The Ability to Express One’s Emotions, and be Empathetic to the Needs of Others When we are in our head, we are more judgmental, yet when we are in our heart, we become non-judgmental. Being critical of others is not an Orthodox trait, for being critical, whether of other people,
The Capacity to Forgive and the Capacity to Love The capacity to forgive is directly related to the capacity to love, and it is in our act of forgiving others that we find forgiveness. For it is in turning away from our own self-concern, and our own self-will, that we
Our Enemy is Not of Flesh and Blood The Church Militant, which is the Church of Christ here on this earth, is in the midst of a battle. Our enemy is not one of flesh and blood, but one of darkness and evil. The survival of humankind is not dependent
The Critic, Fearing He Will Fail, Does Nothing It is easy to be critical of another person, finding fault with what we perceive they are doing, have done, or have not done. Yet the man who points out how another man has stumbled, finding fault in something he himself has
The Whole Person is Both Soul and Body 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 and is
More Than Acquittal and Justification Salvation can not be explained in legalistic terms of acquittal and justification, for salvation is much more than simply being forgiven and getting into heaven. The close tie between faith and works, when it comes to the Orthodox view of salvation, is not about being
This is one of the hieromonks of Sretensky Monastery in Moscow, reading an excerpt from my recently translated book. It was this monastery that published my book.
The Giving of Ourselves Over to Depression There are times when we are tempted by what has been called the Noonday Demon, and give ourselves over to depression. This tendency can often find life in an almost chronic habit of complaining. We complain about our health to the extent that
The Morning Offering has been translated into Russian and published by Sretensky Monastery in Moscow My book, The Morning Offering, has been translated into Russian and published by Moscow’s Sretensky Monastery Publishing House. Unfortunately they are unable to ship copies of the book as promised to me because of the present
Returning to Where it all Began A number of years ago I drove to Northern Idaho to spend time with my brother Dwayne before the onset of winter, thus avoiding the snows that would soon make Snoqualmie Pass on I-90, perilous. This visit turned out to be one of the