The Incarnate Mystery: Flesh and Spirit Wedded in Divine Union The most grievous foe of our holy faith, from its first dawning till this hour, hath ever been the attempt to sever Christ from the flesh. This dark deception, sown by the spirit of antichrist, would make void the glory of the Incarnation. St. John hath declared, "Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God." Herein lies the great battle: whether Christ shall be worshipped as God in the flesh, or whether the flesh shall be scorned as a hindrance to the spiritual life. Christianity ..read more

  The Grandness of Being Small: The Humble Road to Holiness Now listen here, lad or lassie, if there's one thing to be getting into that thick skull of yours, it's this – humility is the very heart and soul of Christ Himself. ‘The Lord is clothed with majesty,’ they say, but sure, would you believe, His majesty is His very humility! The Prophet Isaiah had it spot on when he painted the picture of Our Lord as a wee lamb, led to the slaughter, not a word out of Him. That’s the kind of humility a true monk chases after like a man lost in the bog seeking solid ground. He knows we ..read more

The Three Gifts and the Wisdom of the Magi Ah, my friends, sure it’s no accident at all that the Christ Child was greeted with three gifts at the manger. Not two, not four, but three—a tidy number, isn’t it? Now, could it be a nod to the Holy Trinity itself? Or maybe it’s a sign of Christ’s own mission: prophet, priest, and king? Sure, perhaps it even speaks to ourselves—spirit, soul, and body, the very essence of being human. I’ll leave the unravelling of that grand mystery to your own musings over a strong cup of tea. But for now, let’s cast our eyes eastward to those Magi, those cleve ..read more

  In Honour of Herself Above All Women Ah sure, isn’t it a fine sight altogether, lads and lassies? Here we are, answering the call of Mary herself—Herself Above All Women, the holy and ever-virgin Mother of God. I’ll tell ye, the very weight on me heart is lifted clean off by it all. And isn’t it just like what David said in the psalms: “How good and pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity.” Isn’t there a fierce truth in that, now? And Mary herself—ah, where in God’s name would we be without her? The pride of heaven and earth, a light that’ll never go out, not if we wait ..read more

  “Sure, God’s Mad For Us – But Are We Pullin’ Our Weight?” Ah, isn’t it grand to know that God’s love is like a warm fire on a winter’s night? No conditions, no strings, just boundless love for the likes of us, sinners and all. If you’ve ever opened the Good Book, you’d see He’s a fierce ally to the rogues and outcasts. Remember how Matthew called Him “a friend of taxmen and scoundrels”? Even Judas, with betrayal fresh on his lips, heard Him say, “Friend, what’s your game?” And poor Lazarus, asleep in his tomb, was hailed as “our friend.” That’s a heart bigger than the sky above Vale ..read more

  The Soul’s Great Journey: From the Clay of Egypt to the Light of the Promised Land Ah sure, gather round, and let me spin ye a yarn about life, faith, and the long road to Paradise. You see, the grandest bunch of books in the Old Testament is the Pentateuch, a mouthful of a word the Greeks gave us, meaning “five scrolls.” These are the tales of Moses—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—a bit like a storyteller with chapters, one rolling into the next. They tell of a people, the Israelites, taken from their homeland, brought to Egypt, and made slaves to Pharaoh. But ..read more

All the Things this Sacred Prayer Is This is the divine prayer of our Saviour, the holy epiclesis: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." This sacred invocation is not only a prayer but also a vow and a profound confession of faith. It calls down the Holy Spirit and grants divine blessings. It purifies the heart, repels demons, and allows Christ to dwell within us. It is a source of spiritual insight, redeeming us from sin and bringing healing to both soul and body. It grants divine illumination and becomes a wellspring of God’s mercy, ushering in revelation and divine m ..read more

Do not lose heart, O soul, do not grieve.  Pronounce not over yourself a final judgement for the multitude of your sins.  Do not commit yourself to fire.  Do not say the Lord has cast me from His face.  Such words are not pleasing to God.  Can it be that one who is fallen cannot get up?  Can it be that he who is turned away cannot turn back again?  Do you not hear how kind the father is to a prodigal?  Do not be ashamed to turn back and say boldly, “I will arise and go to my father.”  Arise, and go!   He will accept you and not reproac ..read more

All the dead will rise at the sound of the trumpet and praise the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Resurrector of their bodies. O Father who formed Adam out of the dust. O Son who by Your cross saved the race of Adam from destruction, resurrect me and appoint me to be at Your right hand, so that I may praise Your name. I worship You, O Christ our Saviour. You are the resurrector and saviour of all the deceased who were baptized in Your name and confessed Your cross and death. Blessed be Christ who has promised life and resurrection to the offspring of Adam in the day of H ..read more

 O Sun of righteousness by which the righteous have beheld their own selves and become a mirror for their generations, open up within me the gate to awareness of You; grant me a joyful mind, one which sails above the rocks of error, until I may reach that serene abode, as did our Fathers of old who pleased You with their discerning lives.  Sanctify me by Your Mysteries, illumine my mind with knowledge of You, make Your hope to shine out in my heart, hold me worthy to supplicate for it, O God my Father and Lord of my life; illumine Your lamp within me, place in me what belongs to ..read more