449. The Fifth Sunday of Lent: Saint Mary of Egypt – Penitence

I love this story. In the late Fourth Century monks from the Monastery of Saint Savas (Mar Sabas) * down below Jerusalem in the West Bank, spent Lent alone in the desert. A priest-monk Zosimas, walking alone one day on the Jordanian side of the river, to his surprise saw someone ahead of him. He […]

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444. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive.

In today’s Post I am plagiarizing myself. I’ve written so many Posts that often I can’t remember them. I had a vague memory of writing long ago about forgiveness, so I looked back and, sure enough: Post 55. It was like reading someone else’s writing. I thought some of it (forgive my pride) was really […]

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443. “In the Heart of the Desert” by Dr John Chryssavgis

This Post contains small portions from the excellent book In the Heart of the Desert: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, published here with the generous permission of the author, the Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. I think it’s appropriate reading as we near our annual passage through Great […]

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441. Papa-Nicholas of Athens – Part Two

Last week we began to tell the story of this humble, quiet, unobtrusive, remarkable parish priest – this Saint of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries. As I began, I feared there wouldn’t be enough to say about him to fill a Post – and to my surprise here we are in Part Two. […]

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425. Israel and the Palestinians, November 2023 – Part One

I’m sorry this Post is so late in arriving. Last week was chaotic on this end. I won’t describe it except to give you a warning: Brothers and sisters, be very, very careful of online scams. I was being so wary. I thought I would never fall for one. And then… … Post 426 will […]

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