Those occasions when we mature into spiritual adulthood There are those times in our lives when God seems distant, even absent from us. These are usually times when our faith seems weak and we struggle to believe God really cares for us, or perhaps we begin to question whether God
Category: The Morning Offering
The Medicine found within the Holy Orthodox Church One medicine for the heart found within the Orthodox Church, is the use of a “Prayer Rule.” This “Rule” is of the utmost importance, for the Prayer Rule helps develop the discipline we all need to progress spiritually. It is one of
God reaches down to redeem us in the material world Unlike angels, who are entirely spiritual beings, God has made each of us as creatures dwelling in a material world. To be whole, we must worship God both in body and soul. This teaching is central to our Christian faith
Sharing the Orthodox Faith in a secular age The first missionary monks to the North American continent came to a land where Orthodoxy had never been. Their encounter with the native peoples was one of mutual respect. They did not greet their new neighbors as pagans, but as a people
The priest must be like a funnel If a priest is truly to be an agent for grace, he must become like a funnel through which the Lord’s mercy can flow. That a priest has received the grace of ordination, if he does not attempt to live a life of
It is not about the priest, but about the Great High Priest We are all broken and in need of healing. None of us is beyond reproach, and many of us who are in leadership roles are just as broken as those who seek our help. The Church is the
Hammi and his abbot friend Soon after moving our monastery from a rental house and into the temporary quarters of an old trailer house, Hammi arrived. We startled each other midway between the foundations of what is now the library and the trailer. I reached down to him and he
Troublesome passages of the Old Testament It is important when reading the Old Testament, to remember that it was written as an account of a peoples journey to God. As the Israelites journey continued, they came to know God, little by little, through God’s self-revelation to their prophets, and their
God is still in charge As Orthodox priests our true nation is the Church, and the head of our nation is Christ Himself. Therefore, our pastoral response to the madness of this present political scene, and the divisiveness that has resulted during the presidential campaign, must be to help our
The Orthodox practice of standing for worship Standing for worship has been the only acceptable posture for Orthodox Christians from the earliest of times. Through the discipline of standing we act as the faithful servants of the Lord, worshiping before the Throne. We recognize that the temple is not a