May 7, 2012

Saint John Climacus writes in The Ladder that the beginning of prayer consists in chasing away invading thoughts…

Apr 25, 2012

Lord, Thou knowest better than I know myself that I am growing older and will some day be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion...

Nov 24, 2011

Everlasting King, Thy will for our salvation is full of power. Thy right arm controls the whole course of human life. We give Thee thanks for all Thy mercies, seen and unseen...

Oct 13, 2011

Prayer requires that we stand in God's presence with open hands, naked and vulnerable, proclaiming to ourselves and to others that without God we can do nothing.

Sep 12, 2011

It does not depend, therefore, on whether the Psalms express adequately that which we feel at a given moment in our heart. If we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite necessary that we pray contrary to our own heart...

Jun 16, 2011

Sometimes, as people of faith, we think we know the meaning of a Biblical text. Speaking the “language of Zion,” we fit comfortably among the citizens of Zion. Except sometimes, we get it wrong.

Apr 24, 2011

We met Father Gabriel in Moscow. In August, he converted to Orthodoxy from Catholicism. He told us about the motives for his decision, about the main differences between Valaam and Switzerland, and more.

Mar 17, 2011

If the rich history of the Celtic churches is a fairly recent discovery, their spirituality may be an even more surprising resource for a life-affirming, holistic, and faithful way of life for Christians in this "postmodern" world and, more importantly, the world of the future...

Jan 24, 2010

It was Thursday. The day was gloomy. The snow lay eight inches deep on the ground; and dry, crisp snowflakes were falling thickly from the sky when Father Seraphim began his conversation with me...

Nov 15, 2009

The monk departs far from the world not because he hates it, but because he loves it. In this way he will, through his prayer, help the world more in those matters that are, being humanly impossible, only possible by God’s intervention. This is how God saves the world...