The Island of my salvation Following my return from a pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of Athos, many years ago, we were faced with mounting bills, rising rent costs, little income, and my personal desire to return to Mt. Athos to continue my monastic struggle. I went so far as
Complaining weakens our resolve 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 complain. Christ looked towards
We are all in this together As we struggle in this life, it is good to remember that we are all together. We find our place of silence, where we encounter God, but even in this place set apart, we are together. In our journey to God, our common goal
Forgiveness is a two way street Psychologists have often made the observation that the one thing they lack, when it comes to their profession as psychological healers, is the ability to pronounce absolution. Yet many Orthodox Christians, making a good confession and receiving absolution, remain in a state as though
The Christian response to poverty Americans are witnessing the widest gap between the highest and lowest income families since officials began tracking the data a decade ago. As many conservative members of Congress continue to press for cutbacks in programs, such as food stamps, medical coverage, and housings subsidies, all
Taking Christ into our imperfect bodies As we continue our Lenten journey, this is a time when the Church puts much emphasis on the role of repentance. We strive to go to confession more frequently during Great Lent, just as we’ve increased our level of fasting, and frequency of attending
Accuse myself, blame myself, judge myself We see people’s sins, but we don’t know whether they have made peace with God. We don’t know if the person who has sinned regrets it, but we are not called to judge them, but only to forgive them. As we become aware of
The God of Christianity does not punish, He educates One of the primary differences between Islam and Christianity has to do with the basic view of the nature of God. Islam teaches total surrender to a god who demands submission. There is no invitation to enter into a relationship, freely,
Changing the world begins with me The Elder Sophroni of Essex said he believed in changing the world, one person at a time. These words are in agreement with those of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, who said acquiring inner peace causes a thousand around us to be saved. As long
Taste the presence of Christ in you We all need a good dose of silent prayer each and every day. Finding that perfect place in your home that can become your cave, or prayer closet, will afford you that sacred space wherein you can go deep into the heart and