Failing at the Jesus Prayer

No matter where we go in the Orthodox Christian world—books, podcasts, blogs, sermons, monastery road trips—somebody is mentioning the Jesus Prayer.   It’s ubiquitous. Sometimes it’s referred to as simply “The Prayer,” and everyone knows exactly which prayer that means. It is one of many tools the Church has provided us for spiritual growth and for living an Orthodox life. These tools include making the sign of the cross, establishing a prayer…

Pondering the Nativity Icon

[Note to readers: I was really struggling with cropping images in WordPress, so I gave up. I apologize that I was not able to include more close-ups. But you can search for an icon of the Nativity of Our Lord on your device to see these things.] We’re past the midpoint of the Nativity fast, and I’m enjoying the twinkle lights while fasting from certain foods with varying levels of success. Increasing…