When we are the occasion for another person’s disdain Because we are all brothers and sisters, we are responsible for the way we impact others. Often we are entirely innocent, yet by our very existence we become a source of great irritation and anxiety for other people. The only way
Category: The Morning Offering
An all-consuming fire and an illuminating light Upon Christ’s Second Coming, everyone who has ever lived will see Him in His uncreated light, forever. For “those who worked good deeds in their lifetime will go towards the resurrection of life, while those who worked evil in their lifetime will go
The Church as the hospital for the soul Our Orthodox Faith defines sin as an illness that is in need of healing, not as a crime that requires punishment. The Church is a hospital for the soul whose therapists (priests) first sought therapy and then became the therapists. As a
How hatred and jealousy can transform a man into a saint Much of how I struggle to live my life today, I base on my formative years as a monk. My beloved Elder and Spiritual Father, Archimandrite Dimitry of Santa Rosa, was a true saint in every way, and perhaps
Taking Orthodoxy beyond the self-congratulatory We must guard against noticing when another parishioner seems careless in the making of the sign of the cross, while we go about demonstrating for all around us, the proper way. Making sweeping signs of the cross that are done in such a way as
The island of my salvation Following my pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of Athos, back in 1988, I realized our monastic brotherhood was faced with mounting bills, rising rent costs, and little income. It seemed clear to me we could not stay on this island. Additionally, my personal desire to
The God-bearer gave birth to the Word of God, and also became Christ’s first disciple As the Theotokos (God-bearer), how can Mary not be the Mother of God? She didn’t just bear the humanity of Jesus, but she bore the Son of God. Because Christ is both human and divine,
Being the beauty of God in a darkened world When others see how we negotiate our life, how we treat our fellow workers, our neighbors, and our family, they should witness in us devotion and praise of God. Our deeds and our speech must reveal the love of God to
We must forgive others even if they are not repentant A desert father was told by one of his monks that he’d forgiven his brother who had wronged him. However, his brother would not admit to his own actions against him. The abbot told him that in having forgiven his
Pious without stoking the flames of pride Some converts become experts in canon law and liturgical rubrics, and number themselves among the super correct. Archbishop Averky of Jordanville (of blessed memory) said of converts, “they are like envelopes and have a tendency to come unglued.” None of this is meant