Author: Abbot Tryphon

Natural Science and the Vision of God 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 of

Orthodoxy is a journey of the utmost importance Unless our Orthodoxy becomes something other than magic, with the priest as some sort of wizard who performs the right formulas, and who does all the work for us, our Orthodoxy will have failed us. No one can live the spiritual life

Righteousness is not a part time job Teachers and parents routinely remind children of the importance of refraining from giving in to peer pressure, knowing that good behavior can often be undermined by the desire to fit in with their friends and school mates. We adults need to remember is

Those occasions when we mature into spiritual adulthood There are those times in our lives when God seems distant, even absent from us. These are usually times when our faith seems weak and we struggle to believe God really cares for us, or perhaps we begin to question whether God

The Medicine found within the Holy Orthodox Church One medicine for the heart found within the Orthodox Church, is the use of a “Prayer Rule.” This “Rule” is of the utmost importance, for the Prayer Rule helps develop the discipline we all need to progress spiritually. It is one of

God reaches down to redeem us in the material world Unlike angels, who are entirely spiritual beings, God has made each of us as creatures dwelling in a material world. To be whole, we must worship God both in body and soul. This teaching is central to our Christian faith

Sharing the Orthodox Faith in a secular age The first missionary monks to the North American continent came to a land where Orthodoxy had never been. Their encounter with the native peoples was one of mutual respect. They did not greet their new neighbors as pagans, but as a people

The priest must be like a funnel  If a priest is truly to be an agent for grace, he must become like a funnel through which the Lord’s mercy can flow. That a priest has received the grace of ordination, if he does not attempt to live a life of

It is not about the priest, but about the Great High Priest We are all broken and in need of healing. None of us is beyond reproach, and many of us who are in leadership roles are just as broken as those who seek our help. The Church is the

Hammi and his abbot friend Soon after moving our monastery from a rental house and into the temporary quarters of an old trailer house, Hammi arrived. We startled each other midway between the foundations of what is now the library and the trailer. I reached down to him and he