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