Centers for spiritual healing, and transformation of life Monastics are an integral part of the Church and should not be seen as independent of the Church Universal. Monks are bound by the same Gospel as other Christians and need to avail themselves to the missionary and pastoral needs of the
Spiritual work and physical work The compartmentalization of the work week can wreak havoc on the inner life. It is easier to keep your prayers, spiritual reading, and focus on Christ, reserved for the weekend. Like so many, you struggle to keep spiritually grounded while at work. So many jobs
Community is the essential element Christianity is a communal faith, one that requires it’s followers to be actively involved with others. The Church’s worship is communal, and salvation itself is a corporate act, one that necessitates interaction with others. One is not “saved” in a vacuum, but as part of
Great Hieromartyr Gregory pray to God for us In 1821, on Pascha, the Feast of Feasts, the Resurrection of Christ, the Moslem Sultan, Mahmud II, ordered the murder of the Oecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Gregory V, First Among Equals of the Bishops of the Orthodox Church, in reprisal for the
And the importance of frequent communion Eternity is an everlasting banquet (the Divine Liturgy) that takes place in the heavenly realm. Every time we participate in the Divine Liturgy we are transported into a place where there is neither time nor space, and participate in that very banquet. As we
When our prayer becomes dry and lifeless When we find ourselves struggling with prayer, and feel that it has become dry and lifeless, we are sometimes tempted to stop praying. When our prayer has become a struggle, it is good to remember that God knows our needs, and even knows
Thomas was weak in his faith, but became a great missionary Yesterday was Thomas Sunday, called so after Saint Thomas the Apostle, who wanted to place his hands in the wounds of Christ before he would believe that He had risen from the dead. Thomas is like all of us.
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
Passing on the gift of love My father was a golf pro in Spokane, Washington, during my grade and early middle school years, and the country club was the center of our family’s social life. My brother, Dwayne, and I use to play an average of 18 to 36 holes
The power and influence of good deeds “For it is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men (1 Peter 2:15). Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic tells us in The Prologue from Ochrid that we are better off if we do not engage