When I first read that quote, it gave me pause. I read (hear) a portion of the Bible most every morning. It is a part of how I start my day. In Church we hear the reading of the Holy Scriptures and it seems very important to hear each Sunday. This quote began to make […]
“If we make every effort to avoid death of the body, still more should it be our endeavor to avoid death of the soul. There is no obstacle for a man who wants to be saved other than negligence and laziness of soul.” ~Saint Anthony the Great In this world we live in, there is […]
While serving his life sentence, Doug went on a spiritual pilgrimage, experimenting with many different religions to try to find his faith. One day, going through a guided meditation, he was brought again to his visceral memories of being abused as a child. His body began to shake with fear and rage and, instead of […]
Take a close look at the picture above. Clearly the ground depicts a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. One would think that this ground had not seen water in many, many days. Yet the photo was taken not far from my house just a couple of days after a good rain. […]
On July 31, 2022, the Sunday after the feast of St. Silas, the patron saint of prisoners, hundreds of Orthodox churches in the United States from all jurisdictions recognized Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday in a national effort to better serve our incarcerated brothers and sisters in Christ. Different parishes came up with different ways to […]
When Jesus called those first disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, and John (Matthew 4:18-23), their reaction is truly amazing. They “immediately” obeyed the Lord, dropped everything, and followed him. There are certainly many examples of people “immediately” obeying the Lord. Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree comes to mind when Jesus tells him to “come down out […]
There is much concern about the perception of lies that seem to abound in world we are living in right now. Whether it be politics, religion, medicine, news media, social media…the list seems endless, one side is pointing at the other side saying: “Lies, lies, lies!” Much time and energy are being spent looking for […]
The Holy Apostle Thomas said that he would not believe Jesus had risen from the dead: “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25) Eight days later, the Risen […]
What ever happened to the Tree of Life that stood in the middle of the Garden of Eden? How can I have a taste of its fruit? In Genesis chapter 2, we learn that God had placed Adam and Eve in this amazing Garden. It was filled with trees that were “pleasing to the eye […]
When Deacon Seraphim Blackstock began visiting men in a Florida prison, he started out, in his own words, “very arrogant”. “I went into the prisons with the idea I was helping these guys. They’re felons. They’ve committed horrible crimes. I’m doing them a big favor.” Dn. Seraphim would soon find out that there was much […]