Praying in the Rain
War and Peace and Suffering
·
“The wondrous love of God toward man is recognized when man is in misfortunes that are destroying his hope. Here God manifests His power for man’s salvation. For man never recognizes the power of God in tranquility and freedom.” — St. Isaac the Syrian I have almost finished War and Peace–300 pages to go is almost finished. When asked to summarize the novel, my first response was that it is about a few…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, July 10 / June 27 (Church Calendar)
·
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day June 27 / July 10. St. Sampson the Hospitable of Constantinople. St. Severus, presbyter of Interocrea in Italy. St. Joanna the Myrrh-bearer. Martyr Anectus of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Blessed Martin of Turov. New-Martyr priest Gregory Nikolsky (1918). (Greek Calendar: St. Luke the hermit. Martyrs Mark and Marcia. Hieromartyr…
Praying in the Rain
The Marriage Icon
·
In the Orthodox wedding icon, the icon of the wedding in Cana of Galilee, Christ is not at the center. Christ is in the icon, in the foreground and in an exalted position, but not the center. In the center of the wedding icon is the bride. The bride is both at the center of the icon, and she is also the only one who is crowned–the groom is not crowned. In…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Scripture and Tradition
·
Ancient Faith Radio now has both parts of my talk “Scripture and Tradition” available for download here and here as part of the Roads From Emmaus podcast. This talk is the second installment in the four-part Foundations of the Orthodox Faith series and was originally delivered on May 23, 2010. Those interested in a particular aspect of this talk, namely, the formation of the…
The Morning Offering
Friday, July 9 / June 26 (Church Calendar)
·
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day June 26 / July 9. St. David of Thessalonica. St. John, Bishop of the Goths in Crimea. St. Dionysius, Archbishop Suzdal. Translation of the Relics of St.Tikhon of Luchov. New-Martyr David of St. Annes Skete, martyred in Thessalonica. St. Serapion of Kozha Lake. (Greek Calendar: St. Anthion, monk.)…
The Morning Offering
Thursday, July 8 / June 25 (Church Calendar)
·
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day June 25 / July 8. Virgin Martyr Febronia of Nisibis. Prince and Princess Febronia (tonsured David and Euphrosyne), Wonderworkers of Murom. Virgin Martyrs Leonis, Libye, and Eutropia of Syria. St. Symeon of Sinai. Saints Dionysius and Dometius of the Monastery of the Forerunner on Mt. Athos. New-Martyr Procopius…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday, July 7 / June 24 (Church Calendar)
·
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Nativity of Saint John the Baptist and Forerunner Saints of the Day June 24 / July 7. Nativity of St. John the Baptist Martyrs Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus, and Longinus, in Georgia. St. Anthony, abbot of Dymsk (Novgorod). St. Michael, Great Prince of Tver. New-Martyr Panagiotes of Caesaria in Cappadocia.…
Glory to God for All Things
Mind and Heart
·
I write frequently about what I term the Religion of the Heart. Archimandrite Meletios Webber has a short piece on what can be called the Religion of the Mind. The distinction between mind and heart is not a distinction between thought and feeling. Rather it is a distinction between the mind (seat of thoughts and feelings) and the heart (the seat of a deeper awareness – sometimes called the nous in Orthodox writing).…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday, July 6 / June 23 (Church Calendar)
·
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day June 23 / July 6. Martyr Agrippina of Rome. Martyrs Eustochius, Gaius, Probus, Lollius, and Urban of Ancyra. Righteous Youth Artemius of Verkolsk. Saints Joseph, Anthony and Ioannicius, abbots of Vologda. Tr. rel St. Herman (Germanus), Archbishop of Kazan. Translation of the Relics of St. Michael of Klops…
The Morning Offering
Monday, July 5 / June 22 (Church Calendar)
·
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day June 22 / July 5. Hieromartyr Eusebius, Bishop of Samosota. Martyrs Galacteon, Juliana, and Satruninus of Constantinople. Martyrs Zeno and his servant Zenas of Philadelphia. St. Alban, Protomartyr of Britain. St. Anastasius the Serbian. (Greek Calendar: Martyr Pompian.) Repose of Righteous Mary the Cave-digger of White Mountain Monastery…
Praying in the Rain
Sinner Versus Sinning
·
St. Theophan the Recluse said (roughly) that it is a small thing to acknowledge that you have sinned, but it takes enlightenment to acknowledge that you are a sinner. In confession, penitents often asked why they always seem to have the same sins to confess. Sometimes I think the answer to this question is that the penitent has not yet begun to see him or herself as a sinner. They still think…
The Morning Offering
Sunday, July 4 / June 21 (Church Calendar)
·
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! American Independence Day Saints of the Day June 21 / July 4. Martyr Julian of Tarsus in Cilicia. Hieromartyr Terence (Tertius), Bishop of Iconium. St. Julius, presbyter of Novara, and his brother St. Julian the deacon. New-Martyr Nicetas of Nisyros near Rhodes. Martyrs Archil II and Luarsab II, kings of Georgia. Martyr…
Praying in the Rain
One Orthodox Church in Canada
·
Fr. Michael reports from the Parish Life Conference–at 35,000 feet. The biggest news from the PLC is that there is indeed a move by the Ecumenical Patriarch and all of the Autocephalous churches to create a single Orthodox jurisdiction in each country or region of the world that has a significant Orthodox presence. It looks like it will be happening much more quickly than anyone would have imagined even one year ago.…
Glory to God for All Things
To Guard the Heart
·
I often think about the admonition of the fathers to “guard your heart.” It seems so obvious to me that the disposition of my heart has everything to do with how I will perceive and react to everything around me. An anxious heart perceives everything as a threat – a disaster or vexation in the making. An angry heart perceives the slightest hindrance as a great provocation. A sad heart can have…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, July 3 / June 20 (Church Calendar)
·
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Feast of Saint John, Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco Saints of the Day June 20 / July 3. Hieromartyr Methodius, Bishop of Patara. Martyrs Aristocleus presbyter, Demetrian deacon, and Athanasius reader, of Cyprus. Martyrs Inna, Pinna, and Rimma, disciples of Apostle Andrew in Scythia. St. Leucius, Bishop of Brindisi. Holy Prince…
Praying in the Rain
Are You Saved?
