How Should we Pray? Over the years, as strange as it may seem, we’ve had a number of people ask us if we’d pray they win the lottery, promising that if they did they’d donate a large portion to the brotherhood. The logic seemed to suggest that if the monks
Category: The Morning Offering
God is with us in the intimacy of grief The shooting on the Seattle Pacific University campus that took the life of a nineteen year old college student, and sent three other students to the hospital, is one of those moments that brings together whole communities in need of mourning
The violence of a world devoid of hope The shooting that just took place on the Seattle Pacific University campus hit close to home, for I count among my friends, Dr. Richard Steele, a professor on the campus. Dr. Steele has been bringing groups of students to our monastery for
We must guard our hearts As we are all filled with thoughts that flood our minds, let us consider each thought and decide whether it be our own, or those of the enemy of our salvation. If they be the latter they should be dispelled and given no room to
I’ll do it tomorrow We all have times when we procrastinate. There is a story of a young monk who confessed to his elder that he was always struggling with procrastination. His elder told him it was his lack of faith which made it impossible for him to see God
Civilization needs unity between Christianity and the secular state The great divide between the secular state and the Christian faith has grown substantially during my lifetime. Gone are the days when our nation was based on Christian values and where religion played an important role the public life of this
click on photos to enlarge Seeking out healing in the life of the Church Orthodoxy offers a very precise way in which to enter into communion with God. It is a way that must be learned, for simply “becoming Orthodox” will not lead the seeker into an inner life
Abbot Tryphon and Jacob McGinnis Correcting the Stumblings of Others The use of force in the correction of those who are living in opposition to the laws of God is often a temptation for Christians, yet it must be remembered that the sins of others is better corrected by lovingly
And do not be called teachers “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever
The role of bodily suffering in the salvation of human kind Elder Ambrose of Optina Monastery said, “We should not forget that in our age of ‘sophistication’ even little children are spiritually harmed by what they see and hear. As a result, purification is required, and this is only accomplished