With the blessing of Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America, I have accepted the invitation of Archbishop David of Sitka and Alaska, to participate in the Saint Herman of Alaska Pilgrimage, and to deliver the Pastoral Retreat for his clergy. This trip to Alaska will be my first,
Proper attire in the House of God The Church is our home, a place where we should feel comfortable, and at ease. It is also God’s house and is a temple set aside for worship of the Holy Trinity. Although times have changed and we have become a very casual
God’s temple must be entered with awe and fear We must practice reverence in the temple, whether during services or when we step into the church to light a candle and venerate the holy icons. The temple is the place set apart for the worship of the Holy Trinity and
Complaining is in opposition to the message of the Gospels A bad attitude has the ability to keep us from growing spiritually, and can even impact the way we live, and hurt those around us. It is therefore important that we learn to keep a positive attitude, for negative thinking
We must free ourselves from the illness of religion The Church must act with an authority that is grounded in love. Since the Church has the authority to make her people the children of God, she has the authority to forgive, and the capacity to love. And just as her
Our Cat Hammi was a loving furry gift from God Every evening I tried to spend an hour or so in the library, sitting in front of the fire place with our beloved Norwegian Forest Cat, Hammi. He slept in the library, and was most happy when the entire monastic
Avoiding hypocrisy in our journey to God It is very easy to live our lives in hypocrisy if we are not mindful of the pitfalls of the spiritual life. We can become Pharisees without even noticing, if we let our Christianity be artificially lived. Living our lives as though we
Faith without works is dead The very moment faith enters the soul is that moment when we turn toward God in repentance and recognize we can not live without Him. As we grow in our faith we come to realize we must remain in a continual state of repentance, for
Our common enemy is not of flesh and blood Many of us are horrified to be witnessing the massive changes that are taking place in our world. It would seem that there are attacks against the very soul of Western Civilization, with Christianity taking the brunt of this attack. At
I am crucified with Christ In our life, every undertaking, every action, every thought, must be a reflection Christ in our life. The Lord will grant us the strength and ability to accomplish good works and attain holiness, if we cooperate with His grace. Prayer alone is not enough if