From "A Gatering of Spiritual Riches" by St. Tikhon of Zadonsk "Those sitting and feasting at a distinguished supper of this world are dressed in bright and beautiful clothing. So it will be also at that splendid and magnificent heavenly supper. Those attending will be dressed in the robe of salvation and the clothing of gladness, and clothed "in garments of gold" (Ps 44:10, 14), clothed in clean and bright linen. "And to her, that is, the Church, it was granted to be arrayed

The Power and Efficacy of Prayer By St. Philaret of Moscow And He Went up into a mountain to pray..And as He prayed the fashion of His countenance was altered and His raiment was white and glistening, And behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elias. (Luke 9:28-30) How sublime a spectacle on Mount Tabor! A spectacle indeed worthy of being contemplated with rapture as the apostles contemplated it, and of being solemnly celebrated as we now celebrate it. It

Brothers and Sisters, We all cite our lowliness in an attempt to be humble, yet when someone points the mirror back at us, we tend to become defensive or we get offended. It is a test of sorts, to be called out, especially when it is done by someone who loves us and is trying to help us actually progress in the spiritual life. This goes for many things in life, if we are honest, and so it bears witness to a truth: If we do not humbly accept criticism, we will never progress a

This excerpt is from "Journey to Heaven" by St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, Part III - Spiritual Struggles God’s Help Our every endeavor is powerless without the grace and help of God. A man can easily become debauched and so destroy himself, but he cannot correct himself and be saved without God. He can easily live according to the flesh as a boat floats down a river, but of himself he cannot stand against the flesh and live spiritually, as a vessel cannot of itself sail against the

Finding a dedicated site relating to theological issues in modern Orthodoxy, such as Ecumenism, can be difficult. Often, to be fair, the sites tend to devolve into forums of infighting between groups, leading to nothing productive. I personally find it very difficult to ponder on a subject which has been rhetorically beaten into my brain, rather than a position well written and spoken, even if the author and I disagree. This is admitedly difficult to accomplish in the area of

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Lord be with you. Because of our physical distance from the Bulgarians Church, we don’t hear about them often. I spoke last year about the recent escalation in persecutions against them by the local Patriarchal Church which, by its actions is unworthy of the title. May God convert them! We here in America are comfortable. We escaped the charade of COVID and its attempts at authoritarian rule over our American freedoms relatively unscathed.

Originally printed in “Orthodox Life”, Nov.-Dec. 1961 He who often has occasion to travel on the Expressway or Highway here in America is always amazed at the mind of man which taught him to construct them so beautifully and provide with all the necessaries. All these indications, signs and signals on the way and on automobiles, and all the rules of driving, like a harmonious chorus teach the man behind the wheel- what to do and what to avoid. They teach people not to cripple

By St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain, from the book “Christian Morality” published by That the time of our life is [all too] brief for us to acquire perfection and blessedness. You, my Christians, suppose that the span of your life is so long that it is sufficient for you to expend it both on the service of your soul and on amusements and shows. But can your supposition be correct? No, it is, in fact, quite erroneous. For the service of the soul is so great and the Heavenl

From “Unseen Warfare” by Ss. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and Theophan the Recluse Chap 43. One should not desire too strongly to be free from the attack of afflictions, but should wholly abandon oneself to God’s will If you are enduring some affliction with thankfulness, pay good heed, lest your enemy succeeds in tempting you, or your self-love conceives a desire to be rid of it. For then you will suffer a double loss. The first is that, although the appearance of such a d

From the Book “Reflections of a Humble Heart” Before beginning to read this monastic text, I would like to say that though it was originally intended and written for a monk, everything about what this elder writes could be applied to a layperson. Simply replace, if you will, the word “monk” with “Christian” and “monastic vows” with “baptismal promise” and one can see how perfectly we can follow the elder’s counsel. “There is no time like the present.” -Fr. Photios Beloved Bro

Prayer is a Mighty Weapon

Examples of Meekness from the Spiritual Meadow, by John Moschos Once robbers rushed into the cell of one elder and told him that they would take all his things. The elder answered humbly: "Children, take what you desire." They took everything and left. But they did not notice a small sachet with money, which was hanging on the wall. The elder took it and ran after the robbers crying: "Children, take this sachet, which you did not notice." The robbers were touched by the elder

"Father, my son says he doesn't see God in the world, or miracles, and that he's starting to believe that God doesn't actually care about us." Brothers and Sisters, here we are: "Living" So many people have been numbed by the World and struggle to see God -and thus struggle to keep a spiritual life drawn to Him- because we are distracted and stuck on the little box in our hands. If you can't see God, it's because you're not looking. He's everywhere, and He's trying to get yo

By St. Philaret the New Confessor of New York From the compendium Sermons and Teachings of Metropolitan Philaret, v. II, (Russian Orthodox Youth Committee, New York, 1989). Recently, brothers and sisters, we spoke of how people today often forget the main goal that stands before each person, the task of saving one's soul for eternity. This concern for salvation must be the main objective for every person of faith. The great teacher of Christian living--indeed in the best sens

"So, when a Christian resists the flesh with its passions and lusts and does not do what it wants, but even more so tries to subdue its spirit, then a battle takes place between the Christian and the flesh."

From St. John Chrysostom, third homily on Lazarus and the Rich Man, On Wealth and Poverty Some people, if they stumble at all, or are slandered by anyone, or fall ill with a chronic disease, gout or headache or any such ailment, at once begin to blaspheme. They submit to the pain of the disease, but deprive themselves of its benefit. What are you doing, man, blaspheming your Benefactor, Saviour, Protector, and Guardian? Or do you not see that you are falling down a precipice

Originally printed in Orthodox America, 1989 Can be found at https://roca.org/oa/volume-x/issue-95/gods-providence-in-our-lives/...

It is good for us to be reminded of how powerless we are to stop time and everything that God sends along with it. What are we truly in...

This is from the Prologue of Ochrid, for the 13th of August on the celebration of the memory of our holy father Tikhon of Zadonsk. The...

This is an email I sent to the parishioners here in Portland, regarding current events. Brothers and Sisters, Christ is in our midst!...