Category: The Morning Offering

The capacity to forgive and the capacity to love     The capacity to forgive is directly related to the capacity to love, and it is in our act of forgiving others, that we find forgiveness. For it is in the turning away from our own self-concern, and our own

Pets as gifts from God Every evening I try to spend an hour or so in the library, sitting in front of the fire place. Our beloved Norwegian Forest Cat, Hammi, sleeps in the library/community room every night. Hammi is most happy when the entire monastic brotherhood is gathered together

Metaphysical Philosophy and Pure Theology There are only a few Orthodox saints who’ve been given the honor of being called, “theologians”. Saint John the Theologian, and Saint Symeon the New Theologian, to give two examples, were declared Theologians by the Church, because their theology was the result of their having

We are a microcosm of the universe With this Lenten journey upon us it is good to contemplate the profound nature of our earthy struggle. This life is not about all the temporal things that often consume our energy and attention, but about those things that impact eternity. Humans are

Thanks for your prayers! Thanks to all your prayers I was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon. After seven days in Swedish Cherry Hill Medical Center’s Cardiac Unit, I give thanks that I am doing well, and that my doctor gave the green light for this trip. Hoping to see

After receiving some heavy duty treatment last Wednesday with a new drug and electro-cardioversion, that required hospitalization, the hope was that the heart would revert back into a normal rhythm so I would recover my full strength and stamina.The treatment was a success on the first try. But due to

My heart went back into AFib in the early hours. My cardiologist, Dr. Peter Demopulos, is planning another cardioversion this morning. Please pray for me. Now entering day six in the hospital. I’m scheduled to fly to the East Coast for a series of talks at Michigan State University, and

After receiving a new medication and an electric shock to the heart, the heart has returned to its normal rhythm. However during the observation afterwards, I had symptoms of shortness of breath and feeling unwell. And water was collecting in my lungs. Tests showed that my normal heart’s pumping power had

I’m going to be in the hospital for the next two or three days, so will not be posting on my blog or Facebook page. Nor will I be recording my podcasts. Please keep this poor excuse for a monk in your holy prayers. If all goes well, I should

Transformation through the Lenten Journey The Byzantine Court was filled with sycophants, busying themselves with building alliances that would help them rise in status and influence. During the thousand years of the empire a few emperors were tricked into believing these sycophants were truly their friends and could be trusted,