“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¦
Community is one of the most essential elements for the Christian life Our Christian faith is communal in nature, and requires us to be actively involved with others. We come together in worship, and the Divine Liturgy itself is a corporate act, one that necessitates interaction with others. We are not “saved” in a vacuum, but as part of theā¦
Darkness does not exist in its own right Our Orthodox Christian theology views evil not as a primeval essence that is co-eternal and equal to God, but rather a falling away from good. Evil does not exist in and of itself, and was not created by God. Our Orthodox Church rejects the Gnostic teaching that the entirety of being isā¦
Encountering drought in one’s soul Drought has had a significant impact on whole civilizations, even being responsible for the total abandonment of great cities, now buried beneath the sands of history. The Great Dust Bowl led to the mass migration of our own people, as farms and towns were gobbled up by dust storms, having a devastating impact on theā¦
We must surrender our self-will into the loving embrace of our God There is freedom from stress, anxiety, and even anger, when we place our trust in God, and in he whom God has set over us as our spiritual guide. The invading enemies to our salvation have power over us only when we depend on ourselves. Without humility, thereā¦
Is our nation entering into a new Dark Ages? According to a Lutheran minister who visited the monastery this past week, the city of Portland, Oregon, Ā just contacted the Union Gospel Mission, asking that they prepare for a coming surge of new homeless families. They are bracing for some forty thousand tents in the city’s streets, come winter. With ourā¦
Finding God in an unbelieving world God is quick to forgive, quick to show mercy, and quick to embrace us when we turn to Him. In all of eternity our God chose to create humankind in His image and likeness, offering His creatures the opportunity to commune with Him in the endlessness that is time. He’s given us free will,ā¦