Author: Abbot Tryphon

Tapping into the Noetic Memory of the Heart The heart, in the Orthodox tradition, does not only have a natural operation, as a mere pump that circulates blood. In Orthodox patristic tradition the heart is the center of our self-awareness. Saint Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain (+1809) calls the heart

Living In Expectation Of Miracles While just a little boy in the Lutheran Church, I remember asking the pastor why we didn’t see miracles in the church like had happened in the Bible. He told me they were used in New Testament times to jump start the church, and were

Having Christ As Our Kingdom, Light, Life, and Crown Any good parent knows that he must love all his children equally. No favoritism should be displayed when raising children if we want them to know they are loved. Troubled children often get more attention from loving parents because mom and

Becoming The Image Of Christ To Others If we are to be true to our calling as the children of God, we must live in imitation of Christ. We must imitate His meekness and humility. We must love others just as did He. We must be willing to be transformed,

Short Prayers Used In Personal Devotion Many Church Fathers taught the use of the “arrow prayer”, deliberately short prayers for personal devotion that were easily remembered, and could communicate one’s love for God, while seeking His help. They were like arrows being shot into the air, wholeheartedly demonstrating our sincerity

We Must Collaborate With God If we are to be healthy spiritually, we must cooperate with God’s divine grace. The nous, as the center of our being, refers to the noetic energy that functions in the heart of every spiritually healthy person. Only the Holy Spirit can bring about the

Asking For Miracles In Our Smugness And Pride Asking for miracles in order to believe betrays a sort of smugness on our part, sort of like asking for an expensive gift from a prospective friend, before considering their overture for friendship. It could hardly become a true friendship if it

We Must Think Before We Speak Many a parish has been torn apart by careless speech. Many extended families have seen rifts between family members because of one careless word. Couples have divorced because one spouse would not refrain from a critical word. Our struggle with the passions must begin

Do Not Turn Right Or Left According to Saint Basil the Great, “The person who does not allow his thought to incline towards excess or deprivation but directs it to the midpoint, that of virtue, is upright in his heart”. Virtue must be practiced. Just as one who would desire