PHILOKALIA MINISTRIES

When repentance destroys indifference and makes a man responsible for all “Acquire the Spirit of peace and thousands around you will be saved.” St. Seraphim of Sarov There is a point in repentance where a man ceases to belong to himself. Until that moment he can still preserve distance. He can still pray and remain intact. He can still speak of love and yet remain protected from its consequences. He can still look at the suffering of the world and quietly reassure himself tha

On Asking God to Break What I Cannot Surrender “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” Psalm 118:71 (119 Grail) There is a part of me that still resists being formed. It hides behind prayer. It hides behind study. It hides behind the language of surrender while quietly negotiating the terms of its survival. I say I want God, but I still want to remain recognizable to myself. I say I want His will, but I still hope it will resemble my own. The

On Discovering a Heart Still Untouched by the Fire “He who has seen his sin is greater than he who raises the dead.” Saint Isaac the Syrian I passed through formation without ever being destroyed. This is the truth I did not know how to speak then. And perhaps I did not want to know it. I learned the language. I learned th e theology. I learned how to think clearly, how to speak carefully, how to carry myself with a certain gravity. I learned how to stand before others and sp