Fighting off Negative Thoughts Allows Christ to Change Us Our thoughts really do have an impact on our world. Negative thoughts about family members or fellow employees change our relationships. If we dislike someone at work and allow ourselves to think poorly of them, they are likely to fulfill our
My thoughts on the Oneness of Creation There is no formal doctrine in the Orthodox Church concerning the afterlife for animals, including our pets. Those Fathers of the Church who have expressed themselves on this matter were simply expressing theological opinions that have not become universally accepted, and remain known
Manifesting God’s Love in Times of Tragedy Chaplains minister to people whose lives have been turned upside down, with the loss of a child, the death of a spouse, the trauma of a fatal car accident, or a homicide. Chaplains serve as God’s presence on murder scenes, or house fires.
Planting Seeds of Faith in the Land of My People A number of years ago while visiting Holy Cross Monastery in West Virginia, one of their young monks drove me to Pennsylvania, into the heart of Amish country. While wandering around in a large hardware store that sold off the
We Christians are not to give ourselves over to fate The cultural and spiritual warfare that is taking place between the “Christian” West, and the Islamic Middle East, together with the extreme climate changes taking place around the world, have become a source of concern for many. Coupled with the
We Must Enter Into Collaboration With God If we are to be healthy spiritually, we must cooperate with God’s divine grace. The nous, as the center of our being, refers to the noetic energy that functions in the heart of every spiritually healthy person. Only the Holy Spirit can bring
The Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, Mary, having spent her life after Pentecost supporting and serving the nascent Church, was living in the house of the Apostle John, in Jerusalem, when the Archangel Gabriel revealed to her that
The Destruction of the Ego Begins with Repentance 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
As Christians We Need to Impart Christ’s Love to Others Several years ago I was sitting in a Seattle coffee house, laptop open, working on correspondence. Two young college-age men were sitting at a table about two feet away. One of them made a rude remark that was obviously meant