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
The Church as Hospital for the Soul With love in Christ, Abbot Tryphon Thursday September 27, 2012 17th Week after Pentecost. Tone seven. Fast. Food with Oil The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross. Fast day.Repose of St. John Chrysostom (407). New Hieromartyr John priest (1918). New Hieromartyr
Humility Quickens Love for the Man with the Malice Heart“A man who is wrathful with us is a sick man; we must apply a plaster to his heart – love; we must treat him kindly, speak to him gently, lovingly. And if there is not deeply-rooted malice against us within
Theosis According to Protopresbyter George Metallinos, Dean of the Athens University School of Theology, “For we Orthodox the unique and absolute goal of life in Christ is theosis, our union with God, so that man – through his participation in God’s uncreated energy – may become “by the Grace of
Laughter Father Artemy of Moscow, Russia Although we have no written evidence that Our Lord Jesus Christ laughed, I am personally convinced that he did. How could He not have shared in our humanity with perfection had he not had a sense of humor, and shared moments of laughter with
Short Prayers used in Personal Devotion Many Church Fathers taught the use of the “arrow prayer”, deliberately short prayers for personal devotion that were easily remembered, and could communicate one’s love for God, while seeking His help. They were like arrows being shot into the air, wholeheartedly demonstrating our sincerity
The Energy of the Mind inside the Heart In yesterday’s essay I addressed the patristic tradition that the heart is the center of our self-awareness. This self-awareness is the energy of the mind inside the heart, something the holy fathers referred to as our “noetic faculty”. There is an important
View from Vashon Island Tapping into the Noetic Memory of the Heart The heart, in the Orthodox tradition, does not only have a natural operation, as a mere pump that circulates blood. In Orthodox patristic tradition the heart is the center of our self-awareness. Saint Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain
Great Commandment Whom do we see when we look into the face of another? Our world is polarized in ways not seen in many generations. This polarization is bought closer to home because we now live in a nation that is far more cosmopolitan than in the past. Even small
Believing in God is not Enough Many people believe that God exists, but they do not know Him. It is one thing to believe in God, but quite another thing to actually have a personal relationship with God. In John 14:8-9, the Apostle Philip asked Jesus to show them the