“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2).” While sitting in Victoria, B.C’s, Murchie’s sidewalk cafe, back in June of 2013, with my friend Archpriest Basil Rhodes, we noticed a homeless man stop behind me. The man was staring at our food, so
Category: The Morning Offering
Enduring trials can make us grow stronger Sometimes we find ourselves so caught up in what we think we need, we become despondent as we face disappointment. We get so caught up in our desire for things to go just as we want, we end up wondering why God hasn’t
The murdering of innocent animals for sport Most of the civilized world has looked on in disbelief and disgust, following the shocking death of the much loved senior lion of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, who was tricked into leaving the safe haven of a wildlife preserve. This magnificent animal was
All you need for happiness is right in front of you It is easy to resist taking care of oneself if we run at full speed as though we are the only one who can get things done. We all need to set priorities, making sure we focus on Christ
Our self-assurance can lead to spiritual delusion We have spiritual fathers as guides so as not to fall into delusion and pride. We should never trust ourselves, for our pride can mask self deception, making us believe we have become more spiritual, when in fact we’ve gone in the opposite
The Limits of Human Reason and the Knowledge of God There is the seen, and there is the unseen, the material and the immaterial. That which is material can be scientifically examined and experienced, the immaterial can only be seen and experienced spiritually. These are two worlds that are only
The offering bread used in the Eucharist A prosphoron (plural prosphora) (Greek for offering) is a small loaf of leavened bread used in Orthodox Christian liturgies. The term originally meant any offering made to a temple, but in Orthodox Christianity it has come to mean specifically the bread offered at
Successful membership in a gym requires exercise Health clubs make much of their profit from people who decide to join because they want to get in shape, but after a few sessions with the weights, drop out. Membership in the Church, like the health club, requires that we put effort
Worship is the main work of the Church Orthodox Christianity is primarily known for its worship, for the core of our Orthodox Christian life is to be found in the services conducted in our temples. I read somewhere that during the height of the Soviet period of repression, a Roman
When the stranger is listening As a monastic priest, my cassock and beard attract the attention of those around me, and it is therefore clear that I must always watch my words and actions, lest people judge Orthodoxy in a negative way, by what they might see in me. What