Developmental psychologists and adherents to Attachment theory say that the two greatest needs of an infant are to feel safe and secure. If a child develops over time in an environment where they experience safety and security, both physically and emotionally, they will mature into a securely attached adult and move on to healthy interdependent relationships. There are of course exceptions to this, namely experiencing some form of relational trauma, such as physical, sexual or psychological ... [Read more]
Saint Mary of Egypt
One of the most prominent figures we find in Great Lentis a woman whose very life epitomizes the most important theme during this period of time, and her name is St. Maryof Egypt. She is an icon or repentance, a depositor of hope, and an evangelist like few others because, after fleeing into the desert, she hardly spoke at all, and to only one person at that! Nevertheless, though she had renounced the world, and detached herself from living among people, her love for God and her silent yet ... [Read more]
Presenting Ourselves to Christ
On February 2nd, the Orthodox Church celebrates one of her twelve major feast days, The Presentation of our Lord in the Temple. Forty days after His birth the God-Infant was taken to the Jerusalem Temple, the center of the nation’s religious life. According to the Law of Moses (Lev. 12:2-8), a woman who gave birth to a male child was forbidden to enter the Temple of God for forty days. At the end of this time the mother came to the Temple with the child, to offer a young lamb or pigeon to ... [Read more]
The Impact of Saying the Jesus Prayer
Most of us know about the Jesus Prayer, at least how to say it in its various forms: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” “Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” Whichever way one says it is less important than saying it on a consistent basis, for a period of time each and every day, uninterrupted, and with attention. The question has been posed to me in the past, “How effective is this prayer to our healing and to ... [Read more]
Love in the Parish
The following article was posted on a site called Pemptousia.com. It was a letter written by Elder Ephraim of Arizona (St. Anthony’s Monastery) to his monastic community (synodia). I took the liberty to replace the word synodia with parish or church community, and the word brethren with parishioner to make this letter “fit” better, as being addressed to a church community. I also added some content toward the end of the letter, once again, for the purposes of making it fit the church community. ... [Read more]
Divine Providence, Divine Intervention, Divine Revelation
The Sunday on which we read the story of the healing of the Blind Man, I offered a reflection on Divine Providence, Divine Intervention and Divine Revelation. During Theology 101 that day, we discussed the content of the sermon a little further drawing on some of your own life experiences. There were a few people who asked for a copy of the sermon, but instead of making photocopies, I decided to print the sermon in this newsletter, expanding a little on the original message. The story of the ... [Read more]
Our Spiritual Health
Throughout Great and Holy Lent, we are reminded that this is a special time of the year where each of us is called to look more deeply at our interior condition to assess our spiritual health and to stretch ourselves just a bit more in order to grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ. During this time we are given the divine medicine of God’s word through scriptural parables on successive Sundays that illustrates for us the path of repentance leading to salvation. In these parables, we are reminded ... [Read more]
A Light Has Dawned
Not too long ago I heard a song that contained the phrase; “we are all only one phone call away from our knees.” When I heard these words I thought “how true.” I reflected on how fragile our lives are. I also realized that for the most part, we go through life day after day not giving much thought that at any given moment things could change. As a priest and a therapist, I am all too aware of the struggles and tragedies of life. I see them first hand, hear about them on nearly a daily basis, ... [Read more]
Darkness and Light, Sin and Forgiveness: The Mystery of Holy Confession
In his First Universal letter, St. John the Evangelist shares some profound words; words that ought to immediately grab our attention and cause us to reflect. “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the ... [Read more]
Converting a Psychological State Into a Spiritual State
A few days ago, I returned from a one-week trip to the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex, England. This monastery was founded by Archimandrite Sophrony, a disciple of St. Silouan the Athonite, in 1959. This was my second trip in the last five years, and it was very memorable. One of the highlights of this pilgrimage was the opportunity I had to sit down with one elder, Fr. Zacharias, who spoke on a variety of topics concerning the spiritual life. In this article, I want to share with ... [Read more]
