The link between the Old and New Testament Temples Orthodox temples have kept to the same form and function since ancient times. Using the Old Testament Temple model, Orthodox churches are divided into several courts or spaces peculiar to their function. The Holy Table, upon which is celebrated the Eucharist,
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
Don’t ignore the little things that bring you joy If we pay attention to our health, family and spiritual life, everything else will take care of itself. We shouldn’t let life be so full of work that we don’t have time to focus on the things that bring us joy.
The place of the Holy Virgin in our lives The Holy Virgin is a stumbling block for many protestants looking into Orthodoxy. The idea that this woman described in the Gospels in such humble terms could be called the Mother of God seems unbiblical to them. She was never called
On the importance of representing the Orthodox Church to the world It was relatively late in my life when I embraced Orthodoxy. Already forty-one, I found myself wandering in a spiritual wasteland, knowing I was drying up spiritually, but hoping there was something out there that would fill the void.
Disappointments are meaningless when we have peace of heart We often find ourselves disappointed in life. The job we really wanted is given to another person. An associate at work doesn’t invite us to the dinner party, yet invited a coworker and his wife. A person we’d love to have
The theological vision of God and natural science Orthodoxy does not exclude from the theological vision of God the findings of natural science. Science and faith can be in concert with one another and our desire to reinstate our communion with God can involve both natural science, and the science
It is not our persecutors and detractors who are our enemies Sometimes the humiliation we experience at the hands of others can be daunting, to say the least. Those moments when we are confronted with hatred, sometimes based on the jealousy of another, are often the most difficult to bear,
The Orthodox Faith must be shown to be relevant for this age When a priest makes a concerted effort to relate to his parishioners, demonstrating a real interest in their lives, discovering what is important to them, and taking the time to actually instruct them in the Orthodox faith, there
A day set aside for giving thanks to God Thanksgiving has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when during the Civil War President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving. The word Thanksgiving has its roots in the Greek word, eucharistia, where the Church gets the word Eucharist. For
We must look only for the good in others Saint Paisios of the Holy Mountain said there are two types of people. “There are the bees and there are the flies. The bees are attracted to flowers and sweet smells, whereas the flies are only attracted to dirt and stench.