Category: The Morning Offering

Heavenly Worship Must Enter Into The Heart The beauty of Orthodox worship is meant to lift us up, connecting us to Heavenly Worship that is eternally celebrated before the Throne of God. The beatific vision granted Saint John, and revealed in the Book of Revelation, describes the connection between the

We do not celebrate the death of our enemies.

Committed to Living as the Presence of Christ According to Ephraim the Syrian, the great sixth century saint, “The Church is not the assembly of saints, it is the mass of sinners who repent, who, sinners though they are, have turned towards God and are oriented towards Him.” As a

It’s not enough to be nice.

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

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,

Forgiveness is a Two Way Street Psychologists have often made the observation that the one thing they lack, when it comes to their profession as psychological healers, is the ability to pronounce absolution. Yet many Orthodox Christians, making a good confession and receiving absolution, remain in a state as though

Exercise your soul.

How to Overcome Hopelessness Hopelessness in painful situations is what pulls most of us out of our rut. My own recent bout with my heart, and subsequent healing through the intercession of the Holy Virgin, has given me pause as to how I’d been living my life. Like many of

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives