“Silence is the Cross that crucifies the ego (Saint Seraphim of Sarov).” The desert must be a part of our daily living, for without entering into the desert of the heart, nothing can be gained. With the noise of the radio, television, the Internet, and the world of computers, iPods,
Category: The Morning Offering
The limits of human reason and the knowledge of God The things that are of God are far beyond the capabilities of our finite mind to comprehend. According to Othodox theology, the divine can only be known through the nous, that place in the heart that is our true center.
A sort of Orthodox Readers Digest As any of you who have been following my blog articles all these many years know, I am not a theologian. Nor am I an academic. I am simply a monk who has a heart for people, and a calling from the Lord, and
Creating a Christian environment in the home Creating a Christian home begins with the icon corner. The “bright corner” becomes the center for every domestic church, and where the family devotions take place. This is also the family’s way of declaring to visitors that this is a Christian home, where
The place of holy relics in the Orthodox Church Because of the revolution during the period of the Protestant Reformation, the veneration of the saints, came under attack, leading to the burning of the bodies of saints, depriving them of even a Christian burial, and thus leading to perhaps the
Without the corporate life of the Church our sins keep us captive It is next to impossible to live as a Christian without the Church. Although immersing ourselves in the assigned daily scripture readings according to the Ecclesiastical Calendar, and keeping a Prayer Rule, are important foundations for a life
Preserving the Church for the Next Generation We are living in an age that has witnessed changes on a massive scale as never before. The way we communicate has changed with the coming of the internet, with information available that would have required a library and advanced degrees to access
The Divine Liturgy is the center of the Church’s life, and her most profound prayer At the Mystical Supper in the Upper Room Jesus gave a dramatically new meaning to the food and drink of the sacred meal. He identified Himself with the bread and wine: “Take, eat; this is
Finding one’s true home in the Orthodox Church The one thing I have learned since my entrance into Orthodoxy is that this is the preserved Church that Christ founded, and the very Church whose first pastors were the apostles themselves. Preserved once and for all, it is neither East nor
The incubator for a life of righteousness Prior to electricity and central heating, most families gathered in parlors, spending evenings with reading, sewing, and family conversations. The notion that everyone would retreat to bedrooms, kitchens, or dens, separating themselves from other family members, was unthinkable. The communal nature of the