And Our Capacity to Reject the Will of God According to Saint Gregory Palamas, God has given us lordship over all the earth because of our capacity for sovereignty. With this sovereignty comes the responsibility to be good stewards of that which God has given us. Saint Gregory wrote, “There
Putting Our Trust in God, Regardless It is often difficult for us to put our total trust in God. We have our own agenda as to what WE think needs to happen and wonder where God is when we don’t get the answer to our prayers the way we think
Know Who You Really Are We are all surrounded by fictional characters, persons who are the invention of filmmakers, promoters, and even self-inventors. The original meaning of the word “hypocrite” was “actor”, and it is ignorance of our true nature as children of God that keeps us living as fictional
The Feast of the Holy Transfiguration of Christ The Transfiguration of Christ is the episode in the New Testament narrative in which Our Lord is transfigured and becomes radiant with bright rays of light. At that moment the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to Him, and He speaks with
A Faith for the Sick Our Orthodox Church has always seen itself as a hospital for the soul, the place where her children can seek healing. It is within her walls that we find the medicine we need to make us holy (whole), and where we can find the means
The Most Arduous of all Ascetic Practices is Prayer St Gregory of Sinai spoke of the effort involved in prayer, when he wrote, “No bodily or spiritual activity without pain or toil ever brings fruit to him who practices it, because ‘the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent
We Are Not Compelled To Love God We are not compelled to love God, having been created with free will. God does not compel His creatures to love Him. Mutual love requires, by it’s very nature, freedom to either respond in love, or not. Yet when we respond to God’s