We Orthodox Christians collectively worship facing east. Together with our bishops and priests, we all stand before the Lord in the direction of the east. Our priests are sort of like captains of a ship, looking towards the
We all have times when we procrastinate. There is a story of a young monk who confessed to his elder that he was always struggling with procrastination. His elder told him it was his lack of faith which
During my time in Portland, Oregon at the bedside of Hieromonk Andrew, the 96 year old dear friend of mine, I had ample time to think about my own repose. Although he was 96, exactly 20 years older
in hypocrisy if we are not mindful of the pitfalls of the spiritual life. We can become Pharisees without even noticing, if we let our Christianity be artificially lived. Living our lives as though we have been rehearsed
If we are attentive to all the Lord does for us, we will endure those times when our prayers seem to go unanswered. That God is not always giving us just what we think we need, in no
One of the great saints of our age, Saint Paisios of Mt. Athos, said people who are filled with egoism and pride because of their education, “resemble satellites that orbit in the sky, giving one the impression that
On Monday of this week my good friend and confessor, Hieromonk Andrew (Fr. Nicholas Letten), fell asleep in the Lord. Father Andrew gave his whole mind and heart to Christ, and for those of us who had the
Sins of a sexual nature are common among many people today. Much of the struggle is directly related to the fact that people do not take advantage of having a spiritual father. If you are your own guide
We are living in an age when many people are finding it difficult not to give over to total despair. I can still remember when I was about 22 and I was so full of self loathing and
Whenever we have non-Orthodox visitors, I am touched by the look on their faces as they gaze for the first time at the sublime, otherworldly, beauty of the interior of our little temple. They are often speechless, just
