Author: Abbot Tryphon
I am abbot of All-Merciful Saviour Orthodox Monastery (ROCOR) on Vashon Island, WA. The island is a twenty minute ferry ride from West Seattle, and a fifteen minute crossing from Tacoma.
Surrounded by the Salish Sea, the island is some 87% undeveloped forest, with a rural population of around eleven thousand citizens. If you wish to contact me personally, you can email me at: abbottryphon@vashonmonks.com
The Feast of the Holy Transfiguration of Christ The Transfiguration of Christ is the episode in the New Testament narrative in which Our Lord is transfigured and becomes radiant with bright rays of light. At that moment the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to Him, and He speaks with
A Faith for the Sick Our Orthodox Church has always seen itself as a hospital for the soul, the place where her children can seek healing. It is within her walls that we find the medicine we need to make us holy (whole), and where we can find the means
The Most Arduous of all Ascetic Practices is Prayer St Gregory of Sinai spoke of the effort involved in prayer, when he wrote, “No bodily or spiritual activity without pain or toil ever brings fruit to him who practices it, because ‘the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent
We Are Not Compelled To Love God We are not compelled to love God, having been created with free will. God does not compel His creatures to love Him. Mutual love requires, by it’s very nature, freedom to either respond in love, or not. Yet when we respond to God’s
Embracing the Dormition Fast for the Right Reasons The Lord condemned the Pharisee, not because he fasted, but because his motivation was based on pride. The Pharisee wished to be seen by men, and he had no fear of God. He dared to stand before the Lord in pride and
The Feast of Christ the All-Merciful Saviour Today our brotherhood celebrates the Patronal Feast of our monastery. Thirty-five years ago the beloved and ever memorable Archimandrite Dimitry (Egoroff) of Santa Rosa, CA tonsured Father Paul and me as Orthodox monks. Having previously been monks in the Eastern Catholic Church, we
Our Prayers Should Not Be in the Form of Bargaining When we approach the Lord with our needs we should take care that our prayer not be a form of bargainingl. God knows our needs before we ask, and it is from our fallen nature that we tend to approach
Let Us Show Compassion For All Of God’s Creatures These very moving photos first appeared in a French newspaper. The photos showed a male swallow attending his mate, who’d been hit by a car and was unable to fly. The male sparrow was photographed bringing food to the female in