Author: Abbot Tryphon

Archpriest Basil Rhodes, preaching at the monastery When the Stranger is Listening The miracle I wrote about in my blog on Saturday, was a reminder to both Father Basil and me that people around us often listen to what we are saying. When you wear your cassock, and have a

My monastic cell The Old Testament is filled with the image of God’s people being a holy people, set apart. The ancient Israelites were not like their neighbors. Their values and their faith impacted everything about them. They dressed differently than many of their neighboring pagan tribes. Their worship was

Abbot Tryphon and Archpriest Basil Rhodes While sitting in a sidewalk cafe with my friend, Archpriest Basil Rhodes, having a cup of coffee and a bite to eat, we noticed a homeless man stop behind me. The man was staring at our food, so Father Basil asked him if he

When Prayer Becomes Dry When we find ourselves struggling with prayer, and feel that it has become dry and lifeless, we are sometimes tempted to stop praying. When our prayer has become a struggle, it is good to remember that God knows our needs, and even knows what we want

The Holiness and Purity of the Ever Virgin Mary The Orthodox Church teaches, as did the early Church, that the Holy Virgin Mary was sinless, not because she was born without sin, as in the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, but because Mary chose not to sin. While

  The Opposite of Faith is Unbelief, not Doubt Lack of doubt causes people to hold to beliefs which may not be enough to sustain them in this present world, for they, in their fear of doubt, fail to go beyond the external form of the Christian faith. In their

Remembrance of the Things of God Today is the perfect day to start doing battle with the passions that create a state of unrest in our hearts. Tomorrow may be too late to begin this battle, for none of us knows the day we will face God, and be called

Good Parenting and the Christian HomeAny good parent knows that he must love all his children equally. No favoritism should be displayed when raising children if we want them to know they are loved. Troubled children often get more attention from a loving parents because mom and dad know this

How can I better support you? My main reason for writing each day is to lend support to so many of you who are struggling in today’s world. The hardships you face, both economically, socially and spiritually, are great. Keeping a balance can be difficult. I have therefore tried to

Beware of False Idols Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object worshiped as though it were a god. Idolatry can also involve objects, persons, entertainment, even self. Anything that replaces the centrality of God in our life can be a form of idolatry.