Hammi, the Norwegian Forest Cat Short Prayer used in Personal Devotion Many Church Fathers taught the use of the “arrow prayer”, deliberately short prayers for personal devotion that were easily remembered, and could communicate one’s love for God, while seeking His help. They were like arrows being shot into the
Category: The Morning Offering
Bishops and Priests Must Serve their People with Simplicity and Christ-like Love Pope Francis told a gathering of apostolic nuncios, with the same disarming directness with which he paid his hotel bill after his election, that he wanted these key figures to seek out potential bishops who are “close to
The Role of Obedience in the Acquisition of Humility In the Christian life there are two paths to salvation and whichever road you chose must be embraced with your whole being. The married state and monasticism both have as their primary means of aiding in your salvation the acquisition of
REMEMBRANCE The importance of having a regular confessor can not be underestimated. Most of us find it uncomfortable to think upon our faults, failures, and sins, because we like to “feel good” about ourselves. We puff up our image around others, brag about our accomplishments, and feign humility. We try
A Servant cannot be Greater than His Master The Sovereign Lord of the Universe came down to earth as a humble servant. He Who sits upon the seraphim, was born to us in a stable. The King of kings came as the Good Shepherd Who laid down His life for
Artificial ChristianityIt is very easy to live our lives in hypocrisy if we are not mindful of the pitfalls of the spiritual life. We can become Pharisees without even noticing, if we let our Christianity be artificially lived. Living our lives as though we have been rehearsed by a stage
Oriental and Eastern Orthodox Clergy Meet Together The monastery hosted a gathering of local clergy serving Oriental and Eastern Orthodox parishes in the greater Seattle area. Priests of the Ethiopian, Coptic, and Armenian churches met together with members of the Washington Orthodox Clergy Association. With the Islamic attacks taking place
The Church is Hemorrhaging Her Youth Our youth, just as seen in the denominations, are leaving the Church in droves, by the time they leave high school. Most are drawn away because their friends are not church goers, and sports activities and entertainment, along with their friends, become temptations for
The Church is Our Homeland, and Our Allegiance must be Found in the Teachings of Christ I am an American convert to Orthodoxy, and the abbot of a monastery within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and I believe I am typical of the American Orthodox scene. We are Orthodox
Syrian Rebels Attack Historic Christian Town of Ma’lula, north of Damascus Al-Qaeda-linked rebels have attacked a Christian village of Ma’lula in Syria, home to one of the world’s oldest monasteries, the last one village in the world where still the Aramaic is spoken. The Syrian Army has secured much of