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Ποῦ πορευθῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός σου, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου ποῦ φύγω;(Ψαλμ. ΡΛΗ (138):7) Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? (Ps 139:7) In Psalm 139, King David expresses the fact that there is nowhere he can go to escape the presence of the Lord. Whether in “heaven” or “hell” or the “uttermost parts of the sea”, God is always there. Although this shows us that God is omnipresent, there is a deeper message that can be taken from this verse. In all aspects of our lives, God is always looking over [...]

The Beginnings of a Life of Prayer, by Archimandrite Irenei, (Steenberg) Published by St Herman of Alaska, Brotherhood 2012 This book is highly recommended, and is considered one of the best books in English on prayer. In our times, Christians face many distractions and challenges of modern life. As a result, prayer is often seen as either too difficult to sustain, or too abstract to properly experience. The Beginnings of a Life of Prayer is a profound guide to understanding and cultivating prayer for the contemporary Christian. Fr Irenei divides the book into two parts. The first is on self-examination, [...]

Gospel Reading September 18th (Mark 8:34-38, 9:1) Sunday following the Elevation of the Cross In Mark 8:34-38 Christ proclaims to the people and his disciples the salvific words: “whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it” (v. 34-35). Here, Jesus teaches us the cost of discipleship: self-denial, carrying one’s cross (a symbol of our personal suffering) and obedience to Christ. By saying, “let him deny himself, [...]

Why do we baptise infants instead of waiting until they are older? There are people who say we should not baptise infants, rather we should wait until they come of age and they can decide for themselves. Why do we baptise infants? Holy Baptism and Holy Chrism join us to the body of Christ, to the Church. If you read the Service for Baptism you will see words that clearly focus on the protection of the individual from evil. The imagery used in the Baptismal Service even relates to weaponry. That is, Baptism is an “armour of righteousness” and a [...]

Saint Euphrosyne Commemorated September 25 Saint Euphrosyne sacrificed the comforts of wealth, family life and worldly identity for a life of anonymous, humble dedication to Christ. Born in Egypt in the 5th century, Euphrosyne lost her mother early. She was left in the care of her extraordinarily rich father, Paphnutius, who was attentive to his only child. When she came of age, Paphnutius arranged for Euphrosyne to be married to a suitable man. On her wedding day Euphrosyne cut her hair, put on male attire, and left home for a monastery. She presented herself as a eunuch called Smaragdus. For [...]