Join Our Newsletter!
Get the RSS Feed
Subscribe in a reader - Use any popular RSS reader to get Orthodox Biz news and content!
Get the Orthodox Biz Latest News by Email! New articles and content sent right to your email in-box as soon as they are published!
Featured Members
Recently Popular Articles
Blog Tags
Blog Archive
- March 2012 (1)
- February 2012 (1)
- December 2011 (1)
- July 2011 (1)
- April 2011 (2)
- March 2011 (1)
- November 2010 (4)
- October 2010 (7)
- September 2010 (2)
- August 2010 (1)
- July 2010 (2)
- June 2010 (4)
- May 2010 (6)
- April 2010 (4)
- March 2010 (9)
- February 2010 (8)
- January 2010 (11)
- December 2009 (5)
- November 2009 (2)
- October 2009 (6)
- September 2009 (2)
- August 2009 (7)
- June 2009 (2)
- May 2009 (16)
- April 2009 (6)
- March 2009 (8)
- February 2009 (6)
- January 2009 (3)
- December 2008 (2)
- November 2008 (3)
- October 2008 (3)
- September 2008 (1)
- August 2008 (3)
- July 2008 (1)
- June 2008 (12)
- May 2008 (1)
- April 2008 (3)
- March 2008 (8)
- February 2008 (7)
- January 2008 (4)
- December 2007 (7)
- November 2007 (3)
- October 2007 (11)
- September 2007 (3)
- July 2007 (1)
| The Trouble with Normal |
|
|
|
| Written by Seraphim Danckaert | |
| Wednesday, 27 February 2008 | |
|
A few months ago I was working in a soup kitchen. One client—we’ll call her Kathy—had a glazed look in her eyes. I tried to talk with her, but she was in her own world. If you have ever had the joy of working at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, you have met individuals like Kathy; people who, for whatever reason, can’t communicate coherently with others. The Orthodox tradition recognizes numerous saints of a certain type: Fools for Christ. These individuals, like Kathy, had difficulty relating to others “normally.” Yet the Church in her holy wisdom found it appropriate not only to accept such individuals, it actually recognized them as truly saintly men and women, inspired by God. This raises the question: what, according to our faith, is “normal"? Read the rest of this article by Brad Borch by downloading this week's Come Receive the Light Study Guide.            
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email This
Comments (2)
I'd have to say normal is really a big question mark!
written by Glen Chancy, February 28, 2008
My daughter has Sensory Processing Disorder - SPD for short. She is 3 years old, but is delayed in many developmental areas. In some, she is even a full year behind. Because she can react inappropriately for a child her age, we often get strange looks from people around us. She doesn't 'fit in.' But she is vivacious and she loves icons and church and prayers and making the sign of the cross. She is more spiritual than our 6 year old. She may never 'fit in' with normal society, depending on how severe her adult condition is. But then again, she may be a nun who achieves great things spiritually. Who can say? She sees things differently that 'normal' people, and that able to see differently may be what is required for true spirituality.
"I am normal" written by pyotr, March 05, 2008
I've wise cracked for years "I am normal. If you had grown up like me, you'd be normal too."
And "normal" and "average" are not the same. That is to say, a normal human can run a mile with little difficulty; that the average American can't walk to the end of the block without a rest does not change that. As for what gchancy speaks of "God grant them, - and their daughter - many years." It can be difficult dealing with the non-average. But then, each of us is "normal" in our own way. pyotr
Write comment
|
|
| Last Updated ( Friday, 24 October 2008 ) |
[The Trouble with Normal]
Subscribe to this comment's feed
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|