Christ Put Himself at the Bottom of the Inverted Pyramid The recently glorified Saint Sophrony of Essex, England, himself the spiritual son and biographer of Saint Silouan of the Holy Mountain, wrote that the empirical cosmic being is like a pyramid: at the top sit the powerful of the earth,
“For it is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men (1 Peter 2:15).” Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic tells us in The Prologue from Ochrid that we are better off if we do not engage others in lengthy debates and fruitless discussions,
Are These the End Times? The cultural and spiritual warfare that is taking place between the “Christian” West, and China, together with the threat of World War III, have become a source of concern for many. Coupled with the polarization of the populace within the United States, and the mass
Detachment and the Life of a Monk Detachment from the world is not necessarily cutting off all social contact with people, or avoiding any exposure to, or contact with, things of the world in some Pharisaical obsession with keeping oneself ritually ‘pure’. The work of purification is an inner work.
The Orthodox Faith is Nothing Without Transformation of Life If your spiritual life is concentrated only on external practices and traditions, but does nothing to bring about real change, you have gained nothing. Too many people think as long as they keep the fasting rules, do their prayers, and attend
We Clergy Must Not Live As Though We Are A Special Class Of Nobles If we do not live in repentance and humility we clergy betray Christ, Whom we claim to serve. We must be willing to put aside all intellectual and romanticized notions of the Church, acknowledge the many
God Allows Difficulties As A Means Of Purifying Us When we hear the words, “all is sent down by you” this does not mean that God wills anything evil to happen but only that we always need to be open to God’s presence, grace and mercy, no matter what. God