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I am that bread of life...if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever...From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.  - John 6:48-66 These were the Jews who turned back from following Jesus, not just because they didn't understand how it was possible for Him to give them his flesh to eat, but because it sounded like cannibalism to them.  Truly a hard saying.  It is a mystery.  Like, literally a mystery (as in sacrament ).  And of all the substances that God chose to use for the implementation of this mystery, it was two things: bread and wine.  Specifically bread made from wheat and wine made from grapes.  But where does this leave celiacs? I had the fortune of learning about celiac disease from one of the foremost authorities on this subject, the person who is writing the textbook that will be used to teach medical professionals about celiac disease.  That person is Nadine Grzeskowiak, the Gluten Free RN ....

 When I came to Christ I had some bad habits that needed changing.  The bad habits that were fairly easy to change were the outward actions that were obviously contrary to the Gospel.  If it were the case that I used to steal, I stopped stealing.  Simple enough.  Does this mean that I am now holy, because I have stopped sinning through outward actions?  Probably not.  There are levels to the spiritual life and ceasing from sinful outer actions is one of the easier levels. In Orthodoxy there is a technical term from the Greek language for evil thoughts, and that word is Logismoi.  Controlling our outward actions is of course not that difficult, but to control our thoughts is a struggle.  Well, it is for me at least.  You, my beloved reader, are completely holy and pure and would never allow Logismoi to occupy your mind.  Of course!  In the Philokalia the Fathers relate that in order to defend ourselves from Logismoi we must be w...