I’ve never met an atheist! The young man announced at the beginning of a college class, that he was an atheist. I’d been invited as a guest lecturer, and had opened the talk with the observation that everyone has a nous that hungers for God. This young man took exception,
Taking Orthodoxy beyond the self-congratulatory We must guard against noticing when another parishioner seems careless in the making of the sign of the cross, while we go about demonstrating for all around us, the proper way. Making sweeping signs of the cross that are done in such a way as
Children must be taught kindness at an early age More and more frequently we read about children taking their own lives, having reached a place where they would rather be dead, than live another hour suffering from bullying. Too often parents and teachers have ignored the problem of bullying, dismissing
We must strive to make a good confession Following His glorious Resurrection, as He appeared to His Disciples, the Lord Jesus Christ gave the command that, “Whosoever’s sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever’s sins you retain, they are retained John 20:23.” From that moment in history, the
My journey to Maine I will be traveling to Maine, early today, to baptize my niece’s third child, a baby girl. She and her husband Nicholas now have three beautiful children, and are members of Saint Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Church, in Richmond, Maine. Father Chad Williams is their priest, and
Church as Hospital of the Soul Our Orthodox Faith defines sin as an illness that is in need of healing, not as a crime that requires punishment. The Church is a hospital for the soul whose therapists (priests) first sought therapy and then became the therapists. As a healing institution
The link between forgiveness and love The capacity to forgive is directly related to the capacity to love, and it is in our act of forgiving others, that we find forgiveness. For it is in the turning away from our own self-concern, and our own self-will, that we begin to see
The place of the Holy Virgin in the life of a Christian The Holy Virgin is a stumbling block for many protestants looking into Orthodoxy. The idea that this woman described in the Gospels in such humble terms could be called Mother of God seems unbiblical to them. She was
The Meaning of Salvation in the Ancient Church According to Protopresbyter George Metallinos, Dean of the Athens University School of Theology, “For we Orthodox the unique and absolute goal of life in Christ is theosis, our union with God, so that man – through his participation in God’s uncreated energy
The Monastery begins fundraising drive As anyone knows who has attempted to spend time in our monastery, we’ve been limited to one small cabin, with two beds, for accommodations. As this cabin is within the enclosure of the monastery, it has been off limits to women who’ve desired to spend