hermits Archives - Saint Sophia

Celtic Monasticism – 2

06/22/2022

Published by Pemptousia Partnership, July 11, 2015 “Other monks and nuns lived out their days alone….in small wood-and-mud huts; they kept a cow or two, and accepted gladly the gifts of an occasional loaf or basket of vegetables from local farmers. The desire for a solitary life and time to spend simply yearning for God…must have drifted through the hearts of even the busiest abbot in the most bustling monastery.” (Bitel, op.cit.) Monastic life was seen

Venerable Ephraim the Syrian

01/28/2022

Saint Ephraim the Syrian, a teacher of repentance, was born at the beginning of the fourth century in the city of Nisibis (Mesopotamia) into the family of impoverished toilers of the soil. His parents raised their son in piety, but from his childhood he was known for his quick temper and impetuous character. He often had fights, acted thoughtlessly, and even doubted God’s Providence. He finally recovered his senses by the grace of God, and

Monasteries

11/05/2020

By Abbot Tryphon, November 4, 2019 Centers for prayer and spiritual healing Monastics are an integral part of the Church and should not be seen as independent of the Church Universal. Monks are bound by the same Gospel as other Christians and need to avail themselves to the missionary and pastoral needs of the Church, as needed. Although a primary role of monasticism is to be found in worship and contemplative prayer, monks also have

The life of Saint Anthony the Great, the Anchorite of Egypt, and The Father of All Monks

01/17/2018

On January 17, we commemorate the venerable and God-bearing Father Saint Anthony the Great. Our venerable and God-bearing Father Saint Anthony the Great was born into a wealthy family in upper Egypt about 254 AD. Also known as Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, and Anthony the Anchorite, he was a leader among the Desert Fathers, who were Christian monks in the Egyptian desert in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The Orthodox Church

REAL PEACE (Part IX)

09/15/2016

“How is this joy of God born within the heart of a person?” Michael asked. “According to the teaching of the elders, it starts when a person begins to strive spiritually and tirelessly to implement the commandments of God. He will encounter fatigue and many difficulties along the way. But there will also be a gradual emergence in his heart of the first rays of God’s joy, which will offer him further inducement to continue

Solitude of Heart

10/20/2015

The word solitude can be misleading. It suggests being alone by yourself in an isolated place. When we think about solitaries, our mind easily evokes images of monks or hermits who live in remote places secluded from the noise of the busy world. In fact, the words solitude and solitary are derived from the Latin word solus, which means alone, and during the ages many men and women who wanted to live a spiritual life

ON PROGRESS IN DEPTH

10/02/2014

The external rudiments lead us now to the warfare that goes on in the depths. As when one peels an onion, one layer after another is removed, and the innermost core, out of which growth reaches up toward the light, lies revealed. There, in your own innermost chamber, you will glimpse the heavenly chamber, for they are one and the same, according to St. Isaac the Syrian. When you strive now to enter your inmost

FATHER MAXIMOS: FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT (VI)

06/26/2014

If you don’t learn to carry your cross during your daily life, then you are losing the thousand opportunities that God creates for you at every moment so that you can become perfected as a human being. “The Gerontikon [a series of books about the lives of great elders] is full of examples of simple practices that have led many to become giants of virtue. Abba Agathon prayed to God, ‘Please, God, help me do

Archive

Celtic Monasticism – 2

Venerable Ephraim the Syrian

Monasteries

The life of Saint Anthony the Great, the Anchorite of Egypt, and The Father of All Monks

REAL PEACE (Part IX)

Solitude of Heart

ON PROGRESS IN DEPTH

FATHER MAXIMOS: FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT (VI)

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