PHILOKALIA MINISTRIES

Sometimes the Risen Christ leads us back to the beginning, not to recover the life we had, but to discover the life that has been quietly forming within us. “It is the Lord.” — John 21:7 There is something mysterious about the return to Galilee. After everything that has happened—the calling, the years of following, the miracles and arguments, the supper, Gethsemane, the Cross, the bewildering news of the empty tomb—the disciples find themselves again beside the sea. Galilee.

Docility and Teachability as the Beginning of Wisdom “Abba Anthony said: I no longer fear God, but I love Him. For love casts out fear.” One of the most striking things about the desert fathers is that nearly every story begins in the same way: “A brother came and asked…” The monk comes. He asks. He listens. This simple pattern reveals something essential about the spiritual life. One cannot enter the Kingdom of God while remaining self-enclosed and convinced of one’s own und