Category: The Morning Offering

Humans are as Priests before the Altar of Creation Everything that lives and breathes is sacred and beautiful in the eyes of God. From the heart of our Orthodox faith, the whole world is a sacrament, and the entire created cosmos is a burning bush of God’s uncreated energies. All

Saved for participation in the Life of the Trinity The idea that Christ would have incarnated in the flesh, even if Adam and Eve had not fallen, was taught by a number of early Church Fathers. Although not a formal teaching of the Orthodox Church, the understanding comes from the

The Aggressive Secularization of America As an American I have watched with sadness, the eroding of our Christian values and standards of living. When I was in grade school, each day began with the reading of the Bible, broadcast over the intercom system (yes, we had the technology when I

We must take up our cross and follow Christ.

The Cure for Our Disordered State Man is living in a perpetual state of disorder, far from the ordered life God intended for him. The cure for this disordered state is to be found in prayer. It is in the foundation of prayer that we seek out the healing that

If we are not willing to be marginalized, we are unworthy to call ourselves Christians The Church Militant, which is the Church of Christ here on this earth, is in the midst of a battle. Our enemy is not one of flesh and blood,but one of darkness and evil. The

As many of you already know, I had applied for a religious exemption regarding the Washington State governor’s requirement that any state employees be vaccined against Covid, or be fired. Although chaplains do not receive a salary, we were coming under this same requirement. Many of my chaplain friends around

The Meaning of Salvation in the Ancient Church According to Protopresbyter George Metallinos, Dean of the Athens University School of Theology, “For we Orthodox the unique and absolute goal of life in Christ is theosis, our union with God, so that man – through his participation in God’s uncreated energy

Joy is the Infallible Sign of God’s Presence Although we have no written evidence that Our Lord Jesus Christ laughed, I am personally convinced that he did. How could He not have shared in our humanity with perfection had he not had a sense of humor, and shared moments of

Short Prayers used in Personal Devotion Many Church Fathers taught the use of the “arrow prayer”, deliberately short prayers for personal devotion that were easily remembered, and could communicate one’s love for God, while seeking His help. They were like arrows being shot into the air, wholeheartedly demonstrating our sincerity