Jul 28, 2012

The Way, through tests, introspection, and suffering, is hard and has many pitfalls. There is a strong temptation to look for happiness and consolation right from the beginning...

Jul 8, 2012

Kevin John Stafford penned these lines recently: Bitter tears of repentance, deepest friend I know That christen the heart of sorrow filled with woe I often seek the pleasure of sin, for just a season And wonder what I sought, when I come back to reason Weeping bitterly on the floor, my heart poured out in grief The deepest shame that I have felt, disclosed with...

Jul 2, 2012

One day Abba Longinus (later abbot of Enaton) questioned Abba Lucius about three thoughts...

Mar 12, 2012

The descent of Christ into Hades is one of the most mysterious, enigmatic and inexplicable events in New Testament history. In today’s Christian world, this event is understood differently...

Feb 27, 2012

Contrary to what many think or feel, Lent is a time of joy. It is a time when we come back to life. It is a time when we shake off what is bad and dead in us in order to become able to live with all the vastness, all the depth, and all the intensity to which we are called.

Feb 13, 2012

I understand that you are on the way to becoming Orthodox. Before we go any further, there is one point I should make clear...

Feb 2, 2012

Neither all those in the desert were saved nor all those in the world were lost...

Jan 11, 2012

This widespread search for spiritual life, no matter how flawed or misguided, reveals the fact that an innate desire for participation in divine life is basic to the human being. Indeed, this is exactly the reason why man was created. Life in communion with God is man's natural orientation. When this spiritual need is not satisfied through conventional means, then its fulfillment is sought elsewhere...

Jan 2, 2012

Make the effort to rise from the ground. Remember the good Shepherd who will follow and rescue you. Remember the mercies of God and how He cures with oil and wine.

Oct 20, 2011

The world is the general name for all the passions. When we wish to call the passions by a common name, we call them the world...