January 25, 2018 Why on the Right Hand: The Meaning of Rings in the Orthodox Tradition This Sunday I will have the pleasure of performing a wedding. Weddings are always happy events, and I always look forward to performing…
January 24, 2018 The 7 Secrets of Happiness According to Athonite Elders Perhaps, there is no person on earth who has never dreamt of being happy. However, everyone has their own concept of happiness. For some…
January 4, 2018 How is it possible to believe in God in the 21st century? Many do not understand the concept of faith. They think that Christians are weak intellectually, believing with insufficient evidence. Atheists often adhere to an…
December 13, 2017 Holy Tradition vs. Customs in the Orthodox Church Question: With the Orthodox church being the true Apostolic church—meaning that the Apostles were the first Bishops/Priests of the Christian faith—why are there so…
November 29, 2017 If You Want to Become Fluent in Orthodox Christianity… Someone once said that “worship” is a verb. I actually think it’s a language. — Over the years, I’ve found myself studying a variety…
November 14, 2017 Original Sin as the Act of Killing God’s Presence Much has been written about original sin. The Scripture is quite laconic about what happened. Adam and Eve–they!–stole a piece of fruit. Surely, the…
November 10, 2017 The Meaning of “Agape” in the Orthodox Christian Church The impact of the Greek word agape — which is usually translated as love in English — remains one of the most inspiring aspects…
October 31, 2017 A Fragment of a Meeting of the Sisterhood: What is Eternal Memory Like? Nun Juliania (Denisova): Many people who had been close to our Convent reposed in the Lord recently. It has got me thinking about eternal…
October 19, 2017 Why Are Musical Instruments Not Used in Orthodox Christian Worship? Q: Why Do the Orthodox not Use Musical Instruments in Worship? A: While there are parishes throughout the U.S. that have organs and use…
September 27, 2017 Why Does The Orthodox Church Have So Many Rituals? Do we really need church rituals, given that Jesus did not celebrate Liturgy and did not make the sign of the cross? Sergey Khudiev…