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
Christian marriage does not require staying with the abuser There are times when distancing yourself from someone who is angry, is necessary. There is absolutely no good reason for you to move towards another, when they are being abusive. For the wife of an abuser to remain in danger while
Relevant to an ever changing world One of the most powerful reasons for embracing Orthodoxy is to be found in the Orthodox Church’s insistence that she holds to the evangelical and apostolic doctrine of the Ancient Church. In an age when everything is up for change, there is a certain
Complaining bears the fruit of bitterness Instead of complaining, do something about your complaints. Make a difference in your life, and the lives of those around you, by keeping focused on making a difference. If there is reason to complain, change your complaint into a positive action that changes your
The enemy of faith is pride The absolute necessary element for salvation is faith. Faith alone will save us, for only faith brings us into communion with God. Faith is a free gift, for nothing we can do can save us. No good works can save us. Being a good
When we conceal our sins from our confessor An article on confession, written some time ago, elicited a number of comments that I feel need to be addressed in more detail. A number of people privately shared that they were hesitant to confess certain sins for fear of being embarrassed
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