Not about a helpless baby given birth in a stable Although our monastery observes the Julian Calendar, and will be celebrating the Birth of Our Saviour on the 7th of January, I want to take this opportunity to greet all of my readers for whom today is the Nativity, with
Hell and hate One of my favorite authors as a young man, was Thomas Merton, the famous Trappist monk. In the introduction to his work New Seeds of Contemplation he wrote: “Hell was where no one has anything in common with anyone else except the fact that they all hate
Living our Orthodox Faith in a multi-cultural society Orthodoxy by it’s very nature is a demanding religion, one that requires her faithful to fully embrace a lifestyle that is in opposition to the world about us. The many periods of fasting and the practice of standing for our services are
The transformational power of our unchanging faith In an age when many Christian denominations are trying to appear relevant and modern, I am amazed by the number of people who thank me for imaging the ancient faith of Orthodox Christianity in the midst of this secular world. Many Orthodox jurisdictions
Committed to living as the presence of Christ According to Saint Ephraim the Syrian (306 – 373), “The Church is not the assembly of saints, it is the mass of sinners who repent, who, sinners though they are, have turned towards God and are oriented towards Him.” As a people
We must put aside divided loyalties “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). As you begin a new year, be
Archbishop of Myra in Lycia Saint Nicholas, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia is famed as a great saint pleasing unto God. He was born in the city of Patara in the region of Lycia (on the south coast of the Asia Minor peninsula), and was the only son
Let us give thanks to God for everything 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, which ever task we are asked to perform, whatever life places before us, all is an
The authenticity and authority of the Church If she be true to herself, the Church acts with an authority that is grounded in love. She holds within her realm the authority to make her people the children of God. She has the authority to forgive, and the capacity to love.