Christ’s Resurrection Paves the Way The fact that we Orthodox do not accept the doctrine of original sin as espoused in the West, does in no way suggest that we do not need to be born again (born anew). We believe, as did the Early Church Fathers, that we inherit
All is Sent Down by You When we hear the words, “all is sent down by you” this does not mean that God wills anything evil to happen but only that we always need to be open to God’s presence, grace and mercy, no matter what. God allows difficulties to
Sharing Orthodoxy at the Puget Sound Zen Center The Wellspring of Life It is unfathomable for me to think what my life might have been like had I never become Orthodox, never entered the monastic life. The joy I feel at having tasted from the ocean of grace that is
The Life of my Patron Saint Saint Tryphon, Abbot of Vyatka Commemorated on October 8/21 Saint Tryphon, Archimandrite of Vyatka, came of pious parents, living in the Archangelsk diocese. His parents intended to marry Tryphon off, but from his youth, he desired the monastic life, and he secretly left his
Creating a Christian Environment in the Home Creating a Christian home begins with the icon corner. The bright corner becomes the center for every domestic church, where the family devotions take place. This is also the family’s way of declaring to visitors that this is a Christian home, where Christ
Being Orthodox in a Non-Orthodox World In this pluralistic society there are many Orthodox individuals who’ve found themselves sharing their lives with non-Orthodox family members. Sometimes these families are not even practicing Christians, so the struggle to keep to the traditions and practices of the Orthodox Faith can be difficult.
The Call to Monasticism is all About Relationships The monastic vocation is a special calling from God that is all about relationships. It is a relationship that involves community (the monastic brotherhood), but primarily revolves around the monk’s relationship with God. Monks are not holy men who are living lives
Protection of the Holy Virgin Monastery Church How can we possibly love everyone? We are instructed by Christ to love our neighbors as ourselves, and even to love our enemies. There are always individuals who come into our lives that we find difficult to like, let alone love. Given this,
Young Adult Retreat at the Monastery The Bible can only be understood through the Church, for the Holy Scriptures came forth from the Church. The reformers dumped the papacy only to replace that institution with themselves as the ultimate authority. Since reason and logic ruled, there was no room for
One Who Hates his Brother is a Murderer The scriptures tell us that one who hates his brother is a murderer. In the Our Father we pray that God will forgive us our trespasses (debts) just as we forgive those who trespass against us. If we do not forgive those