Psalter Archives - Saint Sophia

The Twenty-First Day of Christmas Advent: Our Holy Father Savvas the Sanctified

12/05/2023

Our Holy Father Sabbas the Sanctified (pronounced “Sava”) was born in 439 A.D. of pious and wealthy parents, John and Sofia, in the village Moutalaske of Cappadocia. His father was an officer, was forced to leave for Alexandria with his wife Sofia and thus entrusted the upbringing of the five-year-old Sabbas to Ermias, his brother-in-law, on his wife’s side. A few years later, Sabbas, who was dissatisfied by his aunt’s behavior and the subsequent dispute

Useful Counsels for All Monks

02/11/2016

Useful Counsels for All Monks “You can and must become a leader in the monastery without realizing it, without speaking. You can accomplish this only through fervent prayer for everyone. Open your heart simply, unforced, and spontaneously to our Lord. “Don’t force yourself, nor pressure yourself nor doubt that this will happen. In all this you should speak first to the Lord. And before you speak to your Elder, first pray fervently. A praying person,

Treasures from our Subsequent Conversations (Part V)

08/25/2015

I read a lot “I read a lot. I was very studious. I read mystically. I took the time to do this whenever I could. I learned the Gospels of Matthew and Luke by heart and I learned half the Gospel of John. I also learned the Psalms. I studied the Fathers. I studied for many hours. I did spiritual work. And you should know that I did not know how to read. I had

ON PRAYER (Part IV)

06/18/2015

PRAYER does not stop when morning devotions are over. Now it is a matter of maintaining prayer the whole day through, no matter what the day’s complications. Bishop Theophanes advises the beginner to choose a suitable short sentence of prayer from the Psalter, for example, O Lord, make haste to help me, or Create in me a clean heart, O God, or Blessed art Thou, O Lord, or some other. The Psalter offers a wide

ON PRAYER (Part III)

06/12/2015

A PERSON who resolves to begin regular morning exercises usually does so not because he already has physical fitness but in order to get something he does not have. Once one has something he can be anxious to keep it; previous to that, he is anxious to get it. Therefore, begin your practice without expecting anything of yourself. If you are fortunate enough to sleep in a room by yourself, you can quite 1iterally and

The Fifth Friday after Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! How Do We Pray the Psalms?

05/15/2015

By Jim Wellington How do we pray the Psalms? We should surely take our lead from the Holy Fathers of the Early Church and learn from their wisdom. Whilst researching the origins of the Jesus Prayer, I came across some fascinating insights in psalm-commentaries accredited to Fathers of the third, fourth and fifth centuries. These insights and the understanding of the Psalms which they promote, would have been available to the earliest monks and nuns

The Fourth Monday of Great Lent

03/24/2014

Hope Lessens the Labour The Psalter begins with the words: ‘Happy is the one who does not take the counsel of the wicked for a guide.’ These words immediately show us our final end which is happiness. The hope of future goods, therefore: can help us to accept willingly the sufferings of life. For anyone travelling along an impassable road, the hope of a comfortable hotel is a relief. Merchants have to face many risks,

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES OF GREAT LENT (Part II)

04/11/2013

The “continuous reading” of Genesis, Isaiah and Proverbs has its origin at the time when Lent was still the mainpre-baptismal season of the Church and Lenten services werepredominantly catechetical in their character, i.e., dedicatedto the indoctrination of the catechumen. Each of the threebooks corresponds to one of the three basic aspects of theOld Testament: the history of God’s activity in Creation,prophecy, and the ethical or moral teachings. The Book of Genesis gives, as it were,

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES OF GREAT LENT (Part I)

04/10/2013

The prayer of the Church is always biblical—i.e., expressed in the language, images, and symbols of the Holy Scriptures. If the Bible contains the Divine Revelation to man, it is also man’s inspired response to that Revelation and thus the pattern and the content of man’s prayer, praise, and adoration. For example, thousands of years have passed since the Psalms were composed; yet when man needs to express repentance, the shock of his entire being

Archive

The Twenty-First Day of Christmas Advent: Our Holy Father Savvas the Sanctified

Useful Counsels for All Monks

Treasures from our Subsequent Conversations (Part V)

ON PRAYER (Part IV)

ON PRAYER (Part III)

The Fifth Friday after Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! How Do We Pray the Psalms?

The Fourth Monday of Great Lent

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES OF GREAT LENT (Part II)

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES OF GREAT LENT (Part I)

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