Centers for spiritual healing and intercessory prayer Monastics are an integral part of the Church and should not be seen as independent of the Church Universal. Monks are bound by the same Gospel as other Christians and need to avail themselves to the missionary and pastoral needs of the Church,
Category: The Morning Offering
Returning to the place where it all began During a trip to Northern Idaho to spent time with my brother a number of years ago, we both decided to visit a remote portion of Priest Lake, where our grandfather had built a lake cabin. It was the first time I’d been
The Eucharist transmits to us divine life Food had always sustained the earthly existence of everyone, but in the Eucharist the Lord gave us a distinctively unique human food – bread and wine – that by the power of the Holy Spirit, has become our gift of life. Consecrated and
Faith without works is dead The very moment faith enters the soul is that moment when we turn toward God in repentance and recognize we can not live without Him. As we grow in our faith we come to realize we must remain in a continual state of repentance, for
Avoiding the stagnation of this present world For those who embrace the enjoyment of partying and entertainment, all in an attempt to avoid the hardships and life struggles that make great souls, they will have failed to embrace the essential element that makes this life journey salvific. They will have
The necessity of a pastor’s freedom to preach The adoption of the Johnson Amendment in 1954 was the moment the Internal Revenue Service was given the power to dictate what could and could not be preached from American pulpits. With the threat of fines, or even losing tax exempt status
Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit The Divine Liturgy begins with the words, Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. This kingdom is our true home
We must put aside all resentment The decision to forgive another person a wrong done to us begins when we decide to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. To forgive someone does not mean that we forget what they did to us, for this may be impossible. The
Birth control and the Orthodox Christian Couple Marriage, for the Orthodox Christian, is to have as it’s foundation, Jesus Christ, and a commitment to live in full communion with the Church. When a couple are joined together in this mystical (sacramental) union with one another, they become one flesh, and
The Ethic of Love The supreme ethic of God, is the ethic of love. You can not have love without the freedom of the will. If we would be free to love God, we must also be free not to love God, otherwise we are only compelled to love Him.