There are three types of Christians. One type is the Christian who does the will of God because he is afraid of going to hell. We call this person a slave because he does everything out of fear of what the Master will do to him. The second kind of Christian is called the hireling.… Continue reading What type of Christian are YOU?
Before confession one should attempt to recall all the sins which one has committed voluntarily or involuntarily. One must attentively reexamine one’s life in order to recall not only those sins committed since the last confession, but also those which have not been confessed through forgetfulness. Then, with compunction and a contrite heart, approach the… Continue reading 8 Secrets for a Successful Confession!
Death in a true Orthodox understanding isn’t the end of life it is the beginning of life. When God banished Adam & Eve from the Garden of Eden it wasn’t for eternal condemnation it was for temporal retribution- Retribution for the sin that Adam dared to commit in paradise. Out of his love God did… Continue reading Death is the Beginning of Joy!
A Christian family has special traits that spring from the Christian concept of sacred marriage and the commandments of the Bible for the married couple about how to deal with each other and how to bring their children up. The family in the Christian concept is a small church, for St. Paul says: “To Philemon… Continue reading 10 Ingredients for a Happy Family
At such a time angels stand by the Priest; and the whole sanctuary, and the space round about the altar, is filled with the powers of heaven, in honour of Him who lies thereon. For this, indeed, is capable of being proved from the very rites which are being then celebrated. I myself, moreover, have… Continue reading Miracles That Occur In the Liturgy – St John Chyrsostom
Make every effort and be hard working, so when your enemy attacks you, he will find you busy away from him, not finding room for him in your heart. Being idle is fatal venom; it is the moth for virtue, and the mother of all heresies and the evil fantasies. It is the virus of… Continue reading Laziness – The Couch Potato Syndrome
Open the bed chamber of your heart to let Jesus in and you will find perfect rest, for everything is vain without Him. You will not find anyone to carry your burden to ease it off, but Him. In Him you will find happiness, and with Him you will find eternal life and peace of… Continue reading Is YOUR Heart Empty?
One can imagine the utter despair behind those words, “Sir, I have no man.” How well he knew the pain of loneliness — a pain expressed so well by the Ancient Mariner: “Alone, alone, all, all, alone; alone on a wide, wide sea.” A famous doctor was asked to name the most devastating disease. His… Continue reading Loneliness
I recently heard a story that makes a profound point about surrender. Some time ago a radio station reported news of a stolen VW Bug in California. The police staged an intense search for the vehicle and the man who stole it, even to the point of making announcements on local radio stations to contact… Continue reading COMPLETE SURRENDER TO GOD BRINGS COMPLETE LIFE
A little girl sat on her mother’s knee, and as she looked into her mother’s face she said: “Mummie, you’ve got the prettiest hair and the sweetest eyes I have ever seen. And Mummie, yours is the kindest face in the entire world. But, Mummie, why are your arms so ugly?” The mother then explained… Continue reading The Scars Speak!
A Frenchman was crossing the desert with an Arab guide. Day after day the Arab knelt on the burning sand and called upon his God in prayer. One evening when the Arab knelt to pray, the unbelieving Frenchman asked him: “How do you know there is a God?” The guide fixed his eyes upon the….… Continue reading Footprints & Nailprints
Why did the Lord appear to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection? Why did He say to her ” Do not cling to Me,” (John 20:17) While He allowed Saint Thomas to touch Him? (John 20:27). He, also, allowed the rest of the apostles to touch him. (Luke 24:39) Did He prevent her from touching Him… Continue reading Do not cling to Me!
A Beautiful analogy from the desert fathers which wonderfully demonstrates how a true Christian should focus on the treasured prize! Abba Hilarion [founder of Palestinian monasticism] was asked, “How can it be right for a diligent brother not to be offended when he sees other monks returning to the world?” The old man said, “Let… Continue reading The Hare & The Dogs
St John Climacus writes the following on this in his brilliant book, the ladder of divine ascent! Try to restore, or more exactly, to enclose your thought in the words of the prayer. If on account of its infancy it wearies and wanders lead it in again. The mind is naturally unstable. But He Who… Continue reading How to Overcome Worldly Thoughts while Praying
And let us not forget that which Paul delivered, declaring it to the Corinthians; I mean His resurrection, whereby ‘He destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;’ and raised us up together with Him, having loosed the bands of death, and vouchsafed a blessing instead of a curse, joy instead… Continue reading Athanasious the Apostolic on Resurrection!
Father Lazarus, is a hermit on the mountain of St. Anthony. His life is one of detachment, silence, and solitude. Those things are not about absence but rather presence. They are practices and ways of life that open us to the very heart of God. They are interior conditions that we can each cultivate regardless… Continue reading Interview with the Last Anchorite!
But He who descended into the regions beneath the earth came up again; and Jesus, who was buried, truly arose again on the third day. And if the Jews ever worry about this, meet them at once by asking this: Did Jonah come forth from the whale on the third day, and has not Christ… Continue reading Cyril of Alexandria on Resurrection!
During my last retreat to the monasteries in Egypt last January and in my numerous spiritual consultations with many of the elders, the topic of the Bible and how to read it frequently came up. In fact the Bible is so central to their lives that one of the solitary elders said to me “the… Continue reading Holy Scripture in the Life of A Monk
He descended into Hades and took Hades captive! He embittered it when it tasted his flesh! And anticipating this Isaiah exclaimed: ” It was embittered, for it was abolished! It was embittered, for it was mocked! It was embittered, for it was purged! It was embittered, for it was despoiled! It was embittered, for it… Continue reading Christ Is Risen! – St John Chrysostom
The drops of blood that Jesus sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane surely fulfills “the anguish of His soul” that Isaiah spoke of. We are told of this incident only in the gospel of Luke. That seems appropriate because Luke was a physician and he would have been very interested in medical details. The sweating… Continue reading His Sweat Became Like Drops of Blood!
Martha had expressed her gratitude to Christ for resurrecting her brother from the dead by preparing a meal for Him. But Mary, the less conventional sister, now takes it upon herself to perform an unthinkable act of love. She first takes a very expensive flask of perfume. This alabaster flask, alone, was precious. So much… Continue reading Wednesday of Pascha – Unthinkable Love!
Today in Pascha we see the disciples amazement at the withered tree which Jesus Cursed. Was it not unreasonable to curse the tree for being fruitless when, as St Mark expressly says, “it was not the season for figs”? Was Jesus Cruel in cursing something that didnt fruit at the right time? This doesn’ pose much… Continue reading Tuesday of Pascha – Was Jesus Unfair?
May God Bless Us all during this time of Deep Contemplation as we look Forward to the Ressurection of Our Saviour!
“So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him crying, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’ ‘ Great crowds went forth on this day to meet Jesus. They waved palms. Thousands of men and women shouted with joy, “Hosanna, blessed… Continue reading Hosanna To The Son of David!
Holy Week begins on the Saturday of Lazarus, It begins with a resurrection (Lazarus) and it ends with a resurrection (Christ). Thus, Holy Week is placed between two brilliant shafts of light which illuminate the darkness of the Cross with meaning and ultimate joy. Before this, Jesus had raised at least two others from the… Continue reading Lazarus Saturday
bishoysblog.com 