Spiritual Maturation and the Church Calendar One of the most spiritually profitable discoveries for me, personally, was when I started, as a new Orthodox Christian, the observance of the liturgical calendar. Each day of the year I was carried along with the cycle of commemorations that brought to life various
Category: The Morning Offering
I never thought it would come to this.
The Common Men Called by the Lord As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, it is good to remember that the Lord did not call academics, religious leaders, or important members of the King’s Court, as His Apostles, but rather He called what were essentially
Participating in the Heavenly Banquet We recently had a visiting couple attend the Sunday morning Liturgy here at the monastery. From out of state and on vacation, they entered the temple shortly after the Gospel reading. Not only did they miss the beginning of the Liturgy, they were not properly
Humility or insanity?
The Problem of Evil in God’s Creation We’ve all read news reports of horrid cases of people being imprisoned for long periods of time by perverted individuals who have been later diagnosed as classic psychopaths. By definition, psychopaths are individuals who are hateful towards others, and incapable of empathy. Sometimes
Relationship is not a logic puzzle. Embrace the mystery.
Counteracting the Dark Side of the Internet I often google topics that interest me, finding information that would have required hours in the library in the past. I’ve visited Russian monasteries, watched videos of chanters in Greek monasteries, viewed Orthodox patriarchs serving the Divine Liturgy, all on the Internet. I’ve
The Christian Life Requires Work and Effort Every priest can tell you that he’s had his share of people who don’t think he understands the difficulties they face with their jobs, families, and spouses. Many people think their priest expects too much of them, and they ignore the homilies that
The demons tremble at the voice crying out. Are you listening?