The Miracle In the middle of September 1999, John Noe drove up from Vancouver, WA, to join the monks for a public hearing concerning a sand mining operation that would remove one-tenth of Maury Island. A short distance from the monastery (Vashon Island is actually two connecting island), the Glacier
The Construction of the Church After the pouring of the foundations that would comprise the main core of the monastic compound, we built the first monastic cell. Although this first of what would eventually be seven cabins remained unfinished until most of the final buildings were completed, we felt having
The most arduous of all ascetic practices Saint Gregory of Sinai spoke of the effort involved in prayer, when he wrote, “No bodily or spiritual activity without pain or toil ever brings fruit to him who practices it, because ‘the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it
Being truly grateful on Thanksgiving The United States is one of the worlds few countries to have established a national day in which to give thanks to God for all He has given us. This day may have become a purely secular excuse for some to over eat, but for
Striving to attain holiness by embracing unfair treatment 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
The afterlife, and the oneness of creation There is no formal doctrine in the Orthodox Church concerning the afterlife for animals, including our pets. Those Fathers of the Church who have expressed themselves on this matter were simply expressing theological opinions that have not become universally accepted, and remain known
Walking together into the Kingdom I once heard a wonderful story about a group of African children who were assembled before a large basket of fresh fruit. They were told that the first child who could reach the basket could have all the fruit for themselves. The Western adults who
The Gift of Property On August 1st of 1992, having exhausted all our resources, we announced during what was to be our last Monastery Pilgrimage, our decision to leave Vashon Island. The monthly rent for the old farmhouse had risen, our chief benefactor had a series of setbacks in his
Culture Shock The return to the United States After having spent almost a month in Greece, including ten days on Mount Athos, the return to the United States, via New York City, was major culture shock. I found myself grieving for the loss of the simple life of the Holy
Being the Body of Christ Each and every time we gather together to celebrate the Divine Liturgy, we are not simply commemorating an event that happened almost two thousand years ago. We are not simply commemorating the Last Supper, when Christ shared a meal with His disciples. When we come