Author: Abbot Tryphon

Keeping our youth in the Church We are living in an age that has witnessed changes on a massive scale as never before. The way we communicate has changed with the coming of the internet, with information available that would have required a library and advanced degrees to access in

How do we rid ourselves of fear and anxiety? Our determination and resolve provokes Christian efficacy that is not only “self efficacy” but ‘God-empowered efficacy.’ Thus, we can join ourselves in concert with the words of the psalmist and say, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,

We must put off religion and put on Christ The Church’s true authority is grounded in love because she holds within her realm the authority to make her people the children of God. She has the authority to forgive, and the capacity to love. And just as her Head, Jesus

We only think we can be of Christ and of the world “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). It

Witnessing to your fallen away relatives and friends We all know people, be they friends or family members, who have fallen away from the faith, or who have never had a faith to begin with. As a priest I have witnessed many individuals whose faith was an important element in

Our thoughts determine our lives “Our life depends on the kind of thoughts we nurture. If our thoughts are peaceful, calm, meek, and kind, then that is what our life is like. If our attention is turned to the circumstances in which we live, we are drawn into a whirlpool

The incubator for a life of righteousness Prior to electricity and central heating, most families gathered in parlors, spending evenings with reading, sewing, and family conversations. The notion that everyone would retreat to bedrooms, kitchens, or dens, separating themselves from other family members, was unthinkable. The communal nature of the

Building our endurance and confidence “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise (Hebrews 10:35-36)” When we find ourselves caught up in what we want, or

The invitation to become a child of God We have been praying most of our lives, but do we ever think about what that means? Have we ever thought how incredible it is that our Creator God has invited us to speak with Him at any time? That the Lord

Coming Home to Our Mother the Church My advice to people who are considering converting to Orthodoxy is to follow their heart. Putting off becoming Orthodox, or “coming home” if you will, is something they will ultimately regret, I tell them. The journey to God must be our main focus in this life,