Author: Abbot Tryphon

Joy is the infallible sign of God’s presence Although we have no written evidence that Our Lord Jesus Christ laughed, I am personally convinced that he did. How could He not have shared in our humanity with perfection had he not had a sense of humor, and shared moments of

Salvation is not about me, but about us Mindlessly spending hours on the internet, giving ourselves over to whole evenings sitting before our computers, communicating with people who are unknown to us personally, and who may not even be who they claim to be, are examples of squandering time that

Raising up our children to be loved and safe More and more frequently we read about children taking their own lives, having reached a place where they would rather be dead, than live another hour suffering from bullying. Too often parents and teachers have ignored the problem of bullying, dismissing

Deep in a forest, a taste of paradise I awoke this morning with the sun beaming through the windows, and a slight breeze, scented with the forest, passing through my cell. Anyone who has spent a night in the heart of a forest knows the primordial memory that surfaces. Nature

When correcting others becomes a form of abuse When focusing on the sins of others, we set for ourselves the mission of correcting them. We see ourselves as called to help this poor, unfortunate one by pointing out their sins, and telling them how they can be a better person.

Let my prayer arise as incense before Thee From Old Testament times believers have burned incense as an offering when worshiping God. The ancient temple in Jerusalem even had priests whose sole duty was to keep the censer burning twenty-four hours a day. Ancient pagan kings were often escorted with

The Feast of the Ascension of Christ Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Christ. The importance of this historical event, is that Christ ascended into Heaven as man and as God. Having condescended to take on our flesh, becoming both perfect man, and, at the same time,

When we give in to procrastination   We all have times when we procrastinate. There is a story of a young monk who confessed to his elder that he was always struggling with procrastination. His elder told him it was his lack of faith which made it impossible for him

The true self versus the false self Reformed theology focuses on forensic justification, whereas the mystical theology of the Orthodox Church focuses on restoration to God through healing of the darkened soul alienated from Him. These are two very different models, but not really equal, because one can have faith

The humble co-suffering Saviour must be seen in His Church For Orthodoxy to thrive into the next century, we must see a return to the very roots of our faith, where the Church proclaims the Good News of Christ in all its purity, and centers herself in the mystical and