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

It is God Who seeks us out A child who has been adopted by loving parents knows from the outset that he is loved, because he knows they chose him. He was not simply accepted because he was conceived and born into their midst, but was sought out to become

The Church must incarnate people, not ideas or beliefs According to the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, John Zizioulas, if the Church is truly the Church, she must incarnate Christ and manifest the Kingdom in a particular place, and as a local event. The Church, thus,  “must incarnate people, not ideas or

There is no salvation outside authentic community Orthodoxy is all about community. The fierce individualism found in much of what claims to be Christianity is in opposition to the Orthodox understanding of faith. The Church as the Body of Christ is where we are united in Christ, becoming part of

The Church is NOT full of hypocrites, there is still room for more! Our Orthodox Church has always seen herself as a hospital for the soul, the place where her children can seek healing. It is within her walls that we find the medicine we need to make us holy

God’s house is entered with awe and fear We must practice reverence in the temple, whether during services or when we step into the church to light a candle and venerate the holy icons. The temple is the place set apart for the worship of the Holy Trinity and is

And do not be called teachers “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever

The importance of  discovering God for oneself At the age of seventy find myself spending an increasing amount of time on area campuses, and hosting a growing number of young people making a pilgrimage to the monastery. At an age when many of my contemporaries are grandfathers, or even great

The Christian response to Jihadist attacks We Americans are facing a heinous crime not unlike the murderous attack that took place in Paris, France, a few weeks ago. The continuing murder of thousands of innocent people in the name of the Islamic religion continues to shock the world and has

The cleansing of the nous that has been darkened 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