Lord, who can comprehend even one of your words? We lose more of it than we grasp, like those who drink from a living spring. For God’s word offers different facets according to the capacity of the listener, and the Lord has portrayed his message in many colours, so that whoever gazes upon it can… Continue reading The Inexhaustable Spring!
It is a teaching of the holy Fathers that with the creation of the angels we have the emergence of the first Church. And it can be seen in the writings of the Fathers of the Church that the angels too are members of the Church. Moreover, God the Father is the creator of “all… Continue reading The Church Of Angels!
During the last days of His earthly life Jesus Christ was left alone to face those who hated Him, endure sufferings and death. He drank to the bottom the cup of suffering that was prepared for Him and underwent the most horrible thing that a person could experience: a profound loneliness and feeling of being… Continue reading Lonely As Christ!
In the Gospel of St. Matthew, we hear Jesus quote the ancient scripture from the prophesies of Isaiah and from that moment on, He began to preach this message: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand,” (4:12-17). Those particular words have stirred up some anxiety and fear in the hearts of people… Continue reading My Bible, My Friend!
1. In 2 Corinthians 9:8, we’re told, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Reading this carefully, we learn that God is able to make all things right. No matter how… Continue reading 5 Ways To Trust In God!
Following the service of the Divine Liturgy one Sunday while I was preparing for a Baptism I was approached by a little girl who was about five years of age. There was no one else in the Church at the time. I stopped what I was doing, for she remained still and close by my… Continue reading Kissing The Priests Hand!
To make progress in your prayer practice you must be regular in your practice. This is not a Monday, Wednesday or Friday or whenever thing, but is something that has to be engaged every day without fail. Every day you miss will set you back at least three days. Make it an integral part of… Continue reading When To Pray The Jesus Prayer!
It is impossible to correct wrong attitudes and emotions that result frompast hurts without in some way affecting how we cope with the painful memories of those bad experiences. These attitudes and ways of thinking, so deeply embedded in our hearts, subconciously hold us back from believing God’s promises to us of peace, comfort and… Continue reading Dealing With Hurt!
Man today lives under such overwhelming pressure that his nerves are strained to the limit, and even the slightest provocation arouses in him the sin of anger. Causes for anger could be the child who does not listen to us, or the husband or wife who contradicts us, or the driver who cuts us off… Continue reading A Word On Anger!
To you, my children, I would like to say a few words about prayer. Prayer is what we need more than any other thing – true, fervent, real prayer. And this is where we sin most of all. Often we pray merely with our lips – this is the ultimate fall. Or we may pray… Continue reading Heart Felt Prayer!
As we were video conferencing today with the children’s hospital, a colleague of mine stood up and took a whiteboard marker and started drawing on the whiteboard. Within minutes a brilliant caricature was drawn, fine detail and all – it was completed with such ease that i was left in awe staring at the board.… Continue reading The Tools Are The Same, Just Use Them Wisely!
How do we attain the Kingdom of Heaven? Where is it to be found? It is very easy for us in the Western world to view this Kingdom as something that one attains as a final destination or ending of a journey. As Orthodox Christians, we believe that the Kingdom of Heaven is Christ Himself,… Continue reading Attaining The Kingdom Of Heaven!
My brethren, count it all, joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4) Trials, the world’s oppression, take place with God’s permission. The issue is not trials per se,… Continue reading The Value Of Patience!
Have you ever felt frustrated — I mean really frustrated? Have you ever let a difficult or undesirable circumstance ruin your mood and sour your attitude toward the day? I imagine everyone of us has felt some degree of frustration this past week over something. I wouldn’t be telling you anything new if I said… Continue reading Frustration!
Patience is a thing of God, and whoever is gentle, and patient, and meek, is an imitator of God the Father. Accordingly, when the Lord in His Gospel was giving precepts for salvation, and, bringing forth divine warnings, was instructing His disciples to perfection, He said: “…I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray… Continue reading Cyprian of Carthage On Patience!
When the Virgin intercedes for our aid, healing, or repentance, she draws us into the realm of her relationship with Christ. In Orthodoxy, intercession raises us to the level of the intercessor, bringing us into the presence of Christ, then the mediator disappears. This is to say that intercession is a communion with Christ by… Continue reading St Mary – My Mother!
Much of what I do in my ministry remains private. People tell me stories of pain and hurt that I will take to my grave. Many share personal shortcomings, seek relief from guilt, and ask for direction, trusting that I will never repeat what they tell me. Sometimes the stories humble me. Other times they… Continue reading Who Is Zaccheus Today?
I was reading the parable of the lost coin the other day (Luke 15:8) and my thoughts wandered … what is the greatest loss one can experience in this world? Is it the loss of a worthless trinket with great emotional value to the owner; or an expensive item of jewelry or such like; or… Continue reading Food For Thought!
When it comes to temptation, sometimes there are practical steps or activities that we may do to avoid or alleviate the problem. If we are tempted by being in a certain place or with certain people, we can obviously choose, if at all possible, to not go to such a place or be with such… Continue reading A Practical Approach To Temptation!
The Pharisee was a person who didnt feel the need for God. On the other hand, we meet the tax collector who was in great need of God. He felt his sins where in needs of God’s forgiveness. The Pharisee used to pray many times a day, as many of us pray today, and he used to go… Continue reading The Pharisee & Tax Collector!
Martyrdom is not confined to a certain period of time in history, but martyrdom is a way of life. It is a way of life to be lived everyday with the Lord in whom we believe. We meet a daily earthly death for Him, thereby sharing with the glory of the martyrs and the saints.… Continue reading 9 Ways To Martydom Today!
•Remember your weakness, then you will be more cautious and you will not submit to the thoughts of pride and false glory which may attack you. •Remember the loving kindness of the Lord bestowed on you, and you will always lead a life of thanksgiving. Faith will grow in your heart as well as the… Continue reading 15 Things You Must Remember!
If a man readily and joyfully accepts a loss for the sake of God, he is inwardly pure. And if he does not look down upon any man because of his defects, in very truth he is free. If a man is not pleased with someone who honors him, nor displeased with someone who dishonors… Continue reading The Free Man!
I recently got emailed a beautiful list of verses by a servant in St Barbara. The Email was a really intelligent way to live with Christ throughout the whole day. I hope you enjoy it as much as i did! Thanks to that servant for the translation from the translations of Fr Bishoy Kamal. God Bless… Continue reading Spending Your Day With Jesus!
Some time ago a priests wife wrote that she had been using her “hold-up” prayer for a certain person — “just holding you silently in God’s presence for a while,” she said to him. Here’s how she explains the prayer, “On numerous occasions in my life I have felt a certain lifting of spirit that meant… Continue reading Hold Up!
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