Abide Within Oneself Forests and mountains have always been associated with prayer for me and monks the world over. My first chapel was at the end of a hidden trail in a forest that was only a short walk down the beach from our home on Lake Pend Oreille. I’d
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
Proclaim The Gospel The Church Militant, which is the Church of Christ here on this earth, is in the midst of a battle. Our enemy is not one of flesh and blood, but one of darkness and evil. The survival of humankind is not dependent on the number of people
God’s Race In the Book of Acts we read that diverse expressions of languages were being spoken with the coming of the Holy Spirit. In Revelation we see a glimpse of eternity with men and women from every tongue, tribe, and nation making up the choir of eternal praise (Rev.
Conquer Delusion It is by leading a life of continual contrition and uninterrupted prayer that we will conquer all the delusions that we harbor in our hearts, and firmly resolve to stay the course even unto death. We must fortify ourselves in keeping up our courage when we are consumed
All Suffer If we are always complaining about how unfairly we are treated, we will have failed in our imitation of Christ, Who was abused by His enemies unto death. We should strive to reign with Our Lord by loving our enemies and never complaining. Christ looked towards His
Love From The Heart What does it mean to truly love another person? It means we carry the other person in our heart. If we do not bring the other person into our heart, we do not really love them. If we are unwilling to help another person when they
The Significance of Transfiguration At the Transfiguration of Christ, our Lord was transfigured from the common likeness of a man to one radiant with bright rays of light shining from Him. At that moment the prophets Moses and Elijah appeared next to Him, and He spoke with them. The voice
Enlighten Your Darkness Transparency of the heart must rule if we are to have an honest relationship with God. Nothing can be hidden from the Lord, yet we often live as though we can hide that which we know is not pleasing to God. Putting on a face may work
I Am A Christian When a child grows into adulthood, he is simply maturing into who he was always meant to be. Likewise, as Christians who are reborn as children of God, our growth is a natural consequence of living with God. Children learn and grow gradually, both through intentional
All About Us The only way we are going to grow in God is to give up on self-will. At the beginning of each day, put aside thoughts about what we are going to eat, drink, or wear, or worries about the future (Mat. 6:25-34). Do not dwell on regrets