We must struggle against anger While getting into my car in a local parking lot I overheard someone taking God’s name in vain, angry that they’d dropped something. Looking up I realized I knew the person. They were a self-declared Christian and would have been horrified had they realized I’d
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We must fortify ourselves with prayer and contrition It is by leading a life of continual contrition and uninterrupted prayer that we will conquer all the delusions that we harbor in our hearts, and firmly resolve to stay the course even unto death. We must fortify ourselves in keeping up
We must struggle to banish self-indulgence As we struggle against the passions, we must learn to be patient with the difficulties and hardships that come our way. If we are to banish self-will, we must first learn to banish self-indulgence. Any struggle for virtue must include a certain amount of
The root cause of alienation can be found in the ego The collective human condition is one of alienation from God, due to the sinful nature of us all. Every problem in the world has its roots in this state of alienation. This would include the divisions within families,
We must receive all trials with a peaceful heart Trials and temptations, when confronted with a peaceful heart, bring forth healing and make the soul that much stronger and healthier. Reacting does nothing but bring forth paralysis of the soul, binding us to our fallen nature. Receiving all temptations with
We are all united liturgically, regardless of the calendar I am grateful that our monastery is part of a jurisdiction that has remained true to the Traditional Calendar (also known as the Church Calendar, or the Old Calendar). The move to the Papal Calendar was, to my mind, divisive, and
And the veneration of the holy icons For as long as I can remember I’ve been a visually oriented person. I’ve always liked being surrounded by family photos, paintings and photographs on the walls, bookshelves lined with books, and the density, variety and color of an English Cottage Garden. From
The holiness of the Divinely founded Church of Christ During each and every celebration of the Divine Liturgy, we, as the people of God, recite the Nicene Creed. This ancient declaration is the very core of our common faith, and connects us to the teachings of the Ancient Church. In
Abbot Tryphon speaks of laughing with joy. Click above to view video.