Author: Abbot Tryphon

God Himself Appeared in the Flesh We Orthodox Christians who keep the ancient Church Calendar are approaching our celebration of the Nativity of Christ Our Lord. On January 7th we will all be gathering together in monasteries, chapels, churches, and cathedrals, to celebrate the Liturgy of the Nativity of Our

Never Converse with DemonsIn 1986 I spent fourteen days in retreat at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. Staying in the monastic quarters, I had two weeks of wonderful fellowship with fellow monastics, worshiping in their temple, eating with them in trapeza, walking the trails through their forest, praying

Blessing the campus of Pacific Lutheran University Keeping one’s mind and heart in a good place Walking through life with a smile on your face and a song in your heart is the best way to keep your mind and heart in a good place. Life has many turns and

() We are joined with the cloud of witnesses When we say that Christianity is a way of life, we are referring to the fact that the Church is the purveyor of divine revelation from our Creator. This divine revelation infuses us with a transformational power that lifts us up,

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). As

Shrugging off Religion and Replacing it with Nothing According to Professor Mark Silk of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., “The real dirty little secret of religiosity in America is that there are so many people for whom spiritual interest, thinking about ultimate questions, is minimal,” Increasing numbers of people are

The Journey to God begins with the First Step The spiritual struggle that is required of us can not depend on having a spiritual father. Most Orthodox Christians do not have one, and the average parish priest is not equipped, either with the time, nor the inclination, to take on

The Role of Godparent is an Awesome ResponsibilityThe institution of godparents (sponsors) is one that dates back to the first century of the Christian Church. Anyone approaching baptism, be they infant or adult, was required to have a godparent. In the case of an infant, it is the godparent that

Holiness comes only to those who struggle. Not an hour should pass without taking time to examine our heart, for the hour of judgement can come at any time, and we must be ready to give account to God for our life. There is no spiritual improvement if we do

Iraqi church under British guard by Srdja Trifkovic The Daily Mail Dec. 25, 2011  This Christmas let us spare a thought and say a prayer for countless Christian victims of Muslim brutality, over the centuries and in our own time. An explosion ripped through a Catholic church  during Christmas Mass near