PHILOKALIA MINISTRIES

When Christ Reclines in the Midst of Those Who Labor “Take for yourself the remedy of life from the table of those who fast, keep vigil, and labor in the Lord… for the Beloved reclines in their midst, bestowing sanctification, and He transforms the bitterness of their hardship into His ineffable sweetness.” — St. Isaac the Syrian There are moments when the spiritual life feels less like ascending a mountain and more like carrying stones through a wasteland. One prays, studies

There comes a point in life when a man realizes he is tired. Not depressed. Not hopeless. Not wishing for death. Simply tired. Tired in his mind, tired in his body, tired in his soul. He looks back and sees years of striving. Years of carrying responsibilities, meeting expectations, building projects, teaching, caring for others, solving problems, remaining accessible, pushing himself forward through discipline and determination. Much of it was good. Much of it served others.