Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
For the Solstice
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O dark dark dark. They all go into the dark, The vacant interstellar spaces, the vacant into the vacant, The captains, merchant bankers, eminent men of letters, The generous patrons of art, the statesmen and the rulers, Distinguished civil servants, chairmen of many committees, Industrial lords and petty contractors, all go into the dark, And dark the Sun and Moon, and the Almanach de…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday December 21, 2010 / December 8, 2010
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31st Week after Pentecost. Tone five. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Food with Oil Venerable Patapius of Thebes (7th c.). New Martyr John (Kochurov), priest (1918). New Hieromartyr Sergius (1937).. Venerable Cyril, abbot of Chelma Hill (1367). Holy Apostles of the Seventy: Sosthenes, Apollos, Cephas, Tychicus, Epaphroditus, Caesar, and Onesiphorus. Holy 362 Martyrs of Africa, martyred by the Arians, and Martyr…
Praying in the Rain
Joseph Shows Mercy
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According to the Proto-Gospel of James, Righteous Joseph was away for the summer doing construction work while the infant Christ was growing in the womb of Mary. In the autumn, Joseph returned home to find his espoused wife seven months pregnant. The details of this encounter between Joseph and Mary are not recorded in the Scripture. A few of the Fathers of the Church have attempted to construct a possible dialog between…
The Morning Offering
Monday December 20, 2010 / December 7, 2010
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The Monastery’s Trapeza 31st Week after Pentecost. Tone five. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). By Monastic Charter: Food without Oil St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan (397). Venerable Nilus, monk, of Stolben Island (1554). Venerable Anthony, abbot of Siya Monastery (Novgorod) (1556). New Hieromartyr Sergius (1917). New Hieromartyr Antonius priest, Hieromartyr Andronic (1918). St. Ambrosius confessor, bishop of Kamenets-Podolsk (1932). New Hieromartyrs…
Glory to God for All Things
The God Who Became Small
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An annual December posting: Whom have we, Lord, like you The Great One who became small, the Wakeful who slept, The Pure One who was baptized, the Living One who died, The King who abased himself to ensure honor for all. Blessed is your honor! St. Ephrem the Syrian +++ We draw near to the Feast of our Lord’s Nativity, and I cannot fathom the smallness of God. Things in my life…
The Morning Offering
Sunday December 19, 2010 / December 6, 2010
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The Monastery’s Icon of Saint Nicholas, with Relic Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia 30th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone five. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia (345). Blessed Maximus, metropolitan of Kiev (1305). New Martyr Nicholas of Karamanos in Asia Minor (1657) (Greek). St. Nicholas, bishop of Patara.…
The Morning Offering
Saturday December 18, 2010 / December 5, 2010
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The Monastic Church of the Holy Protection 30th Week after Pentecost. Tone four. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified (532). New Hieromartyr Elias priest (1932). New Hieromartyr Gennadius (1941). St. Sergius confessor, priest (1950). St. Gurias, archbishop of Kazan (156). Martyr Anastasias. Venerable Karion (Cyrion) and his son St. Zachariah of Egypt (4th c.). Venerable Nectarius…
Nearly Orthodox
restoration and repair....
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Orthodoxy is taking me apart it seems. I feel as though all the pieces of me are being removed, examined, cleaned up and ready for restoration and repair. That is my hope, at any rate. Right now, I only feel as though I’m being taken apart. I can feel each piece when it’s removed. This empty space holds air and time. The framework of me keeps the empty space, ready to be…
The Morning Offering
Barbara
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The Bright Corner in the Abbot’s Study Friday December 17, 2010 / December 4, 2010 30th Week after Pentecost. Tone four. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits) Great-martyr and Martyr Juliana at Heliapolis in Syria (306). Venerable John Damascene (760). New Hieromartyrs Alexis, John, Alexander and Nicholas priests, Basil deacon and with him 10…
The Morning Offering
Thursday December 16, 2010 / December 3, 2010
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A Rainy Winter Day at the Monastery 30th Week after Pentecost. Tone four. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed Prophet Zephaniah (Sophonias) (635 B.C.). Venerable Sabbas, abbot of Zvenigorod, disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh (1406). New Hieromartyr Andrew priest (1920). New Hieromartyr Nicholas priest (1930). St. Gregory confessor (1960). Venerable Theodulus, eparch of Constantinople (440). Venerable John the Silent…
Glory to God for All Things
The Presence in the Absence
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There is a strange aspect to the presence of God in the world around us. That aspect is His apparent absence. I read with fascination (because I am no philosopher, much less a scientist) the discussions surrounding “intelligent design” and the like. I gather that everybody agrees that the universe is just marvelous and wonderfully put together (I can’t think of a better universe). But then begins the parting of ways as…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday
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Lake Crescent, in the Olympic National Forest December 15, 2010 30th Week after Pentecost. Tone four. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits) Prophet Habakkuk (Abbacum) (7th c. B.C.). New Hieromartyr John priest (1919). New Hieromartyr Mathew priest (1921). New Hieromartyr Demetrius priest and Venarable Vera confessor (1932). New Hieromartyrs Constantine, Nicholas, Sergius, Vladimir, John,…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday December 14, 2010 / December 1, 2010
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Monk Moses, our Prayer Rope Maker 30th Week after Pentecost. Tone four. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed Prophet Nahum (7th c. B.C.). Righteous Philaret the Merciful of Amnia in Asia Minor (792). Martyr Ananias of Persia. St. Eligius, bishop of Noyon (660) (Neth.). St. Onesimus, archbishop of Ephesus (Greek). Sts. Ananias and Solochonus, archbishops of Ephesus (Greek). Venerable Anthony…
Glory to God for All Things
Personal Issues
