Our Rhode Island Reds enjoying lunch. Stability of Place and Personal Growth An Elder said: Just as a tree cannot bear fruit if it is often transplanted, so neither can a monk bear fruit if he frequently changes his abode. In an age when people change addresses as often as
Category: The Morning Offering
A Monastic as a Police and Fire Chaplain It has been a great blessing for me to have been serving as a police and fire chaplain for the past eight years. My interest in chaplaincy began when I was asked by a number of inmates to serve as their Orthodox
Vigil for the Feast of Saint Olav of Norway: 5:30 pm, Wednesday, August 10th. Liturgy for the Feast of Saint Olav of Norway: 10 am, Thursday, August 11th. Vigil for the Feast of The All-Merciful Saviour: 5:30 pm, Saturday, August 13th. Liturgy for the Feast of The All-Merciful Saviour: 10
How to Kill the Ego Modern psychology has told us we must feel good about ourselves and instructed us to reject the idea of guilt and sin. Sin is seen as religion’s instrument for keeping people in line, making them dependent on an institution that should be relegated to the
How Criticism Should be Imparted “Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.” Frank A. Clark, writer (1911-). When offering someone criticism it is important that we do so with kindness. Studies have shown that to counter one negative comment it takes
Maple Valley Presbyterian Youth Volunteer at the Monastery How your soul differs from that of an animal The Orthodox Church teaches that animals have souls, although not the same as ours. When conceived, God bestows upon us the nous, which distinguishes us from the other animals. It is the nous
Abbot Tryphon and Hammi Hammi the Norwegian Forest Cat and His Norwegian 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
View of the Temple from the Gardens click on photos to enlarge Enlightenment Comes Only With Struggle There are those who promise spiritual enlightenment, and many gullible people who are willing to spend their money on such bogus offers. In an age of quick fixes and challenged attention spans, it
How to Fit the Workplace into Your Spiritual Life This blog was born out of an attempt on my part to aid a number of my spiritual children to begin their work day with a spiritual focus. I’d asked them to read the appointed Scripture readings for the Church’s liturgical
How to Find Hope When you Face Mortality Earlier this evening I was listening to one of the last songs recorded by Johnny Cash, probably the best country western singer of all time. The line in his song, “put me in my box on the 309”, is coming from a