FREE BOOK HERE – Theosis is the true purpose of human life. The question of the destiny of our lives is very serious, as it concerns the most important question for man: “for what purpose are we placed on earth?” If man takes a correct stance on this issue; if he finds his true destiny; then Continue Reading »
What is the Jesus Prayer? How old is it? Who is the Jesus Prayer for? Where can the Jesus Prayer be found in Scriptures, and how does it differ from the mantras of eastern religionis? How ought we to practice the Jesus Prayer, and what do we find when we do? * * * The Jesus Continue Reading »
When a visitor steps foot into an Orthodox Church, the first face she will probably see is Jesus. He will be placed on a small stand in the temple (i.e. the “sanctuary”), and as worshipers enter, they will cross themselves, kiss his hand and cross themselves again. I am talking about icons — Continue Reading »
The Nicene Creed was created to exclude. This goes against the grain of our modern secular society, where the word “inclusive” has become a magic word, conjuring up warm feelings of virtue, righteousness, and goodness. To be inclusive is to be good; to exclude is to be bad. The magic is, I think, rooted in Continue Reading »
On the Feast of St. Elijah the Prophet, we read these words from the 5th chapter of the Universal Epistle of St. James the Apostle: “The fervent prayer of a holy man is powerful indeed” (James 5:16). The reason these words are read on the Feast Day of St. Elijah is because the holy Continue Reading »
Ostrov (The Island) is a 2006 Russian film about a fictional 20th century Eastern Orthodox monk. The film closed the 2006 Venice Film Festival, proved to be a moderate box-office success and won both the Nika Award and the Golden Eagle Award as the Best Russian film of 2006. The film is focused on Father Continue Reading »
The Ass The ass is frequently portrayed in Renaissance painting, particularly in pictures of the Sacrifice of Isaac, the Nativity, the Flight into Egypt, and the Entry of Christ into Jerusalem. The most familiar portrayal is in the Nativity scenes, where the ass regularly appears. The ass and the ox symbolize that the humblest and Continue Reading »
Depression (from the Latin word depressio, which means to press, oppress) is a subnormal, depressed mood, accompanied by lethargy, fatigue, and a dull and pessimistic assessment of the situation. Mankind has known this suffering since time immemorial—since the time when the Fall of a man occurred. Yet Hippocrates described a similar mental state, which was referred Continue Reading »
August 6th is the feast of Holy Transfiguration in which the Church celebrates an event in the life of Christ narrated by all three synoptic gospels. Christ foretold His disciples His impending passion, and then after six days revealed His divinity to them in a marvelous way. The question we want to address here is: Was Christ Continue Reading »
by Metropolitan Jonah Do not resent. Do not react. Keep inner stillness. These three spiritual principles, or disciplines, are really a summation of the Philokalia, the collection of Orthodox Christian spiritual wisdom. And they are disciplines every single one of us can practice, no matter where we are in life – whether we’re in the Continue Reading »
For most of America, Christmas was over nearly two weeks ago, but for almost 300 million Christians around the globe, January 7th is Christmas day, and this number includes some Oklahomans. Since before 1897, small groups of Oklahomans have been celebrating Christmas on January 7th. Some of the first Christians in Oklahoma to celebrate Continue Reading »
We get sick and we suffer for different reasons, but often it’s because we have sinned, voluntary or involuntary, or because we have wandered away from God. But, if you are sick, don’t be afraid and don’t worry because sickness is a great gift from God. The sick are God’s special children. The sick are Continue Reading »
A Collection of Church History Diagrams: The Orthodox Church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is catholic, but not Roman. It isn’t non-denominational – it is pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved, defended and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago. “Orthodoxy is Continue Reading »
Some years back, there was a point in my life when I didn’t give a second thought to the Saints. I really didn’t see how they had any place within my faith. In Bible College and in Protestant seminary, I was fed the idea that saints were either a type of good luck charm to Continue Reading »
