We must struggle that our prayer not become lifeless When we find ourselves struggling with prayer, and feel that it has become dry and lifeless, we are sometimes tempted to stop praying. When our prayer has become a struggle, it is good to remember that God knows our needs, and
Category: The Morning Offering
Fasting is an essential part of our Orthodox journey Fasting was established by God Himself, as clearly seen in both the Old and New Testaments. The Lord Jesus Christ even went out into the desert for 40 days of fasting before beginning His early ministry. Regarding fasting Christ said “When
Dangerous times require priestly service that is gentle, patient, and merciful Orthodoxy has traditionally avoided clericalism, yet in more recent times this very corruption of priestly service has entered the doors of the Orthodox Church. It has led some clergy to seek out princely honor, danger not only to their
The sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, resulted in our inheritance of death The fact that we Orthodox do not accept the doctrine of original sin as espoused in the West, does in no way suggest that we do not need to be born again (born anew). We
Quietude, silence and prayer It is in keeping constant vigilance, guarding our senses, and living a life of repentance and self-rapprochement, that we can hope to gain control of our passions and enter into true communion with God. The basic element of such a life has got to include quietude,
Children learn to love God through the example of their parents Every Orthodox parent wants their children to grow up attending Sunday Liturgies and staying active in the life of the Church throughout their lives. Yet many parents don’t demonstrate the importance of having a personal relationship with God in
Because we are stuck in habitual and repetitive sins In the Mystery of Confession we avail ourselves before the analogion stand, upon which the holy cross and the Gospel Book rest. The priest stands in as the witness, whereas in the early Church confession was done before the whole congregation
We Orthodox believers know that death is not something to be feared As a small boy growing up in Spokane, Washington, we lived near one of the city’s large cemeteries. From the earliest days, when I was allowed to ride by bicycle out of our immediate neighborhood, I would ride
We must drive out all negative thoughts Our thoughts really do have an impact on our world. Negative thoughts about family members or fellow employees, change our relationships. If we dislike someone at work and allow ourselves to think poorly of them, they are likely to fulfill our low expectations.
“Help me, O God, to put off all pretenses and find my true self.” Metropolitan Anthony Bloom When we enter into communion with one another in the life of the Church, we come broken, and far from the image and likeness that God intended when He created us. We, to