Fathers Archives - Page 9 of 11

The Thirty-Eighth Day of Christmas Advent. The Fiery Furnace of Christmas

12/22/2017

By Father Stephen Freeman The three youths, wise in God, who shone with joy in the furnace, proclaimed the birth of Christ on earth; For just as the Lord sent down a precious dew, He preserved from the flame her who gave birth; He keeps her undefiled and enriches her with divine gifts. Therefore, Daniel, pleasing to God, rejoiced and was glad, For having foreseen the stone from the unquarried mountain, he now prays

Society

10/17/2017

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as he is, so are we in this world. I John 4.17 In many ways the word “society” serves to summarize most or all of that which a non-monastic Christian encounters on a daily basis, but which a desert monk seeks to avoid as a general rule. This includes constant interaction with other human beings, as

Patience (Part IV): Patience Manifests a New Awareness of Time

09/15/2017

Another old man came to see one of the Fathers, who cooked a few lentils and said to him, “Let us say a few prayers,” and the first completed the whole psalter, and the brother recited the two great prophets by heart. When morning came, the visitor went away, and they forgot the food.22 Sanctification of the monk is a state of being in which the life of the person manifests the likeness of God.

The Long Defeat and the Cross

08/22/2017

By Father Stephen Freeman Few ideas contrast as starkly to our modern myths as Tolkien’s view of history as “the long defeat.” I have been very interested in the continuing comments that struggle with the perceived pessimism of such a phrase. I have refrained from commenting at length myself, for the very reason that I wanted to do so in an article. For the nature of the long defeat that is the Christian life and

Orthodox Psychotherapy (Part II)

01/24/2017

Many contemporary Christians regard priests as ministers of the Most High and as church officials who are helpful in various bureaucratic dealings, who perform the different Sacraments when they are needed or celebrate the Divine Liturgy, and in this way can satisfy the need of their souls or fulfil a traditional duty. They are regarded as magicians who work magic! We know, however, that the grace of God is not transmitted magically or mechanically, but

Orthodox Psychotherapy (Part I)

01/23/2017

Here again I want to emphasise the indispensability of the Church. I am very grateful to the priest and professor John Romanides for laying stress on this in his writings. I am convinced that he is very well read in the neptic Fathers–especially in the writings contained in the Philokalia–and has therefore grasped the real meaning of Christianity. I believe that this is his great contribution. For in this era when Christianity is being presented

Longing for God

10/10/2016

To many people today the sayings of the fathers and the writings of the early monks may look like a strange and distant world. It is not always simple to feel our way into this language, so different from ours. But once we have discovered the wisdom that inhabits the words of the monastic fathers, we will not easily let them go. They are a treasure trove not just for the spiritual life, but also

Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! The Second Tuesday of Pascha: What Christ Accomplished on the Cross (The Consequences of the Fall, Part I)

05/10/2016

By Hieromonk Damascene The Consequences of the Fall, Part I Such was the lofty original state of man and the creation, and such was man’s lofty original calling. But as we all know and experience every day, the first man, Adam, fell from this state and brought himself and all of creation into a state of corruption and death. The whole story of the Fall and why it occurred lies outside the scope of this

Meditation and Worship (Part IV)

02/29/2016

Meditation is an activity of thought, while prayer is the rejection of every thought. According to the teaching of the eastern Fathers, even pious thoughts and the deepest and loftiest theological considerations, if they occur during prayer, must be considered as a temptation and suppressed; because, as the Fathers say, it is foolish to think about God and forget that you are in his presence. All the spiritual guides of Orthodoxy warn us against replacing

The Results of Judging our Fellows (Part I)

01/22/2016

The sin of judgmentalism, even if we believe that it is committed in order to correct our brother, has grievous consequences for our spiritual life. l. St. Isaak considers malicious gossip to be the admittance of the passions into the soul. He says: “He who guards his mouth from speech guards his heart from the passions. The man who cleanses his heart from the passions beholds the Lord at every moment”. “If you love purity,

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The Thirty-Eighth Day of Christmas Advent. The Fiery Furnace of Christmas

Society

Patience (Part IV): Patience Manifests a New Awareness of Time

The Long Defeat and the Cross

Orthodox Psychotherapy (Part II)

Orthodox Psychotherapy (Part I)

Longing for God

Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! The Second Tuesday of Pascha: What Christ Accomplished on the Cross (The Consequences of the Fall, Part I)

Meditation and Worship (Part IV)

The Results of Judging our Fellows (Part I)

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