Holiness comes only to those who struggle Not an hour should pass without taking time to examine our heart, for the hour of judgement can come at any time, and we must be ready to give account to God for our life. There is no spiritual improvement if we do
The chief sign of a priest If a priest is not himself filled with the Holy Spirit he will be unable to share Christ with others in a convincing way. A priest who is not humble and compassionate, and living in repentance, will not be able to impart an authentic
How do we keep our youth in the Church? We are living in an age that has witnessed changes on a massive scale as never before. The way we communicate has changed with the coming of the internet, with information available that would have required a library and advanced degrees
What about your burial plans when your family is not Orthodox Some Orthodox Christians, whose family members are either not Orthodox, or who are no longer practicing the Orthodox faith, think they should skip any funeral arrangements that would involve the Church. They figure their relatives would likely not attend
“Let my prayer arise as incense before Thee” From Old Testament times believers have burned incense as an offering when worshiping God. The ancient temple in Jerusalem even had priests whose sole duty was to keep the censer burning twenty-four hours a day. Ancient pagan kings were often escorted with
The place of the Holy Virgin Mary in the life of Christians On the occasion of the Feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin, to which we have dedicated our monastery’s temple, I wish to address the subject of the Mother of God’s veneration among we Orthodox Christians. The
The theological vision of God and natural science “Faith without knowledge leads to superstition. Knowledge without faith leads to atheism.” Metropolitan Joseph of the Antiochian Archdiocese. Orthodoxy does not exclude from the theological vision of God the findings of natural science. Science and faith can be in concert with one
We must become a compassionate people As a nation, we need to be aware of the impact our economy has on the lives of our countless elderly and poor. It is right that we consider the teachings of the Orthodox Church concerning our duties to those who have less then
Everything proceeds out of God’s mercy There is a common misconception concerning the word “mercy”, used throughout the liturgical services of the Church, as well as our private prayers, and the Jesus Prayer. It is a given that we are all sinners, but the asking for God’s mercy is not
Saturday October 10, 2015 / September 27, 2015 19th Week after Pentecost. Tone one. Martyr Callistratus and his company (49 Martyrs) of Carthage (304). Venerable Sabbatius, wonderworker of Solovki (1435). New Hieromartyr Demetrius priest (1918). New Hieromartyrs Herman bishop of Volsk and Michael priest (1919). Hieromartyr Peter, metropolitan of Krutitsa