Nearly Orthodox
barometer...
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I may need a barometer, a personal barometer…a person barometer. I need someone who I can call and say, “geez, is THIS normal?” Mostly my “is this normal” question applies to this weird orthodoxy idea I have in me. The one that comes to me today is around having been in the actual “church” on saturday. I had missed the 101 class 2 weeks running because of scheduling conflicts. In that time…
The Morning Offering
Monday December 6, 2010 / November 23, 2010
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The Holy Altar of the Temple 29th Week after Pentecost. Tone three. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). By Monastic Charter: Food without Oil Afterfeast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. St. Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium (394). St. Gregory, bishop of Agrigentum (680). St. Alexander Nevsky (in schema Alexis), grand prince of Novgorod (1263). St. Metrophanes (in…
The Morning Offering
Sunday
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Interior of the Monastic Church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin December 5, 2010 28th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone three. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed Afterfeast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Apostles Philemon and Archippus, Martyr Apphia, wife of Philemon, and St. Onesimus, disciple of St. Paul (ca. 109). Martyrdom of St.…
Nearly Orthodox
confession...
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I’m not sure I know how to put this.  It may be a bit rambling, I apologize in advance for that.  I tend to write these things stream of conscious-like and often don’t take the time to review and revise a great deal before posting them. That’s not the confession. That’s the pre-amble to the ramble. I’ve been considering that the next thing I need in this journey is confession…I need this…
Praying in the Rain
Power and Humility
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“The Lord Jesus Christ visited the earth in power and humility, in order to teach men to love God and man. Men are powerless in themselves; love for God fills them with power. Men are proud in themselves; love for mankind fills them with humility. Love for man comes from love for God. Humility comes from a sense of divine power. All love for men without love for God is false, and…
Glory to God for All Things
You Never Pray Alone
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Forgive me if this offers any offense. There is a conception of what it means to be human, rooted in Medieval thought and refined in the furnace of modernity. This conception views each person as a “free moral agent.” Each of us is a unique individual. Our choices are our own and set our path for good or ill. Moral decisions may be submitted to varying forms of ethical tests. The choices…
The Morning Offering
Saturday
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December 4, 2010 / November 21, 2010 28th Week after Pentecost. Tone two. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Venerable Columbanus of Bobbio, abbot and founder of Luxeuil Abbey (Gaul) (615) (Celtic & British). New Martyrs Priest Alexander Khotovitsky of New York (1937), and Priest Alexis Benemansky of Tver (1937).…
The Morning Offering
Friday December 3, 2010 / November 20, 2010
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28th Week after Pentecost. Tone two. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits) Forefeast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. Venerable Gregory Decapolites (816). St. Proclus, archbishop of Constantinople (447). New Hieromartyrs Macarius bishop of Ecaterinoslav, Alexis, Alexander, Vladimir, John, Alexis, Basil, Nicholas, John, Emilian, Nocolos priests and Hieromartyrs Arsenius,…
Praying in the Rain
Susanna
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In the biblical story of Susanna as recorded in the Septuagint version of Daniel, the virtuous Susanna is falsely accused by two elders who had hoped to coerce her into immoral relations with them. The description of the fall of these two men is quite helpful in that it describes the two stages that most people pass though as they fall into temptation. The first stage of the elders’ fall is the…
Glory to God for All Things
Prayer and Communion
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Having posted on the topic of prayer – I thought that reposting this earlier piece on the mystery of prayer as communion would be helpful. In particular it should be helpful for understanding the larger life of prayer – which includes our communion with the saints. +++ Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God…
The Morning Offering
Thursday
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December 2, 2010 / November 19, 2010 28th Week after Pentecost. Tone two. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed Prophet Obadiah (Abdias) (9th c. B.C.). Martyr Barlaam of Caesarea in Cappadocia (304). Venerables Barlaam and loasaph, prince of India, and St. Abenner the King, father of St. loasaph (4th c.). St. Philaret, metropolitan of Moscow (1867). New Hieromartyrs Porphirius (Gulevich)…
Praying in the Rain
Megamind
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What happens when bad becomes boring? This is one of many questions related to good and evil raised in DreamWorks animated movie Megamind. The tagline gives the viewer fair warning: “A superhero movie with a mind of its own.” Without telling you any more than is revealed in the trailer, the movie is about an evil villain with a large mind and “the hue of a popular primary color.” Megamind is bad,…
The Morning Offering
The Abandoned Apostle
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Hieromonk Paul December 1 / November 18 28th Week after Pentecost. Tone two. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits) Martyr Platon of Ancyra (266). Martyr Romanus the Deacon of Caesarea and child-martyr Barulas of Antioch (303). St. Nicholas confessor, priest (1948). Martyrs Zacchaeus the Deacon and Alphaeus, of Caesarea in Palestine (303). Synaxis of…
Glory to God for All Things
Pray About It
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I readily acknowledge that some of what I write on this topic may be offensive to some. I ask that you read it carefully and reflectively before reacting. I will offer a scene that is common enough across America (and perhaps elsewhere), leaving the identifications blank (though they may be inferred by the reader). A young couple is greeted at their door by two young men, well-dressed and well-spoken. They ask permission…
The Morning Offering
Gregory
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Hammi, Our Beloved Norwegian Forest Cat November 30 / 17 28th Week after Pentecost. Tone two. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed St. the Wonderworker of Neo-Caesarea (266). Venerable Nikon, abbot of Radonezh, disciple of St. Sergius (1426). Venerable Lazarus the iconographer of Constantinople (857). Martyr Gobron (Michael) and 133 soldiers of Georgia (914) (Georgia). Venerable Longinus of Egypt (4th…
The Morning Offering
Matthew
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November 29 / 16 28th Week after Pentecost. Tone two. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). By Monastic Charter: Food without Oil Holy Apostle and Evangelist (60). New Hieromartyrs Theodore Korolev priest and with him Martyr Ananius Boykov and Michael Boldakov (1929). New Hieromartyrs John, Nicholas, Victor, Basil, Makarius and Michael priests, Hieromartyr Panteleimon (1937). Martyr Demetrius (1938). St. Fulvianus, prince of…
Nearly Orthodox
acedia...
