The Divine Flame will consume you At the very first moment you decide to turn to God, your heart begins to be warmed by the action of the Holy Spirit. Your heart is kindled with the divine flame that will transform you. This flame will consume you completely, and will
Category: The Morning Offering
Orthodox Christianity attracted me from my very first encounter with the magnificence of its churches and the grandeur of her divine services. Having grown up amid the natural beauty of Northern Idaho, with mountains and lakes that could take our breath away, I’d previously found inspiration primarily in the world
Imparting happiness and true joy, grounded in Orthodoxy As a former teacher I can still remember, with great fondness, many of my students. Although I loved them all, I did have my favorites, especially those who challenged me with their inquisitive minds. These students kept me on my toes, and
The great virtue of forgiving our enemies There is the story of Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus who invited Hilarion the Great to dinner, and in order to show his hospitality place fried chicken on the table. Hilarion, when he saw the fried chicken, asked forgiveness, but said he had not
Humankind is a microcosm of the universe It has been said that humans are a microcosm of the whole universe because we have within ourselves the entire material world, and with it the noetic powers of the cosmos. Created as we were for immortality, it is our fallen nature that
Blessed Dimitry of Santa Rosa, and the Island of my salvation Following my return from a pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of Athos, we were faced with mounting bills, rising rent costs, little income, and my personal desire to return to Mt. Athos to continue my monastic struggle. I went so
Everything proceeds out of God’s mercy There is a common misconception concerning the word “mercy”, used throughout the liturgical services of the Church, as well as our private prayers, and the Jesus Prayer. It is a given that we are all sinners, but the asking for God’s mercy is not
The day of remembrance for those who died in our nations service Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. Memorial Day is a time for all of us to reflect on those who have sacrificed their lives
What to do when we’re broken It is only human to become despondent when we have failed in keeping to our moral, ethical and spiritual standards, succumbing, instead, to temptation. Our Orthodox Faith teaches that we must be compassionate towards others, loving, quick to forgive, exemplar in our Christian living,
I thank all of you for your prayers, and for your acts of kindness I wish to thank all of you who sent messages of concern, following the attack on my person. Your caring outreach during this difficult time, meant a great deal to me. For all the cards, the