The Role of Doubt in the Development of Faith At an age when many of my contemporaries are grandfathers, or even great grandfathers, I’ve discovered the truth of something I read about while still a college student. Grandparents are often more sympathetic to the burdens and challenges that young people
When We Pray We Must Pray for Repentance When we face down our own weaknesses, we can begin the process of constructing the foundation for an intimate relationship with God. Ignoring those things that keep us stuck in the quagmire that is the ego, prevents spiritual growth, and the joy
How Our 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 that is the eye of the soul, intelligent
God Infuses His Energies into the Icons The Old Testament God was revealed to us by Christ Jesus. Prior to the incarnation of the Logos, God’s people were forbidden to make any image of Him, for no one had seen His face. Yet when Christ said to His disciples, “he
We Must Stand Against the Powers of Darkness The world is in a new struggle not unlike that which happened during the Soviet Union and the cold war that was brought on after the fall of the Royal House of Romanov. This was followed by World War II when we
The Ability to 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, or even the way
Evangelizing for the Faith is Our Duty as Orthodox Christians “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’” Mark 16:15 Two Byzantine brothers, Saints Cyril and Methodius, brought Orthodox Christianity to the Slavs in the ninth century. The brilliance of Eastern
The Prince of Peace is the Victorious Conqueror Revolutions, wars of conquest, and battles between nations, are all the sad consequences of our fallen world. Death and destruction are the results of our having fallen from grace, and giving in to personal pride and arrogance, all in the face of
Putting Aside all Hypocrisy and Living for Christ How easy it is to worship with all piety and correctness while standing in a service within an Orthodox temple, yet make no effort to live Orthodoxy during the rest of our week. If we are abusive towards our spouse, abrasive with