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Ten Steps to a Better Prayer Life
Designate A Prayer Space: Whether it is in the corner of your desk or a little stand in your room, it is important to have a place where you can put your Bible, Icons, etc. Dedicate the use of that space for God alone. Acquire A Time: Incorporate prayer in your routine and set time aside to center your thoughts to God. Acquire A Library: Start with a Bible, then get a small Orthodox Prayer Book, after that start collecting books. Here are some suggestions: 'Living the Liturgy' (Fr. Stanley Harakas), 'The Way of a Pilgrim' (Monk of the Eastern Church), 'For the Life of the World' (Fr. Alexander Schmemann), 'Beginning to Pray' (Metropolitan Anthony Bloom), 'Bread for Life' (Fr. Theodore Stylianopoulos), 'The Orthodox Way' (Bishop Kallistos Ware), 'Way of the Aesetic (Tito Collander). Assemble An Altar: In your prayer center gather icons (Christ, Theotokos, Guardian Angel and patron saint), service books, incense, votive light, a cross, a prayer rope, etc. Incorporate your five senses in prayer. Pray: Speak from your heart. Learn prayers of the Church. Try the Jesus Prayer or the Lord's Prayer. Also incorporate your own prayers and thoughts. Acquire A Spiritual Guide: This is a very important step. One should build a relationship with either a member of the clergy, monk or nun, who will become your spiritual guide. He/she will help guide and pace you to a balanced prayer life. The Sacrament of Confession can be arranged through your priest. Fasting and Almsgiving: Fasting adds a dimension to your prayer life. Your fasting practice should be regulated to avoid physical and spiritual harm. As for alms, give where you see a need and trust that the Lord will provide. Build On What You Already Have: If you already have a routine, build on it. If, for example, you pray before you go to sleep, it will be easier to read a chapter from the Bible before your bedtime prayers, than to set up some time during the day to read. Sanctify All That You Do. You may have set aside a time and space for a prayer routine, but that doesn't mean you should separate your life into sacred and secular. Privately thank God for what you have at all times, and make Him aware of your every concern. Dedicate everything you do to Him. Remember the power of the Life-giving Cross, The sign of the Cross is a reminder of Christ in our lives. Blessing oneself with the cross by holding the first two fingers of the right hand and thumb together represents the Holy Trinity. The last two fingers held to the palm represent the two natures of Christ - God and man. Orthodox Christians cross themselves from the head to the breast and from shoulder to shoulder, right to left. This unique and all embracing symbol shows that the cross is the inspiration, power and indeed the very content of our lives.
The Word ‘God,’ The Divine Names, ‘Father’ As Divine Name
The following is from the online catechism, of Abp. Hilarion of Russia. The Word ‘God’ The Visitation of Abraham The words used to refer to ‘God’ in different languages are related to various concepts. The peoples of antiquity attempted to find in their languages a word to express their notion of God or, rather, their experience of encounter with the Divinity. In the languages of Germanic origin the word Gott comes from a verb meaning ‘to fall to the ground’, to fall in worship. This reflects an experience similar to that of St Paul, who, when illumined by God on the road to Damascus, was struck by divine light and immediately ‘fell to the ground... in fear and trembling’ (Acts 9:4-6). In the Slavic languages the word Bog (‘God’) is related to the Sanskrit bhaga, which means ‘dispensing gifts’, and which in its turn comes from bhagas, meaning ‘inheritance’, ‘happiness’, ‘wealth’. The Slavonic word bogatstvo means ‘riches’, ‘wealth’. Here we find God expressed in terms of the fulness of being, perfection and bliss. These properties, however, do not remain within God, but are poured out onto the world, onto people and onto all living things. God dispenses the gift of His plenitude and endows us with His riches, when we turn to Him. According to Plato, the Greek word for God, Theos, originates from the verb theein, meaning ‘to run’. St Gregory the Theologian identifies a second etymology beside the one of Plato: he claims that the name Theos comes from the verb aithein, meaning ‘to be set alight’, ‘to burn’, ‘to be aflame’. St Basil the Great offers two more etymologies: ‘God is called Theos either because He placed (tetheikenai) all things, or because He beholds (theasthai) all things’. The Name by which God revealed Himself to the ancient Israelites was Yahweh, meaning ‘The One Who Is’, that is, the One Who has existence and being. It derives from the verb hayah, meaning ‘to be’, ‘to exist’, or rather from the first person of this verb, ehieh — ‘I am’. This verb has a dynamic meaning: it does not simply denote the fact of existence, but signifies a living and actual presence. When God tells Moses ‘I am who I am’ (Ex.3:14), this means ‘I live, I am here, I am together with you’. At the same time this name emphasizes the superiority of God’s being over all other beings. He is the independent, primary, eternal being, the plenitude of being which is above being. Ancient tradition tells us that after the Babylonian captivity, the Jews refrained out of reverential awe from uttering the name Yahweh, the One Who Is. Only the high priest could do so, and this once a year on the day of Yom Kippur, when he went into the Holy of Holies to offer incense. If an ordinary person or even a priest wanted to say something about God, he substituted other names for Yahweh, usually the name Adonai (the Lord). In script the Jews indicated the word ‘God’ by the sacred tetragrammaton ...
