Christianity Beyond the SurfaceMany people embrace Orthodox Christianity with great enthusiasm, after having suffered the poverty of a materialistic world view. The beauty of the divine services brings a certain elegance into their weekly schedule, and the adornment of their homes with icons introduces an exotic element into a previously

Read More

Natural Disasters and the Human Condition After re-reading my post, and hearing from some trusted readers, I would like to clarify my thoughts concerning yesterday’s posting. I’m deeply sorry my article did not more clearly impart the Orthodox view of cause and effect. God does not cause natural disasters, we

Read More

Together with my brother, Abba Melake Birhanat Are these the End Times? The cultural and spiritual warfare that is taking place between the “Christian” West, and the Islamic Middle East, together with the extreme climate changes taking place around the world, have become a source of concern for many. Coupled

Read More

New Martyr Fadi Jamil Haddad Damascus (Agenzia Fides) – The body of the Greek Orthodox priest, Father Fadi Jamil Haddad, pastor of the Church of Saint Elias in Qatana, was found today in the Jaramana neighborhood (north of Damascus) not far from the place where he was kidnapped, on October

Read More

Waging War against  the Flesh Since the eyes and the ears are the doors of the soul, an Orthodox Christian must not leave the body without attention. Unlike the religion of Gnosticism, which teaches the separation of soul and body, with the physical world being evil and something to be

Read More

Know Who You Really Are We are all surrounded by fictional characters, persons who are the invention of filmmakers, promoters, and even self-inventors. The original meaning of the word “hypocrite” was “actor”, and it is ignorance of our true nature as children of God that keeps us living as fictional

Read More

When Charity becomes an Occasion for Self Worship Food is a common problem for many people, for food so often fills a void, becoming a way of comforting oneself when faced with the stresses that are a part of our modern, everyday world. Being in service to others, such as

Read More