Looking Only for the Good in Others The newly glorified (canonized) Saint Paisios of the Holy Mountain said there are two types of people. There are the bees and the flies. The bees are attracted to flowers and sweet smells, whereas the flies are only attracted to dirt and stench.
The Communal Nature of Salvation Salvation is communal by its very nature. The fierce individualism found in much of what claims to be Christianity is in opposition to the Orthodox understanding of faith. The Church as the Body of Christ is where we are united in Christ, becoming part of
When People Don’t Forgive There are people who insist on holding on to resentment, often inventing situations in their minds that never happened, justifying their bad behavior, and putting the blame on others. They see themselves as the abused party, always quick to take offense. Rarely are they able to
Struggling with the Passions As we struggle with our passions, the only way we can overcome our sin is through humility. The snares of the enemy are all around us, and if we think we can win the battle with the enemy without humility, we are wrong. Love in Christ,
What Does the Lord Require of You? As we examine how we live our lives as Christians, we look to those who leave an impression of goodness, kindness, and humility, as examples of the person we would like to become. That saintly person, by their every example, exudes the humbleness
A Family That Prays Together, Stays Together Any good parent knows that he must love all his children equally. No favoritism should be displayed when raising children if we want them to know they are loved. Troubled children often get more attention from a loving parents because mom and dad
Egoism of Worldly Educated People One of the great saints of our age, Saint Paisios of Mt. Athos, said people who are filled with egoism and pride because of their education, “resemble satellites that orbit in the sky, giving one the impression that they are stars. If, however, you observe
Staying Connected With Family I’ve just returned from Spokane, WA., where I attended the funeral of my Aunt Margie, my mother’s youngest sister. The decision to drive to Spokane, a five hour trip from Vashon Island, was in part made because I wanted to support my cousins who’d lost their
Jan 25th, 2014 Beloved Brothers and Sisters, Fathers, Concelebrants, fellow Citizens! Our country finds herself on the brink of chaos. We are witnessing an escalation of confrontation and violence, which encompasses wider and wider circles of our citizens. We mourn and pray for the repose of the people who were
The Soul Requires Discipline to Overcome Disinclination The soul suffers from a certain blindness when it comes to itself. In its desire to be more relaxed, indolence, insensitivity and deceit rule the soul, and in our refusal to master the work of salvation, complacency sets in. Since no one can