Sunday of Orthodoxy Sermon
February 21, 2010 On this day we celebrate the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the commemoration of the defeat of the heresy of iconoclasm. The word “heresy,” as we know, means “false teaching” and the false teaching that was finally vanquished was iconoclasm. “Iconclast” comes from the Greek work that means “icon-breaker.” The iconoclasts were those who smashed the icons because they believed that the Orthodox faithful, in venerating icons, were breaking the first commandment that says, “Thou shalt not make unto yourself any graven image.” Of course the objection ran deeper than that. Look at it closely and you see that the false teaching – the heresy – of iconclasm taught something else too. It taught that Jesus Christ never really existed. The second person of the Trinity, the Word -- capital W -- of the Father never really became flesh and dwelt among us. And that is why the Orthodox leaders fought the heresy. If the Word did not become flesh and dwell among us, then we believe a lie. Salvation does not really exist. We are deceivers who are deceived. The iconoclasts were wrong in this way: When the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, you could make an image of Him because He existed just like you and I do – in space and time. Jesus had flesh and blood – just like you and me. He was not a phantom or just a figure in our imagination. And that is why creating an icon of Jesus Christ is allowed. In fact, St. Paul tells us in scripture that Jesus the Son is the – and I am looking at the English here – “express image” of the Father. Look this up in the Greek and the word is eikon -- or “icon.” We are allowed to make an icon of the Eikon, an image of the Image. So, if you were around two thousand years ago and had your digital camera with you, you could have taken a picture of Jesus and His image could be printed out on paper. He wasn’t an imaginary figure. He wasn’t a concept. He was nothing less than a flesh and blood human being. And, like the faithful of old, you would venerate that image because He was also the Son of God. This service, the one we celebrated today was first held in 842 in Constantinople. Patriarch Methodios presided and the faithful Empress Theodora was in attendance. It has been held every year on the first Sunday of Lent in every Orthodox Church every year ever since. +++++++ But there is a deeper lesson for us too. And the lesson is this: Every generation faces its own heresies – its own false teachings – that require a defense drawn from the faith. In America we face them too although in different ways. America is a great country. It has grasped some principles about human freedom and liberty that, at their core, are Christian in their origin. But we are not an empire or a monarchy. We are not mono-cultural. ...
Welcome!
Welcome to St. Peter’sSt Peter’s was given this directive from Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese: “Establish a parish that will draw people who have never stepped into a church before.” It’s a worthwhile challenge, and one that can be fulfilled because many people are searching for enduring and certain truth.
Truth is found in Christ. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Jesus said. We encounter Christ through hearing the Gospel, and the Gospel as it comprehended and understood in our Orthodox Christian faith has led many people to embrace the Orthodox Church as well.
Here’s our mission as we have defined it so far: We want St. Peter’s to be a place of welcome to any one seeking Christ. We want St. Peter’s to develop into a place of prayer and worship where... [More...]
St. Peter Epistle (Newsletter)
St. Peter Epistle — February 17, 2010
As announced last Sunday, we will be following the Lenten liturgical schedule of our sister parish, St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church. Basically this consists of Wednesday Pre-Sanctified Liturgy at 7:00pm, and Friday Salutations at 7:00pm. You can see the full schedule on the calendar at the St. Peter website.
The Sunday of Orthodoxy Vesper Service will be held at St. Paul’s (map) this coming Sunday, February 21, 2010, starting at 5:00pm. On this day all the Orthodox worshipers from different Orthodox parish meet to celebrate this day. Fr. Hans will give the homily.
Bible studies continue on the same schedule: every other... [More...]
St. Peter Epistle — January 28, 2010Preparing for Lent
The Prodigal Son
We heard the second clang of the bell last Sunday when we learned about the Publican and Pharisee in our scripture reading. The bell is telling us to prepare for Lent, get ourselves ready for this time of fasting, repentance, and giving alms.
It’s hard to run a race without warming up first. Lent is the same way. We ready ourselves for Lent by gearing up for the demands it requires. “Demands” seems like a strong word, but you don’t win a race unless you run it. Our life in Christ, says St. Paul, is like a race. It takes preparation and practice to reach the finish line.
The scriptures readings are part of that practice. They teach us how to orient ourselves on the inside. First was Zacheaus, who climbed the tree to see Christ. The second is the... [More...]
Read earlier postings...From Fr. Hans
Sunday of Orthodoxy Sermon
February 21, 2010
On this day we celebrate the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the commemoration of the defeat of the heresy of iconoclasm. The word “heresy,” as we know, means “false teaching” and the false teaching that was finally vanquished was iconoclasm.
“Iconclast” comes from the Greek work that means “icon-breaker.”... [More...]
Fr. Hans interviewed on Ancient Faith Radio
Recently, Fr. Hans was interviewed by Fr. Peter Preble, host of the Shepherd of Souls internet radio... [More...]
Read earlier postings...
