Authenticity and the authority of the Church If she be true to herself, the Church acts with an authority that is grounded in love. She holds within her realm the authority to make her people the children of God. She has the authority to forgive, and the capacity to love.
Silence as a way to discover ourselves and deepen our experience with God’s presence All Orthodox Christians are aware of the importance of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in our journey to God. These three practices are at the heart of the Great Lenten Fast. Prayer is our way of communicating
The knowledge of God in the Old Testament, and the knowledge of God as revealed in Christ We converts have to be careful that we do not allow ourselves to carry into our Orthodoxy, baggage from our protestant past. Those from a protestant background often miss the subtleties and nuances
How to overcome hopelessness My own recent bout with my heart, and subsequent healing through the intercession of the Holy Virgin, has given me pause as to how I’d been living my life. Like many of you I’d been running at top speed. Acting like a man half his age
The saints are alive in Christ Jesus Vigil lights are placed before the icons of the saints, according to Saint Symeon the New Theologian, as a way of showing that without the Light, Who is Christ, the saints are nothing. It is only as the light of Christ shines on
The spiritual life is an adventure full of pitfalls and great heights Our Orthodox faith must be something other than magic formulas and passed down ethnic traditions or our Orthodoxy will have failed us. The spiritual life is an adventure that is full of pitfalls and great heights. If we
It is impossible to love God while being a racist In the Book of Acts we read that with the coming of the Holy Spirit, diverse expressions of languages were being spoken. And in Revelation we see a glimpse of eternity with men and women from every tongue, tribe, and
Negativity does damage to the soul “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me (Job 3:25).” Negative speech contributes nothing to the heart but death, whereas receiving everything that comes our way with joy is the
Are these the End Times? The cultural and spiritual warfare that is taking place between the “Christian” West, and the Islamic Middle East, together with extreme climate change, have become a source of concern for many. Coupled with the polarization of the populous within the United States, and the mass
Receiving the power to live as a holy people Our world places a great deal of emphasis on being comfortable, and we tend to avoid anything that does not bring pleasure. If being open about our Christian faith invites ridicule, we remain silent. If keeping the fasting rules of the