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
Prayer
St. Paisios: Too Many Worries Will Distance Us From God
Like Jesus’ friend Martha in the Gospel of St Luke, we “are worried and troubled about many things.” But as we prepare ourselves for the Nativity of Christ — as we look ahead toward His birth not in a royal chamber, but in the rustic and unpretentious cradle of an animal trough — and as we anticipate his quiet but earth-shaking Incarnation into a … [Read more...] about St. Paisios: Too Many Worries Will Distance Us From God
The Sign of the Prophet Jonah in Our Days
This Holy Week and Pascha, the Covid-19 pandemic has given the faithful a hard saying. They will be deprived of celebrating these high and holy days in their parishes. They will be deprived of receiving holy communion. Nevertheless, they need not, now or ever, be deprived of Christ, for nothing, neither death nor life, neither things present nor things to come, can ever … [Read more...] about The Sign of the Prophet Jonah in Our Days
Prayers for a Time of Devastating Pestilence
“Are any among you suffering? Let them pray. Are any cheerful? Let them sing praises! Are any among you sick? Let them call for the presbyters of the Church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the Name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will heal those who are sick and the Lord will raise them up. If they have committed sins, they will be forgiven. Confess your … [Read more...] about Prayers for a Time of Devastating Pestilence
The Three Principles of Orthodox Spirituality: The Path to Prayer
In this lucid and accessible talk, Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) takes us to the heart of Orthodox spirituality. His approach here is emphatically practical, rather than theoretical or technical. In the first part, he lays down three basic spiritual principles that serve to sum up the Orthodox hesychast tradition as articulated in the "Philokalia". In the second part, … [Read more...] about The Three Principles of Orthodox Spirituality: The Path to Prayer