed in material affairs far removed from the Church and spiritual affairs. It is attached to the surface of things, the most important of which is the flesh. There is nothing more common than the greetings “How’s your health?”, “Your health is poor”, “The important thing is health.
 
People are not content with just that, but they go and focus on physical elegance, concerning themselves with outward appearance and going to the gym, as though they have become worshipers of the body rather than God. Members of the Church are not an exception to all this– even priests, bishops, and the construction of churches where “the important thing is the stone, not the people.” All of this is contrary to the rules of religion and the true faith. Among us, one mostly strives after the pleasure of the flesh, the pleasure of food and drink. Life has come to be focused on health and wealth and not on pleasing God first.”
– Arab Orthodoxy blog entry January 2019
 
 
***Now and then we include a particularly thought provoking or inspiring excerpt not from one of our regular ‘Elders’***