Can We Change the Lord’s Mind?

I have been thinking about interceding with the Lord lately. Do we sometimes hear the voice of the Lord when we intercede for others? And, if we do, can we change the Lord’s mind?

Come, O Divine One

A beautiful poem written by a friend who wishes to remain anonymous. Published here with permission.

The Way of a Pilgrim: A Good Idea Whose Time Has Come Again

There is a nineteenth-century religious classic called “The Way of a Pilgrim” whose time has come again. Check out the post!

The Non-Contemplative Person

There is a new type of personality that has emerged, especially in the West. For many there is no longer any spiritual dimension to reality, or, in many cases, even to religion. There is now a non-contemplative personality. [See post for characteristics of contemplative and non-contemplative people.]

In the Absence of a Spiritual Father

Writing in 15th-century Russia, St. Nil Sorsky laments the extreme scarcity of qualified spiritual directors; yet how much more frequent they must have been in his day than in ours! Search diligently, he urges, for a sure and trustworthy guide. “However, if such a teacher cannot be found, then the Holy Fathers order us to turn to the Scriptures and listen to Our Lord Himself speaking.” Since the testimony of Scripture should not be isolated from the continuing witness of the Spirit in the life of the Church, the inquirer will also read the works of the Fathers, and above all the Philokalia. But there is an evident danger here….

The True Desert is Within

While hiking I found myself thinking about the earliest Christian men and women who in the 4th century left the cities and headed out into the deserts of Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Arabia. They left the cities to seek a closer communion with God and to commit themselves to a life of martyrdom

The Jesus Prayer: Annotated Bibliography and Internet Resources

The Jesus Prayer Annotated Bibliography and Internet Resources

The Jesus Prayer: Breathing and Posture

The Orthodox understanding of the role of the body in prayer rests upon a sound anthropology. The body, soul and spirit act as a single unit, not divided or split up. Therefore, the body has a role in prayer.

The Jesus Prayer: Hesychaism for the rest of us

Hesychia is the Greek word often translated into English to mean the spiritual stillness necessary for prayer. Archimandrite Vlachos, in his book Orthodox Psychotherapy, defines a hesychast as, “A person who is struggling in an atmosphere of stillness.” The Philokalia defines hesychia as, “a state of inner tranquility or mental quietude and concentration which arises in conjunction with, and is deepened by, the practice of pure prayer and the guarding of the heart and intellect. Not simply silence, but an attitude of listening to God and of openness towards Him.”

The Jesus Prayer Rope

Orthodox prayer ropes are usually soft and made of wool. Although we might be tempted to think of them as an Eastern version of the rosary they are not. The purpose is to help us concentrate, not to imagine an event and not necessarily to count. The prayer rope is used to aid us in concentrating on the prayer. The person praying says the Jesus Prayer for each knot on the rope.