Do unto others as you would have done unto you (Luke 6:31) It is a terrible temptation to wish our enemies destruction. Our Lord instructs us to love our enemies and to do good to those who hate us or persecute us. To wish for their destruction is to ignore
Category: The Morning Offering
In Orthodoxy Heaven Is Experienced In The Here And Now A recent visitor observed that the monastery was “overwhelmingly beautiful, and emanating a peace,” he’d not felt before. Upon entering the temple, he said he felt as though he’d just taken in a glimpse of heaven, and sensed the presence,
Seeking Healing In The Life Of The Church Orthodoxy offers a very precise way in which to enter into communion with God. It is a way that must be learned, for simply “becoming Orthodox” will not lead the seeker into an inner life that will transform, and enlighten. Membership in
The Ruling Power Inherent In Our Nature According to Saint Gregory Palamas, God has given us lordship over all the earth because of our capacity for sovereignty. With this sovereignty comes the responsibility to be good stewards of that which God has given us. “There is within our soul’s nature
And Do Not Be Called Teacher “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
Embracing Absolute Truth In an age when many people think truth is relative, the knowledge that there is such a thing as absolute truth, is comforting. The freedom that comes with the knowledge that we are able to embrace teachings that are a continuation of an unbroken line dating back
Dead to the World, but Alive in Christ We cannot give Christ to others unless we have welcomed Him into the central place in our own heart. We must know and love Christ, personally, before others can see Him in us. When we are willing to sacrifice self for the
Love And Prayer Are Interconnected If we find fault in others, our judgmental attitude prevents us from having a successful communion with God. Prayer is born of love, while fault-finding, idle talk, and self-indulgence are the death of prayer. Love and prayer are interconnected because both involve God, and if
The Elder Pavlos of Sinai on Archimandrite Dimitry The Elder Pavlos of Saint Katherine’s Monastery in Sinai (of blessed memory), who visited our monastery on May 26, 2012, recounted something about my own late spiritual father, Archimandrite Dimitry of Santa Rosa, that I’d forgotten. Elder Dimitry of Valaam Monastery in