One of the great temptations of the spiritual life is to think ourselves to be holier than we really are. As St. John Climacus puts it, The sun shines on all alike, and vainglory beams on all activities. For instance, I am vainglorious when I fast; and when I relax the fast in order to [...]
Our minds can be plagued with an endless variety of evil thoughts, whether being hateful toward others, or impure, or any number of other things. Here’s a prayer against evil thoughts: May those who war against me be put to shame, and may those who seek to separate me from Thee through immodest acts, unseemly [...]
Have you ever been disappointed when you haven’t seemed to receive an answer to your prayers? St. John Climacus explains why prayer isn’t answered: “All who ask and do not obtain their requests from God, are denied for one of the following reasons; because they ask at the wrong time, or because they ask unworthily [...]
In our postmodern society many people believe that there is no such thing as truth—only a person’s opinions. Fr. Justin Popovich, however, points out that Truth is a Person: Only in the miraculous person of the God-man Christ is the entire eternal Truth revealed, without any defects. Further, the search for eternal truth is completed [...]
You might think that a person acquires the faith when he or she becomes an Orthodox Christian. St. Peter of Damascus, however, says that we acquire the faith after we overcome trials and temptations. He adds, We should take courage; because if we forcibly triumph over the trials and temptations that befall us, and keep [...]
Have you ever wondered what truly makes up a good life? St. Polycarp describes the good life like this: These, then, are the things in which you must stand firm and follow the Lord’s example: be steadfast and immovable in the faith; love the brotherhood; cherish one another; be united in the truth; with the [...]
If you’re like me, you have a wandering mind—my mind too often seems to focus on almost anything but what needs my attention at the moment. St. Theophan the Recluse tells us how to focus our thoughts on God: Because we do not remember (God) we allow ourselves many things which we would not permit [...]
Visitors to an Orthodox church are frequently puzzled by seeing a deacon or priest striding around the church swinging a smoking censer. What is the meaning of all this? St. John of Kronstadt answers, The censer, with coal and incense, is a strong weapon in my hands. It is a symbol of blessing, strength and [...]
It can sometimes seem like our spiritual life is a constant see-saw between doing good, and falling into sin. But Archimandrite Sophrony gives us reason for hoping that we can overcome this problem: While we are still in this life we shall often waver in our self-determining, hesitating whether to fulfill the commandments or give [...]
If you’ve ever watched Christian television, you’ve undoubtedly seen someone claim to have mighty power over demons. But Amma Theodora tells us what really has such power: There was an anchorite who was able to banish the demons; and he asked them, ‘What makes you go away? Is it fasting?’ They replied, ‘We do not [...]
