Reap what you sow

Many people in America lately speak about ‘keeping their faith to themselves’ for fear of retribution or social exclusion. We live in constant fear that our faith will be used against us. This fear is well founded considering the nightly news. It might be well founded but it leads to isolation. Brethren, he who sows…

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Light

A beautiful sunset from the coast

It is no secret that our world is filled with, and often overtaken by, darkness. With the recent time change, the topic of light and darkness is easy to imagine. As the sun sets, now ‘suddenly’ an hour earlier, it is easy to lose our awareness of time. No, it isn’t midnight (as a famous…

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Total Repentance

A cross sign in the middle of a sunset

Repent! We hear the carillon call all the time. We accept the idea of repentance on the surface. Beyond giving it lip service, we rarely give repentance much consideration. Let’s face it. We all would rather just keep going like we are going. Unfortunately, without repentance we will be destroyed. At that time, there were…

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Keep Your Head Down

There are days when one wonders if “it” is worth the effort. Around every corner is someone who feels threatened by the success of others. Our peers seem to spend more time competing against us rather than cheering us on to victory. Just when you want to throw in the towel and ‘just keep your…

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Exchanging Peace for Anxiety

A cross sign in the middle of a sunset

Recently I have noticed many people struggling with anxiety about the future. It is election season in America, and that is enough to drain any peace we may have left after being bombarded at work all day. It seems like all anyone wants to accomplish, is for us to lose our peace of mind. Then,…

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Episode 380 – Humility and Healing

Rev. Fr. Athanasios Haros

We tend to go through life focusing on what we want and when we want it. Even in sickness we tend to demand from God that He heal on our terms. Experience teaches us that not everyone is healed. The difference between what we want and what we need is God’s to tell. Accepting the…

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Many Patiences

A beautiful view of the mountains

I recall many times during my seminary days when my professor would say to us (in Greek but I will translate) “You must have patience, not just patience but many patiences.” Of course in English it sounds silly. You ‘can’t’ have many patiences. You are either patient or not. Truth be told, I have depended…

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Holy Prayers

St Efthimios Monastery Jerusalem

I have written before against what I refer to as “spontaneous” prayer. This is the prayer which we offer without preparation or without thought. Whatever comes to our mind, we offer it to God. These prayers ‘tend’ toward selfishness. It isn’t about of malice, but because our fallen human nature. This is why I always…

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Tombs and Monuments

Church of Saint George

We live in a society of monuments. In fact, those same monuments have been the focus of many protests in the past couple years. Statues have been destroyed, plaques commemorating past civic leaders have been removed, and tombs have been desecrated. That is a normal part of human history. Generation after generation builds and destroys…

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We are all Accused

One of the frustrating parts of human interaction, especially within the Church, is the constant state of accusation. We accuse others of not living the faith properly. In return, others accuse us of the same failures. The result is mutual indignation. Instead of insisting in our excellence, maybe we should accept our failures. In today’s…

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