“Not as the world gives, do I give unto you” (John 14:27). But does this promise of our Lord apply not only to His peace, but to other blessings as well. Could it be, for example, that the self-confidence of a Christian needs to be very different from the self-confidence that the world offers us? We endlessly seek approval from others, not just in direct … [Read more...] about How to Be Nothing: Humility, Self-Confidence, and Restoring Love and Joy to the Christian Home
Spirituality
On Pascha We Receive An Invitation To Eternal Life
Many readers will recognize Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) as the author of the buoyant, inspiring, and irresistible book “Everyday Saints and Other Stories,” which sold record numbers of copies in Russia and has been translated into 17 languages, including English. In this brief, but powerfully insightful passage excerpted from a 2012 interview, Metropolitan … [Read more...] about On Pascha We Receive An Invitation To Eternal Life
Return to Paradise: The How and Why of Fasting
We are now well into the Holy and Great Fast of Lent, but for many of us it may have already begun to seem tedious: a routine and perhaps even empty exercise. This article by Fr Steven Ritter addresses this state of mind, offering fresh, thought-provoking, common-sense reminders of why the Fast is important to our spiritual life. By Fr. Stephen Ritter Meatfare Sunday … [Read more...] about Return to Paradise: The How and Why of Fasting
A Reference to Alyosha Karamazov
Ayosha, the “angelic brother” of Dostoevsky’s novel. Aloysha the monastic novice. Alyosha the compassihollonate. Alyosha, who has chosen to live only for God. Yes. But Alyosha the depraved? Alyosha the corrupt. . .Alyosha the insect? Christos Yannaras, one of the foremost living philosophers of Europe, through his careful reading of The Brothers Karamazov has … [Read more...] about A Reference to Alyosha Karamazov
St. Ephrem the Syrian: Hymn of the Nativity
St. Ephrem’s “Hymns on the Nativity” are like a dazzling display of Christmas lights—or better yet, like the brightly shining stars shimmering over the fields of Bethlehem. St Ephrem believes that God reveals Himself through “raze” (symbols, mysteries, hidden meanings) found not only throughout Holy Scripture, but everywhere in nature as … [Read more...] about St. Ephrem the Syrian: Hymn of the Nativity