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From 2009 The title of this post is quite misleading – for in proper theological language – there are no “personal issues.” Our culture is quite fond of issues – both the politico-entertainment industry – and many individuals. It is a word and a phenomenon that has been baptized by the culture such that “being concerned with the issues” makes someone sound as if things matter to them in a significant way. The…
The Morning Offering
Monday December 13, 2010 / November 30, 2010
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Hieromonk Paul, serving Vigils 30th Week after Pentecost. Tone four. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). By Monastic Charter: Food without Oil Holy and All-praised Apostle Andrew the First-called (62). St. Elias, schemamonk of Valaam and Verkhoturye (1900). New Hieromartyr John priest (1937). St. Frumentius, archbishop of Abyssinia (380). St. Tudwal, bishop in Wales and Brittany (6th c.) (Celtic & British ).…
The Morning Offering
Sunday
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His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, together with his spiritual father, Igumen Ilija of Obtina December 12, 2010 29th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone four. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed Martyr Paramon and 370 Martyrs in Bithynia (250). Martyr Philumenus of Ancyra, and with him Martyrs Valerian and Phaedrus (274). Venerable Acacius of Mt. Latros, who is mentioned in The Ladder (6th…
Glory to God for All Things
Formed in the Tradition
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Thinking of raising Christian children (in the light of St. Silouan’s family experience), I offer these few thoughts. The Nativity season offers many opportunities for families to be guided by Holy Tradition – just as we are also swamped by the distorting demands of commercial culture. May God guard our children and keep us all by His grace. +++ Sometime back, I watched a group of linguistic-psychologists (of varying sorts) in a…
The Morning Offering
Saturday
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The Narthex chandelier, crafted by Alexander Karg December 11, 2010 29th Week after Pentecost. Tone three. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed Martyr Stephen the New of Mt. St. Auxentius (767). Martyr Hirenarchus and Seven Women-martyrs at Sebaste (303). New Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov), metropolitan of St. Petersburg (1937). New Hieromartyrs Peter, Alexis, Alexis priests (1937). Virgin-Martyr Paraskeva (1938). New Hieromartyr…
Praying in the Rain
Bearing Fruit in Good Works
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In Colossians chapter one, St. Paul prays for the Colossians that they would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will and live (“walk”) in a manner worthy of and pleasing to the Lord, bearing fruit in good works and increasing in their knowledge of God. In order to do this the Colossians are to be “empowered with the strength that is according to God’s glorious might.” But then comes the surprising…
The Morning Offering
Friday December 10, 2010 / November 27, 2010
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29th Week after Pentecost. Tone three. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos named “Znamenie”. Commemoration of the miracle of the Weeping Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of the Sign” at Novgorod in 1170. Great-martyr James the Persian (421). Venerable Palladius of Thessalonica (6th-7th c.). St. James, bishop…
The Morning Offering
Thursday
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Midnight Office December 9, 2010 29th Week after Pentecost. Tone three. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed Venerable Alypius the Stylite of Adrianopolis (640). Dedication of the Church of St. George at Kiev (1051). Repose of St. Innocent, first bishop of Irkutsk (1731). New Hieromartyrs Nicholas, John, Gregory and Nazarius, Basil, Basil, Ilia, Basil, Daniel, Michael, Nicholas priests, New Hieromartyr…
Praying in the Rain
To Blush
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This morning while waiting for the weather report on the radio, the announcer reported a study conducted by an on-line service that helps facilitate adulterous affairs (yes, such a site exists and, unfortunately, is quite popular). According to this site, men give more expensive gifts to their mistresses than to their wives at Christmas. Apparently that’s news. I was not shocked to find out this bit of information, I was…
Glory to God for All Things
Another Story of St. Silouan and his Father
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This is another wonderful story told by St. Silouan of Mt. Athos about his peasant father.  His father was clearly a man of great faith. St. Silouan thought his father to be wiser than many so-called spiritual fathers. The following story is an interesting account of how a father dealt with anger in correcting his son. This excerpt is from the Elder Sophrony’s St. Silouan the Athonite. Young, strong, handsome, and by this…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday December 8, 2010 / November 25, 2010
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One of the Pillars in the Narthex. 29th Week after Pentecost. Tone three. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits) Apodosis of the Entryof the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Hieromartyr Clement, pope of Rome (101). Hieromartyr Peter, archbishop of Alexandria (311). New Hieromartyrs Seraphim archbishop of Smolensk, Gregory, John, Basil, Cosmas, John, Simeon,…
Glory to God for All Things
Raising a Saint
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Most of us would be satisfied to raise children who remain faithful believers. It is not always an easy thing and every parent who has such a child should rejoice constantly. There is no method to raise a child to be a saint, for God alone gives the grace that results in the mystery of such wonderful lives. However that may be, I am often struck in reading the writings of St.…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday
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The Holy Table December 7, 2010 29th Week after Pentecost. Tone three. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed Afterfeast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Great-martyr Mercurius of Caesarea in Cappadocia (259). Great-martyr Catherine of Alexandria (305). Hieromartyr Mercurius of Smolensk (1238). Venerable Mercurius, the Faster of the Kievan Caves, far caves (14th C). New…
Praying in the Rain
Corporate Sin: Azariah's Prayer
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When the Three Holy Youths were threatened with fire for refusing to bow before the golden image erected by King Nebuchadnezzar, they did not back down. However, their confidence in the face of a fiery death was not due to a confidence that they would be delivered by God. The Three Youths say to King Nebuchadnezzar that God is able to deliver them, but even if He doesn’t, they refuse to bow…