·
In the western Christian world, “saved” is a static concept. One either is or isn’t saved. The only difference among the various heterodox Christian confessions is how one acquires this state of salvation. For the Orthodox Christian, salvation is not something static. Salvation is iconic. A person is saved, ultimately and fully, when he or she is conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. That is, salvation is to be an icon…
The Morning Offering
Friday, July 2 / June 19 (Church Calendar)
·
Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day June 19 / July 2. St. John of Shanghai and San Fransisco. Holy Apostle Jude, the Brother of the Lord. Martyr Zosimas the Soldier…
Praying in the Rain
Education
·
Praying in the Rain
26 Minute Friendship
·
[At Seattle Airport] Bonnie has this amazing ability to make friends with people on airplanes. On the 26 minute flight from Vancouver to Seattle she had such an intimate conversation with the Pakistani woman sitting next to her that they exchanged phone numbers on landing in Seattle and the woman was earnestly inviting Bonnie to visit her home in Surrey. The Moslem woman kept talking about what the Koran says about Mary…
Glory to God for All Things
Envy and the Fullness of God
·
In the Praises for Matins of Holy Wednesday, we read: Oh, the wretchedness of Judas! He saw the harlot kiss the footsteps of Christ, but deceitfully he contemplated the kiss of betrayal. She loosed her hair while he bound himself with wrath. He offered the stench of wickedness instead of myrrh, for envy cannot distinguish value. Oh, the wretchedness of Judas! Deliver our souls from this, O God. We are also told in Scripture…
The Morning Offering
Thursday, July 1 / June 18 (Church Calendar)
·
Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day June 18 / July 1. Martyr Leontius, and with him Martyrs Hypatius and Theodulus, at Tripoli in Syria St. Leontius, clairvoyant of Dionysiou Monastery…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday, June 30 / 17 (Church Calendar)
·
Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day June 17 / 30. Martyrs Manuel, Sabel, and Ismael of Persia. Hieromartyr Philoneides, Bishop of Kurion in Cyprus. Saints Joseph and Pior, disciples of…
Glory to God for All Things
The Nature of Things and Our Salvation
·
Reflecting on yesterday’s post, I thought it worthwhile to share these thoughts again on the nature of our salvation. Few things are as critical for me as the distinctions given here. Perhaps it is timely. It offers a short summary of the difference between a moral and an existential understanding of the Christian faith and why the difference matters. Indeed, as I look through my writings I know this is a recurring…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday, June 29 / 16 (Church Calendar)
·
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day June 16 / 29. St. Tychon, Bishop of Amathus in Cyprus. St. Tikhon (Tychon) of Luchlv. St. Tikhon of Kaluga or Medin. St. Tikhon of Krestogorsk (Vologda). Martyrs Tigirius and Eutropius of Constantinople. St. Mark the Just of Apollonias, nephew of Apostle Barnabas. New-Martyr Hermogenes (Germogen), Bishop of…
Praying in the Rain
Choices and God's Will
·
Living in today’s world we are confronted with hundreds of choices every day: red or blue, sweet or savory, toast or muffins. We cope with this plethora of choices by habit. We have our usual breakfast, our usual half-sweet, decaf mocha (no whip), our favorite color, our going-to-bed routine. And yet in spite of our routines and predictable patterns, all of the choices in our life serve a purpose in our culture.…
The Morning Offering
Monday, June 28 / 15 (Church Calendar)
·
Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever! Saints of the Day June 15 / 28. Prophet Amos. St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow. Martyrs Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia at Lucania. Martyr Dulas of Cilicia. St. Jerome…
Glory to God for All Things
To Tell the Truth
·
Abba Poemen said, “Teach your mouth to say that which is in your heart. Speaking the truth is as fundamental as the Ten Commandments. It also receives a great deal of attention within the pages of the New Testament. Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image…
