On Making a Good Confession Following His glorious Resurrection, as He appeared to His Disciples, Our Lord Jesus Christ gave the command that: “Whosoever’s sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever’s sins you retain, they are retained.” John 20:23 From that moment in history, the Church has
Be Not Troubled About Many Things! Every day can bring about many events or problems that can make us feel unsettled. Yet if we want to keep unrest at bay, it is important that we prayerfully receive everything with the knowledge that God is watching over us, and that all
Do not let the sun go down on the anger of your brother (Eph. 4:26)“Anger is by nature designed for waging war with the demons and for struggling with every kind of sinful pleasure. Therefore angels, arousing spiritual pleasure in us and giving us to taste its blessedness, incline us to
St. Elizabeth Church Christ will Triumph over Evil Increasingly Christians have been talking about the coming of the Anti-Christ. Events around the world have created a sense of doom among many believers, seeing in the economic downswing, rise of Islam, extreme climate change, and breakdown of societal norms, as precursors
Entering into the Silence All Orthodox Christians are aware of the importance of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, in our journey to God. These three practices are at the heart of the Great Lenten Fast. Prayer is our way of communicating with God on a daily basis, and fasting days (Wednesday
Lifeless Things Offer no SatisfactionThe lifeless things of this world offer no spiritual satisfaction, yet we often sell ourselves off to things or people by giving them power over our hearts. It is easy to feel abandoned or hurt by those to whom we’ve given power. If we need affirmation
Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Inter-dependency Since the foundation of this monastic community some twenty-seven years ago, our holy brotherhood has been working towards becoming as self-reliant as is possible, given the age we live in. Recognizing that most of human kind, since the beginning, had no choice but to depend on
Ferry to Vashon Island The Idolatry of Self-esteem Among the contributors to self-worship, is the possibility of falling into a form of idolatry associated with self-esteem. It is easy to fall into this form of idolatry, since our society has placed a great deal of emphasis on the need for
Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon How to create harmony out of chaosThe briefness of life has become ever more evident as we’ve been forced to witness the senseless killings of innocent people in schools and theaters across this nation. Death comes to all of us, but when it comes in
First Responders to First Responders Chaplains are called to be for officers what the officers cannot be for themselves. Chaplains must be advocates for their police officers, before their chiefs, and with the community. Police, by their vary nature, have to be tough, often forced to swallow the pain and