The spiritual life requires patience and struggle Americans are not a particularly patient people, as demonstrated by the fact that the fast food industry began with us. We don’t tolerate slow service, thus much of the food we consume is prepared before we order it. We drive our car to
Category: The Morning Offering
Community is one of the most essential elements for the Christian life Our Christian faith is communal in nature, and requires us to be actively involved with others. We come together in worship, and the Divine Liturgy itself is a corporate act, one that necessitates interaction with others. We are
Darkness does not exist in its own right Our Orthodox Christian theology views evil not as a primeval essence that is co-eternal and equal to God, but rather a falling away from good. Evil does not exist in and of itself, and was not created by God. Our Orthodox Church
Encountering drought in one’s soul Drought has had a significant impact on whole civilizations, even being responsible for the total abandonment of great cities, now buried beneath the sands of history. The Great Dust Bowl led to the mass migration of our own people, as farms and towns were gobbled
We must surrender our self-will into the loving embrace of our God There is freedom from stress, anxiety, and even anger, when we place our trust in God, and in he whom God has set over us as our spiritual guide. The invading enemies to our salvation have power over
Is our nation entering into a new Dark Ages? According to a Lutheran minister who visited the monastery this past week, the city of Portland, Oregon, just contacted the Union Gospel Mission, asking that they prepare for a coming surge of new homeless families. They are bracing for some forty
Finding God in an unbelieving world God is quick to forgive, quick to show mercy, and quick to embrace us when we turn to Him. In all of eternity our God chose to create humankind in His image and likeness, offering His creatures the opportunity to commune with Him in
When we experience the “dark side” of the Church For those who have experienced what has been called the “dark side” of the Church, the struggle to remain faithful to the Orthodox Faith can seem daunting. The dark side is the result of the sinful, fallen nature of all of
Is the Church truly less essential than a laundromat? Live streaming the services does not impart God’s grace in the same way the Mystical Supper imparts God’s grace. Christ’s Church is an essential institution far beyond a drug store or gas station, yet we continue to allow the government to
In our moments of loneliness and despondency, we are together As we struggle in this life, it is good to remember that we Christians are all together. We find our place of silence, where we encounter God, but even in this place set apart, we are together. In our journey