And the acquisition of a humble and a contrite heart When the monk attempts to rely on his own strength to do battle with his fallen nature, he will be defeated. The arena, his field of battle, takes place in his own heart, and will be a life long battle.
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 transformational power of the Ancient Apostolic Church unchanged In an age when many Christian denominations are trying to appear relevant and modern, even to the point of preachers dressing in blue jeans and t-shirts for services, I am finding increasing numbers of people are drawn to the Ancient Faith
Banishing hell with Christ’s love One of my favorite authors as a young man, was Thomas Merton, the famous Trappist monk. In the introduction to his work New Seeds of Contemplation he wrote: “Hell was where no one has anything in common with anyone else except the fact that they
Feast of the Exaltation of the Life Giving Cross The Elevation of the Holy Cross is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, celebrated on September 14 (Old Style). This feast is also referred to as the Exaltation of the Cross. This feast commemorates two events in the life
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All we need for happiness is right in front of us It is easy to resist taking care of oneself if we run at full speed as though we are the only one who can get things done. We all need to set priorities, making sure we focus on Christ
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Abbot Tryphon has been unable to post today’s blog due to technical difficulties on his aging Mac laptop. Please pray and, God-willing, he’ll be back in the saddle soon. In Christ, Monk Martin
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