I’ve been told I have suffered trauma, and should rest as much as possible until at least Tuesday of Bright Week. I’ve therefore been advise by my doctor not to serve any further services, including the Paschal Liturgy, until I’ve recovered. We are fortunate to have Hieromonk Paul, so we’ll
We must let Christ ignite our soul If we be true to our calling as the children of God, we must live in imitation of Christ. We must imitate His meekness and humility. We must love others just as did He. We must be willing to be transformed, and made
Anything that is quickly obtained is also easily lost Since we Americans have grown accustomed to having everything happen quickly, and without delay, we also expect our spiritual lives to be on the same quick time line. We don’t have the patience to build upon the knowledge of the holy
Neither praise oneself, nor be consumed with self-loathing Humility does not require we think poorly of ourselves, nor be given over to self-loathing. Just as we must not be praising ourselves, we must not sink to a state of self-loathing, for both states have their basis in the ego. I
Keeping Saint Paul’s challenge to pray always Although most of us can’t pray constantly, we can turn our entire day into one continuous prayerful offering by asking the Lord to accept all our good works, and our acts of charity, as prayer. We can even take a few moments throughout
Beholding our King on Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is the feast of the Church where we believers greet our Lord our king: the Word of God made flesh. He is greeted not simply as the One who came to us once riding on a donkey, but as the One who
Becoming a home grown philanthropist As any history buff knows, these times we are living in can sometimes seem like reruns. News reports are filled with stories of wars, disasters, dictators, attacks on the innocent, increased crime, and the ever present persecution of Christians in various parts of the world.
Recognizing our shared humanity with the homeless Some forty years ago, I was walking with an elderly bishop of the Russian Church, on a street in San Francisco. I had spotted a filthy homeless man walking towards us. This man’s hair was disheveled, filthy with years of dirt, and was
Complaining weakens our resolve If we are always complaining about how unfairly we are treated, we will have failed in our imitation of Christ, Who was abused by His enemies unto death. We should strive to reign with Our Lord by loving our enemies and never complain. Christ looked towards
An Update from the Old Monk I should be filled with rage against a brute who could perpetrate such an unwarranted attack against me, especially since I’d smiled at him, just prior to the sucker punch. In my mind I assumed he was approaching me with a request for money,