The Power of Prayer
Archimandrite Nikanor Karayannis ‘This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting’ . This phrase in the Gospel reading concerning the miraculous cure of the possessed young man suggests the power and value of prayer. Saint John of the Ladder, whom we celebrate today...
Great Lent: A Refining Crucible
After a time of emotional and spiritual unrest, culminating in a conscious feeling during the Nativity season that my spiritual life needed attention, this Lenten journey heralded in a “new beginning” for me. The details of life are unique for each of us, but the goal for Christians is simple...
Saint Neilos of Sinai
Saint Neilos was born into a wealthy and illustrious family and was probably a pupil of St. John Chrysostom from as early as when the latter was preaching in Antioch. His birth and personal attributes were such that he was raised to the rank of prefect of the capital. The...
Trusting the Gifts of Unanswered Prayers
It was not for this I prayed at the holy shrines That she would become As pitiless and cold As the storm on Hase’s Hills –Minamoto no Toshiyori (10th Century Japanese Poet) Have you ever prayed with great sincerity and fervor for something only to feel like those prayers have...
Finding Prayer Past the Smoke
The struggle to pray is real. And it is as real for us as it was for all the Desert Fathers and Saints who came before us. Amma Syncletica, one of the Desert Mothers describes our struggle to pray in this way. “In the beginning there are a great many...
Fasting and Prayer
The Great Canon of St. Andrew says, “When the Lord had fasted for forty days in the wilderness, He at last became hungry, showing His human nature. Do not be despondent, my soul, if the enemy attacks you, but let him be beaten off by prayer and fasting.” [Matthew 4:1-11;...
Practical Prayer and Other Spiritual Tools
There are essentially two types of prayer rules that we have in the Orthodox Church. It is important for us to understand these in order to best make prayer a part of our lives, or better put, to keep ourselves from using our spiritual powers of self-justification and personal laxity...
Transfigured in Prayer
The story of the transfiguration of Christ shows us Christ’s divinity, but it also demonstrates how transformative time in prayer can be. The story begins with Jesus going up to the mountain to pray with Peter and John, immediately linking prayer with transfiguration. It is in prayer that God reveals...
The Fallen Man: How Does the Orthodox Faith View Original Sin
Listen Now. We start with a conversation between Fr. Chris and Frederica Mathewes-Green about the fallen man. How does the Orthodox faith view the original sin and what does it mean for us today. Fr. Chris then talks with Rod Dreher about his latest book, The Benedict Option. Photo credit:...
“Our Father”, the Perfect Prayer
George Babiniotis, Professor When the bell rings and everybody tries to avoid saying their prayers (a parody of a prayer, but one which just may be, for some, the last thread connecting their lives with God and therefore the only little window through which they can get into Paradise), let’s...
