Witnessing sustainable living to all who visit our monastery We monks have been raising free range hens for many years now, and enjoying the beautiful brown eggs, with the delicious flavor and deep colored yolks, while treating our hens, as we do all animals, as God’s creatures. They have feelings,
Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit The Divine Liturgy begins with the words, “Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit now and forever and to the ages of ages”. This kingdom
Natural Science and the Vision of God Orthodoxy does not exclude from the theological vision of God the findings of natural science. Science and faith can be in concert with one another and our desire to reinstate our communion with God can involve both natural science, and the science of
Orthodoxy is a journey of the utmost importance Unless our Orthodoxy becomes something other than magic, with the priest as some sort of wizard who performs the right formulas, and who does all the work for us, our Orthodoxy will have failed us. No one can live the spiritual life
Righteousness is not a part time job Teachers and parents routinely remind children of the importance of refraining from giving in to peer pressure, knowing that good behavior can often be undermined by the desire to fit in with their friends and school mates. We adults need to remember is
Those occasions when we mature into spiritual adulthood There are those times in our lives when God seems distant, even absent from us. These are usually times when our faith seems weak and we struggle to believe God really cares for us, or perhaps we begin to question whether God
The Medicine found within the Holy Orthodox Church One medicine for the heart found within the Orthodox Church, is the use of a “Prayer Rule.” This “Rule” is of the utmost importance, for the Prayer Rule helps develop the discipline we all need to progress spiritually. It is one of
God reaches down to redeem us in the material world Unlike angels, who are entirely spiritual beings, God has made each of us as creatures dwelling in a material world. To be whole, we must worship God both in body and soul. This teaching is central to our Christian faith
Sharing the Orthodox Faith in a secular age The first missionary monks to the North American continent came to a land where Orthodoxy had never been. Their encounter with the native peoples was one of mutual respect. They did not greet their new neighbors as pagans, but as a people
The priest must be 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