My prayers are weak and ineffectual. They are diluted by the sinful state of my soul. It is only in His great mercy that God would condescend to hear them! I am possessed of the passions, egoism, pride and gluttony foremost. God permits me to pray for others so that I might fight against these Read more about Reflection on My Soul[…]
The fathers of the Church consistently remind Christians that we are to guard our mouths. We sing in the vespers verses, “Set a watch O Lord before my mouth, keep the door of my lips!” I will occasionally post the saying of the fathers on this, or like posts by others that remind us of Read more about Wiser than the Saints[…]
Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Psalm 140:3 This week I had an outburst. I lost my temper with someone who has been treating me badly for the last three years. He’s been disrespectful of me publicly. And on Tuesday, he interjected himself into a private Read more about Set a Watch Before my Mouth[…]
Fr. Irineos compares the prayer of the Publican and the Pharisee, and discusses the accusation that Orthodox engage in prayers of vain repetition. Luke 18:10-14 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I Read more about You’re So Vain: Homily for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee[…]
It is perhaps a sad commentary on how much time I spend on the internet, that many of the ideas I have for this blog stem from things I read on Facebook or other social media or internet forum communities. Today, while reading some commentary on the Nativity of the Theotokos, I watched the discussion Read more about Conciliarity, Obedience and the Egoism of Sola Scriptura[…]
In trying to divine “God’s hand” in occurrences in our day to day life, we leave ourselves open to attack and manipulation of the evil one. I like to remember this quote from St. Theophan the Recluse: “He who goes according to the will of the evil one does not experience attacks, but is simply Read more about Why Me? The Temptation to See and Interpret God’s Will[…]