SACRAMENTAL LIVING

“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

“The gift of speech is the greatest gift and corresponds to man’s need for expressing feelings, for exchanging thoughts, impressions, and conversations. But nothing can do more harm to one’s neighbor and nothing can so easily destroy as verbosity, which the enemy uses cunningly and especially successfully to catch people in his nets.” (St. Seraphim Chichagov) “We live in a remarkable and frightening time—the age of an information flood. Every day, through the screens of our s

“A conference participant once asked the speaker, "What is the best way for a father to love his children?" The speaker replied, "The best way for a father to love his children is to love their mother." I reflect often upon that superbly accurate statement. And I think the reverse is equally true: the best way a mother can love her children is to love their father. More than anything else in the world, children need a loving family and parents who support each other, even if

“It is of note to me that there is a great darkness associated with God in some presentations of the Christian faith, enough to drive...

“…we see in Paul’s words, “Scripture confined all under sin” (Galatians 3:22). The Greek word “confined” comes from the root “to shut up...

“We go to Church to set our hearts on fire with love for God and the world. We go to Church because there are so many things to care...

“The Holy Spirit, one of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity comes to abide in us, God’s people, if we are receptive to having the...

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh (ὅτιγελάσετε).” (Lk 6: 21) Here is an oft forgotten, oft-neglected promise made by my...

“This passage holds great hope for the Christian ministry. “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16) — the one who...

“Whenever we are obediently engaged in a labor to which God has called us, giving His work our undivided attention and considering its...