The murdering of innocent animals for sport Most of the civilized world has looked on in disbelief and disgust, following the shocking death of the much loved senior lion of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, who was tricked into leaving the safe haven of a wildlife preserve. This magnificent animal was
All you need for happiness is right in front of you It is easy to resist taking care of oneself if we run at full speed as though we are the only one who can get things done. We all need to set priorities, making sure we focus on Christ
Our self-assurance can lead to spiritual delusion We have spiritual fathers as guides so as not to fall into delusion and pride. We should never trust ourselves, for our pride can mask self deception, making us believe we have become more spiritual, when in fact we’ve gone in the opposite
The Limits of Human Reason and the Knowledge of God There is the seen, and there is the unseen, the material and the immaterial. That which is material can be scientifically examined and experienced, the immaterial can only be seen and experienced spiritually. These are two worlds that are only
The offering bread used in the Eucharist A prosphoron (plural prosphora) (Greek for offering) is a small loaf of leavened bread used in Orthodox Christian liturgies. The term originally meant any offering made to a temple, but in Orthodox Christianity it has come to mean specifically the bread offered at
Successful membership in a gym requires exercise Health clubs make much of their profit from people who decide to join because they want to get in shape, but after a few sessions with the weights, drop out. Membership in the Church, like the health club, requires that we put effort
Worship is the main work of the Church Orthodox Christianity is primarily known for its worship, for the core of our Orthodox Christian life is to be found in the services conducted in our temples. I read somewhere that during the height of the Soviet period of repression, a Roman
When the stranger is listening As a monastic priest, my cassock and beard attract the attention of those around me, and it is therefore clear that I must always watch my words and actions, lest people judge Orthodoxy in a negative way, by what they might see in me. What
We are Eucharistic beings Because we are rational creatures who exists in an unceasing communion of love with our Creator, our Orthodox Tradition teaches us that man is a “eucharistic being.” We are oriented towards our God with an insatiable inherent inclination of gratitude, thanksgiving, and doxology. Because we are
The journey to God begins with the first step Orthodoxy is a faith that demands full participation and deep commitment, otherwise it becomes just another religion, devoid of salvific, transformational value. Orthodoxy is not magic, with the priest as a sort of wizard who performs all the right formulas, so