Congregations

Born from Above The genius of the Greek language presents us with a word rich in dual meaning: “anothen,” which signifies both ‘again’ and ‘from above.’ When Jesus speaks about the necessity of a new birth, we must understand both meanings simultaneously: Whoever is not born anew—from above—cannot see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus plays

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Romans 8:26) How heartfelt are St Paul’s words about prayer! How often have wanted to pray, only to find ourselves lost for words, or tangled in complicated thoughts? As much as it can be a

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. (I Corinthians 2:12) It can seem as if we are citizens of two worlds: we live our lives in the everyday world that is governed by

Icon and idol God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)In the 8th and 9th centuries, the Greek Orthodox world was shaken to its foundations by disputes over the use of icons. Great treasures of early Christianity were lost as angry mobs destroyed the images of saints

How we behold each other There is a wonderful story, The Rabbi’s Gift, quoted by Scott Peck in his book A Different Drum, about the abbot and the rabbi, two old friends who have known each other for many years. When the abbot visits the rabbi in despair because his monastery is about to be