Distraction
“Sons of the world see distraction as innocent, but the Holy Fathers see it as the beginning of all evil. One of the greatest ascetics of old, St. Poemen the Great, teaches that the beginning of evil is distraction.” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, Archbishop Averky Taushev) “Quiet, for me, seemed an impossible quality to cultivate without a sense of time as ample. I wanted our lives to be, not crammed with endless activity or entertainment or things, but ordered, roomy, so that
Watchfulness
“In order to have a center formed in oneself and to be able to pray from that secret place, it is imperative that one put one's time in before God, every day without fail. Specific periods of watchfulness and prayer must be set aside each day, especially in the morning and evening.” (Hieromonk Damascene Christensen) “ ‘By practicing watchfulness, we essentially fulfill all the commandments—both those of the Old Testament and those of the New Testament. Sometimes we ask: “Wha
Complacency
“We are lulled into a form of complacency by our culture’s exaltation of “objective” knowledge. We fail to notice that, even in very...
Priorities
“If you are a scholar, a student in any educational establishment, or an official in some ministry, an officer in any of the branches of...
Awakeness
“Our churches are beautifully adorned and furnished so as to awaken us to God’s presence among us…However, the experience of “God with...