Archive

The Eighteenth Day of Christmas Advent. It’s a Wonderful Life.

Let us be signposts pointing toward a bright and happy future By Abbot Tryphon, November 26, 2019  One of the most beloved movies ever made was Frank Capra’s, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Staring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, the movie tells the story of an ever optimistic man, who, while facing life’s hardships, set aside his own dreams in order to help others, only to witness a run on his bank. Feeling he’d failed his

Thoughts on God, Us and Time. Thoughts on Indifference.

Thoughts on God, Us and Time By Michael Haldas, July 11, 1916 “Our future is not about what we have or don’t have, or about what might happen or what might not happen. Our future is all about Who we know and how well we know Him…In life, in death, and for eternity our relationship with God is what matters most, and therefore should be our main concern here and now.” (Cindi McMenamin, J.I. Packer)

No Looking Back. When We’re Broken.

By Abbot Tryphon, October 11, 2019   Don’t hold on to guilt and shame There are many people who cling to memories of past sins, holding on to guilt and shame, reliving things long ago confessed, as though they happened yesterday. They struggle with regrets, often revisiting shame as though they were archeologists, digging for historical artifacts that must be preserved. Such is not the case with God, for His interest is not in our past,

Overcoming the Tyranny of History

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, August 10, 2015  History is tyranny. A seemingly inescapable part of human life is its history (and the baggage it brings with it). So much that shapes our identity: language, culture, economics, health, personality (and the list goes on), are largely products of history. As such, all of these things are outside of our control, not a part of our choosing. I am white, Anglo-American, lower middle class, with high blood

The Future of the Church

We are living in an age that has witnessed changes on a massive scale as never before. The way we communicate has changed with the coming of the internet, with information available that would have required a library and advanced degrees to access in the past. Ideas and information are available that leave our youth with choices that were never available a generation ago. Moral norms have changed, with values and lifestyles that would have

THE ABSOLUTE

God says, “Give me your heart.” And then, in answer to my puzzlement, I hear him say, “Your heart is where your treasure is.”   My treasures—here they are: persons, places occupations things experiences of the past the future’s hopes and dreams.   I pick each treasure up, say something to it, and place it in the presence of the Lord.   How shall I “give” these treasures to him?   In the measure that