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Should I Forgive the Unrepentant?

02/01/2019

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, March 17, 2015 It has been noted that forgiveness is often directly tied to repentance. This is doubtless true, but also fraught with misunderstanding. It is important to understand what forgiveness is and is not and what repentance is and is not. The heart is filled with twists and turns – understanding is helpful at every moment. “Without repentance, there can be no forgiveness.” This, or something similar, is a common

The Eighth Day of Christmas. Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia

01/01/2018

Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, “belongs not to the Church of Caesarea alone, nor merely to his own time, nor was he of benefit only to his own kinsmen, but rather to all lands and cities worldwide, and to all people he brought and still brings benefit, and for Christians he always was and will be a most salvific teacher.” Thus spoke Saint Basil’s contemporary, Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium. Saint

Everything is in Motion

10/20/2017

By Father Stephen Freeman For years I have been told that the meaning of the word hamartia (translated “sin”) means “to miss the mark.” This is certainly accurate. However, the image I have always had in mind has been an arrow aimed at a target and missing the bull’s eye. Thus I have thought of my life as a moral effort to hit the target. This is not incorrect but it leaves out important information. First, the

A Layman in the Desert (Preface, Part I)

10/25/2016

A few years ago I was challenged by a critique of Orthodox Christianity leveled by a close friend who was in the process of leaving the Church. “When you face facts,” he said, “you realize that if you really want to live the Orthodox life in its fullness, you have to become a monk.” As much as I wished to offer a counter- point, I found myself unable. In fact, I even grudgingly agreed with

Shaping Life Spiritually (Part IV)

02/18/2016

The monks have always practiced what many psychologists today talk about (for example in autogenous training), namely, finding comfort through expressions of trust. For the early monks spiritual life also meant the art of healthy living. It was no accident that so many of the monks got to be very old. Their asceticism didn’t deny life, it promoted it. For their spiritual life the monks adopted dietetics, the art of healthy living, which was the

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary (Part I)

08/14/2014

After the Ascension of the Lord, the Mother of God remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian, and during his journeys, She lived at the home of his parents, near the Mount of Olives. She was a source of consolation and edification both for the Apostles and for all the believers. Conversing with them, She told them about miraculous events: the Annunciation, the seedless and undefiled Conception of Christ born of Her,

Me, My “Selfie,” and I

07/07/2014

By Fr. Vasile Tudora “They say—and I am willing to believe it—that it is difficult to know yourself—but it isn’t easy to paint yourself either.” Vincent van Gogh, letter to his brother, September 1889 The self-portrait genre has been around from the very beginning of art. It was used to identify the artist, when no photography existed, or to tell one’s story in a visual manner or to dive deep into one’s existential struggles. Some

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

Instructive Recollections from the Holy Mountain

06/10/2014

Subsequently, the Elder related to me some things from his life on the Mountain that were relevant to our topic. “I lived a heavenly life on the Mountain. I was about twelve years old when I went there. I had two Elders and I was totally obedient to them. They sent me to fetch two bags of dirt for their gardens. This work had to be done by noon. I ran barefoot, jumping along the

Renewal Wednesday, Christ is Risen! The Greek Epithets of Saint George the Great Martyr

04/23/2014

In the Orthodox Church, we give many and various epithets to the names of our Saints, either out of reverence or for some miracle or for any other reason. More than any of our Saints, the Theotokos has the most epithets applied to her name by far by the faithful. Below are some epithets applied to one of Orthodoxy’s most popular and miracle working saints – Saint George the Great Martyr. In Ofis of Pontus

Archive

Should I Forgive the Unrepentant?

The Eighth Day of Christmas. Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia

Everything is in Motion

A Layman in the Desert (Preface, Part I)

Shaping Life Spiritually (Part IV)

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary (Part I)

FATHER MAXIMOS: FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT (VI)

Instructive Recollections from the Holy Mountain

Renewal Wednesday, Christ is Risen! The Greek Epithets of Saint George the Great Martyr

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