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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440. Do you know this remarkable modern Saint? Papa-Nicholas of Athens – Part One

Old age mind fog has caught up with me. Here it is only mid-February, and I have prepared a Post for a saint whose feast day is not till March 2, Ah well, we’ll certainly be prepared for it. Saint Nicholas Planas Introduction I love that in our Orthodox churches we have icons in all […]

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403. Pentecost: Let us keep the Feast! – by kneeling?

Holy Pentecost For my ancient commentary about Pentecost, you might want to go back to Posts 66, 67 and 68. Just scroll down on the far right to May, 2018. The Kneeling Prayers I do not understand. Pentecost is one of the Great Feasts, a beautiful day in and of itself. We celebrate Pentecost Week […]

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375. What (little) I’ve learned about Prayer: Some practical advice

Great Lent is a time to concentrate on prayer and, as I see it, to “experiment” with prayer. In the Orthodox Church, personal prayer is not a “one size fits all” thing. Except for the very basics, each of us is allowed to (and should) adapt our prayer life to our situation and abilities. Since […]

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