The sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, resulted in our inheritance of death The fact that we Orthodox do not accept the doctrine of original sin as espoused in the West, does in no way suggest that we do not need to be born again (born anew). We believe, as did the Early Church Fathers, that we inherit…
Quietude, silence and prayer It is in keeping constant vigilance, guarding our senses, and living a life of repentance and self-rapprochement, that we can hope to gain control of our passions and enter into true communion with God. The basic element of such a life has got to include quietude, for it is in states of calmness and inner reflection…
Children learn to love God through the example of their parents Every Orthodox parent wants their children to grow up attending Sunday Liturgies and staying active in the life of the Church throughout their lives. Yet many parents don’t demonstrate the importance of having a personal relationship with God in front of their children. If you do not make God…
Because we are stuck in habitual and repetitive sins In the Mystery of Confession we avail ourselves before the analogion stand, upon which the holy cross and the Gospel Book rest. The priest stands in as the witness, whereas in the early Church confession was done before the whole congregation of the faithful. After we have confessed before the Lord,…
We Orthodox believers know that death is not something to be feared As a small boy growing up in Spokane, Washington, we lived near one of the city’s large cemeteries. From the earliest days, when I was allowed to ride by bicycle out of our immediate neighborhood, I would ride through this cemetery. The large mausoleum, as well as the…
We must drive out all negative thoughts Our thoughts really do have an impact on our world. Negative thoughts about family members or fellow employees, change our relationships. If we dislike someone at work and allow ourselves to think poorly of them, they are likely to fulfill our low expectations. If we pray for them and ask God to bless…
“Help me, O God, to put off all pretenses and find my true self.” Metropolitan Anthony Bloom When we enter into communion with one another in the life of the Church, we come broken, and far from the image and likeness that God intended when He created us. We, to a one, are in need of the healing that comes…
The unity and continuity of the Church is found in her bishops Gathering together for the celebration of the Church’s Divine Services is the great moment in the life of the People of God that brings together both heaven and earth. In these services we are mystically transported to a place where time and space cease to exist as we…
Creating an Orthodox Christian environment in the home Creating an Orthodox Christian home begins with the icon corner. The “bright corner” becomes the center for every domestic church, where the family devotions take place. This is also the family’s way of declaring to visitors that this is a Christian home, where Christ is head. Because the husband is a sort…
Hopelessness can be the catalyst to pull us out of our rut Hopelessness in painful situations is what pulls most of us out of our rut. My own bout with heart problems, and the subsequent healing through the intercession of the Holy Virgin, have given me pause as to how I’d been living my life. Like many of you I’d…
Racism has no place in the life of a Christian It is important to understand that genetically, all humans are of but one race. Indians, Arabs, Jews, Caucasians, Africans, and Asians, are not different races, but rather, different ethnicities of the human race. God created all humans with the same physical characteristics, with only minor variations. Furthermore, He created all…
We are our brother’s keeper With the nation’s shutdown we are seeing millions of people losing their jobs, and the homeless rate is about to swell to numbers not seen since the Great Depression. Countless individuals are facing the very real possibility that their extended unemployment payments, and the emergency funds sent out by the national government, may not ultimately…