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 animals. It is the nous that is the eye of the soul, intelligent and noetic,
We should always pray for our nation’s peace officers This Regional Training Seminar of the International Conference of Police Chaplains proved to be one of the most profitable of all I’ve attended over the past sixteen years. As startling as it is to hear, many more police officers die from
The priest must become like a funnel If a priest is truly to be an agent for grace, he must become like a funnel through which the Lord’s mercy can flow. That a priest has received the grace of ordination, if he does not attempt to live a life of
Courage and Faith verses Anxiety and Unease If we are easily offended, or lose our peace of mind when someone treats us badly, inner peace can not be attained. The Christian who lives his life with internal strife and worry edifies neither other Christians, nor does he reflect anything of
Manifesting God’s love in a troubled world I drove to Cannon Beach, Oregon, for the Northwest Regional Seminar of the International Conference of Police Chaplains. I’ve been coming to these conferences, held during the second week of February, for the past sixteen years. I am grateful to God for all
The place where we meet the Eternal God As a priest, I am a Servant of the Altar, and when I stand before the holy table I am bound together with every priest who has ever served, and with everyone who has laid down his life for Christ, as a
Not everyone has the ability to love another person Love is the best gift a parent can bestow upon their child, for a child brought up in the loving embrace of a caring and generous parent, will become an adult who can bestow love upon others. Too many people are
Where the temporal and the eternal are connected We can be rich in liturgical correctness and wealthy in traditions, but if we do not have love and mercy, we are in reality bankrupt. Our Lord Himself made love and mercy the chief criterion whereby we will be judged on the
The importance of seeking the guidance of the friends of God My dear friend, Father Photios Dumont, pastor of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Seattle, asked me to accompany him to Life Giving Spring Greek Orthodox Women’s Monastery in Dunlap, CA. Father needed me to help keep him awake
In every way we must strive to restrain anger Abba Evagrius the Monk said that, “Anger is by nature designed for waging war with the demons and for struggling with every kind of sinful pleasure. Therefore angels, arousing spiritual pleasure in us and giving us to taste its blessedness, incline