Modern Loneliness and Staying Put

Fr. Stephen Freeman

In monastic tradition, a monk makes four vows: poverty, chastity, obedience and stability. Most people are familiar with the first three but not with the fourth. In classical monastic practice it meant that a monk stayed put: he did not move from monastery to monastery. It was not a new idea. Before this vow was formalized in various Rules, there was already the saying from the Desert: “Stay in your cell and your cell will teach you everything.” Continue reading “Modern Loneliness and Staying Put”

The “God” of Western Theology

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agios Vlasios
An internationally known Greek composer, when asked by a journalist “have you ever called upon God?”, responded very bluntly: “No. I came from nothing and I am going to nothing. When I complete my cycle I will become dust. If this becomes an astral substance, it has no meaning, because I will not know about it. I would have already merged with universal harmony.”
This answer raises many questions not only from an Orthodox perspective, but also a philosophical and social one.

Continue reading “The “God” of Western Theology”

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