The heart of the Christian Faith “We have all sinned and fall short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23).” We Orthodox often miss the mark in understanding and ministering to this world. We fail the words of Christ, “to love one another as God has loved us”, and forget
Suffering is meant to be salvific The Lord does not allow anything beyond our power of endurance, to afflict us. Whenever difficulties come our way, we only sin if we are unwilling to endure. Suffering is meant to be salvific, for the Holy Apostle Paul tells us, “God is faithful
The role of servant in the life of the Church We teeter on the edge when we let ourselves be concerned about our neighbors failings, and puff ourselves up by seeing ourselves as more righteous than them. Judging another person’s spiritual life is one of the most perilous things we
Let us not judge our neighbor 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
Avoiding this present darkness For those who embrace the enjoyment of partying and entertainment, all in an attempt to avoid the hardships and life struggles that make great souls, they will have failed to embrace the essential element that makes this life journey salvific. They will have avoided their service
Encountering drought in one’s soul Drought has had a significant impact on whole civilizations, even being responsible for the total abandonment of great cities, now buried beneath the sands of time. The great empires of Central and South America saw the total collapse of great cities because of extreme drought,
Opening wide the doors of the Church The subject came up among clergy of our diocese as to whether it was proper to allow a man to attend services while wearing an earring. The point, as it seems to me, is to make him feel welcomed enough to want to
The Prince of Peace is the victorious conqueror Revolutions, wars of conquest, and battles between nations, are all the sad consequences of our fallen world. Death and destruction are the results of our having fallen from grace, and giving in to personal pride and arrogance, all in the face of
Being Christ to those around us People around us are often listening to what we are saying, and when you wear a cassock and cross, and have a long beard, people in this secular society notice, and are more likely to be listening. What we clergy say or do DOES
Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving Jesus Christ called for a thorough conversion of our heart and mind, and a complete turning away from the old man (our fallen nature). The main act that begins this conversion is metanoia, which means thorough change of mind. This happens when we become aware that