Prayer with force is higher than prayer unforced Prayer is a discipline we must nurture, and one that must become a lifetime commitment. We must develop a lifestyle of prayer that is not merely a routine, but something that absorbs us completely. As we Christians go through ups and downs in our prayer life, a true prayer life necessitates weā¦
Ask for repentance in your prayer and nothing else The first step in becoming truly repentant is found in a heartfelt contrition before God for our sins. Saint Paul tells us that we must “Pray without ceasing (Thessalonians 5:17)”, and the Church Fathers saw this as the basis for the use of the Jesus Prayer ā āLord Jesus Christ, Sonā¦
Becoming partakers of the Divine Nature Although our regeneration began with baptism, our repentance opens the gates to grace after grace. Repentance is the second regeneration in that through our repentance, the door to the mercy of God opens wide. In being regenerated by God’s mercy, we are justified before God, but not in the judicial sense of Evangelical Protestantā¦
And the forgetfulness of the things of God The passions that create a state of unrest in our hearts cause us to forget the real purpose of our life, which is union with God. Saint Basil the Great tells us we cannot approach the knowledge of the truth with a disturbed heart. Conflict, downheartedness, lust, worry, and judging others, areā¦
We must destroy the ego Modern psychology has told us we must feel good about ourselves and instructed us to reject the idea of guilt and sin. Sin is seen as religion’s instrument for keeping people in line, making them dependent on an institution that should be relegated to the Dark Ages. In an age where man is elevated toā¦
The Church, like a forest, provides needed oxygen Growing up in Northern Idaho, I was surrounded by mountains and forests. I don’t remember a time when forests did not tug at my heart and fill my imagination with thoughts of adventure. As a small child my parents took my brother Dwayne, and me, on annual camping trips to a stateā¦
“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2).” While sitting in Victoria, B.C’s, Murchie’s sidewalk cafe, back in June of 2013, with my friend Mitred Archpriest Basil Rhodes, we noticed a homeless man stop behind me. The man was staring at our food, so Father Basil asked him if he was hungry. Heā¦
Man was not created for earth, but for heaven The times we live in are not easy ones, and these difficult times are causing more and more people to lose hope. The struggle just to stay the course has become increasingly stressful for ever-increasing numbers of people, and Christians are no exception. However, we must remember that we are directedā¦
We think nothing of depriving another human being of life We are living in a period of history that has seen the cause of human rights take the forefront as never before. We champion the cause of equality under the law for minorities, and continue the struggle for equal rights and equal pay for women, but ignore the rights ofā¦
The Church’s Holy Tradition guides Her in the interpretation of Holy Scripture The Bible can only be understood through the Church, for the Holy Scriptures came forth from the Church. The reformers dumped the papacy only to replace that institution with themselves as the ultimate authority. Since reason and logic ruled, there was no room for the intuitive, noetic natureā¦
If you wish to read my blog articles, please visit my “Abbot Tryphon” FaceBook page, or my blog, “The Morning Offering”. I have been writing these articles as my way of supporting Orthodox Christians on their spiritual journey, as well as introducing Orthodoxy to non-Orthodox. Thus, I have been rather surprised and disappointed at the number of negative responses I’veā¦
The spiritual life requires patience and struggle Americans are not a particularly patient people, as demonstrated by the fact that the fast food industry began with us. We don’t tolerate slow service, thus much of the food we consume is prepared before we order it. We drive our car to a window, order our food, and expect it to beā¦