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I’m struggling with motivation to be consistent in practice quite a bit now.  It’s odd considering that we’re entering the season of Advent…a time to reflect, prepare the way, listen, wait in hope.  Maybe it’s the waiting part that is kicking up my struggle.  I find I am visited more and more with this old feeling of acedia. I truly wish the “noonday demon” would contain itself to appearing at noon.  As…
The Morning Offering
The Whole Armor of God
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Monk Moses, Chanting the Epistle Abbot Tryphon, Celebrating Saturday’s Liturgy November 28 / 15 27th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone two. Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed Beginning of Nativity Fast. Holy Martyrs and Confessors Gurias (299), Samonas (306), and Abibus (322), of Edessa. Venerable Paisius (Velichkovsky) of Moldavia and Mt. Athos (1794). New Hieromartyrs Nicholas and Peter priests, Gregory and…
Glory to God for All Things
Waking Up
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The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). This fear descends on us from on High. It is a spiritual feeling, firstly of God and then of us ourselves. We live in a state of awe by virtue of the presence of the Living God together with awareness of our own impurity. This fear places us before the Face of God to be judged by Him. We have…
The Morning Offering
Philip
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OK, I’m Ready for Spring, Now! November 27 / 14 27th Week after Pentecost. Tone one. Eve of the Nativity Fast. Holy and All-praised Apostle (1st c.). New Hieromartyrs Demetrius, Alexander, Victor, Alexis, Michael, Michael, Theodore, Peter, Alexis, Sergius, Nicholas, Basil, Alexander, Nicholas, Demetrius, Demetrius, Porphirius, Basil, George, Basil, Sergius priests, Nicholas deacon, New Hieromartyr Aristrah, Martyr Gabriel and Virgin-martyr…
Praying in the Rain
On Judging Pharisees
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“He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is.” There is a tension in the life of the Christian between law and Spirit, and often it is a very uncomfortable tension. Those of us who have tried to take St. Paul’s advice and live by the Spirit, as in “walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh,” have quickly discovered that without…
The Morning Offering
John
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The Temple, Just After the Thanksgiving Day Liturgy November 26 / 13 27th Week after Pentecost. Tone one. Fast. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits) St. Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople (407). Martyrs Antoninus, Nicephorus, and Germanus of Caesarea in Palestine (308). Martyr Manetha of Caesarea in Palestine (308). New Martyr Damascene of Mt. Athos (1681). St. Bricius, bishop…
The Morning Offering
Thanksgiving Day
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A blessed and joyous Thanksgiving to all of my readers! We are the only nation that has a set national holiday, meant to give thanks to Almighty God, for all that we enjoy; freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom to bear arms. May the Lord, in His great mercy, grant wisdom to our president, our national…
Praying in the Rain
Something To Be Thankful For
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Some days I am more thankful for being an Orthodox Christian than others. This morning I was more thankful. I was thankful that I didn’t have to create the words for my prayers. My mind was hard to control this morning. Thoughts were leading me this way and that. Nothing particularly evil. Just a constant barrage of strong impressions, ideas, thoughts, and moments of disconnected pseudo insight. (By pseudo insight I mean…
Glory to God for All Things
The Life of Thanksgiving
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This year I will make the annual pilgrimage back to South Carolina to be with family for the (American) Thanksgiving holiday. Fewer of my children will be there – a mark of the maturing of their own families and the difficulty of travel at this time of year. The year is different as well for it will be another Thanksgiving holiday without my mother’s presence (may her memory be eternal). With years,…
Praying in the Rain
Facing Myself
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I wonder if most of us have had this experience. You sin against and/or with someone and soon afterward feel regret. In fact, you feel so much regret that you admit to yourself and to God that you have sinned. And your conscience still bothering you, you set out to do what you can to make the matter right. However, to make the matter right, or at least as right as possible,…
The Morning Offering
Maximus
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View From Abbot’s Cell November 24 / 11 Glory to God! Thank you for your prayers! Our power came on at 12:15 a.m., so I’m sending off my daily blog after all! Please continue to pray for the rest of the population of Vashon Island, that power be restored to everyone, before Thanksgiving. Love to all, Abbot Tryphon 27th Week…
