Freedom comes with humility Whatever the circumstances in which we find ourselves, God is giving us an opportunity to gain the freedom that comes from acquiring humility. Whatever our job, whichever task we are asked to perform, whatever life places before us, all is an opportunity to give thanks to
Wherein the temporal and the eternal are connected We can be rich in liturgical correctness and wealthy in traditions, but if we do not have love and mercy, we are in reality bankrupt. Our Lord Himself made love and mercy the chief criterion whereby we will be judged on the
The most arduous of all ascetic practices St Gregory of Sinai spoke of the effort involved in prayer, when he wrote, “No bodily or spiritual activity without pain or toil ever brings fruit to him who practices it, because ‘the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it
Climate change is a reality that is ignored to our peril We of the twenty-first century have given ourselves over to consuming addictions more than any time in history. Even a casual look at how we live our lives makes it abundantly clear that we are so caught up
Experiencing the reality of God My own experience with God is many fold, with everything from witnessing the healing of illnesses of many people, including my own heart condition (I was on the operating table, awaiting bypass surgery, but was healed), to standing before numerous myrrh streaming icons, watching the
Living the Evangelical life of the Gospels Monks are not necessarily holy, but by vocation attempting to become holy. The world is constantly asking for compromise, but the monk tries to live a life that is an ancient ideal, where Christ reigns in the heart and the world is kept
The homosexual person in light of the Christian community My heart goes out to homosexual men and women who face a life of discrimination and loneliness. I do not believe the majority of them chose to be homosexual. A person would have to be insane to chose a sexual proclivity
God’s gift of life is sacred and must be protected The beheadings of innocent men and women by the followers of the “Caliph” of the Islamic State, has caused shock throughout the world. How these followers of Islam could be so depraved is beyond the comprehension of civilized people everywhere.
When despondency seizes us The renowned 19th century Russian saint, Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1833), said of himself, “I don’t know anything”. These words were remarkable coming from a hermit who was the most sought after spiritual adviser of his age, with even the Tsar seeking out his counsel. Yet Saint
Political ideologies, and our life in the Church I was asked, just recently, which political party I thought was the best fit for an Orthodox Christian. My response was that this is an issue, as a priest of Christ’s Church, I did not think I should answer. Within the Orthodox