Following the Flame when nothing seemed to last..

Following the Flame, Part VIII: A Place That Was Never Mine

During Great Lent, I felt extreme depression in my situation and loneliness. On the Feast of the Unfading Rose, I begged the Most Holy Theotokos, and this black cloud was immediately lifted. I continued on to serve and to visit…

Following the Flame, Part VII: Through the Storm

When I left America, I never imagined that I would be leaving it for good. My intention was not to return permanently to Greece. I thought I would spend only a short time there before the Lord revealed the next…

Examine Yourselves: Are We Truly Remaining in the Faith?

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the Faith; prove your own selves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5) Many things occupy the mind of modern man. We examine the actions of politicians, the mistakes of our neighbors, the failures of our clergy(ooooo!), and…

Following the Flame, Part VI: Leaving Astoria Behind

My year as a deacon at the Cathedral of the Genuine Orthodox Church in Astoria, New York, had come to an end. Astoria, at that time, was like living in a Greek city…a “Little Greece”. I left quietly. I did…

Following the Flame, Part V: A Door That Opened—and Closed

After spending my teenage years searching, studying, traveling, and seeking guidance, I thought I was done with Greece and was again returning to the United States with a clear purpose. I wanted to find a place where I could begin…

Following the Flame, Part IV : God’s Plans and Our Plans

Life resumed, at least outwardly, as before. I continued my studies in the United States, but something had changed within me. The flame that had begun years earlier was no longer merely a longing. It had become a direction. Whenever…

The Most Dangerous Passion Is the One We Defend

Among all the passions that wage war against the human soul, the most dangerous is often not the strongest one, but the one that we refuse to acknowledge. The passion that we defend, excuse, justify, and even cherish is the…

Following the Flame, Part III Letters Across the Sea

My first pilgrimage to Jerusalem lasted only a short time – several weeks, but some of its effects would remain with me for all the years. Among the many blessings of that journey was the opportunity to meet monks and…

The Road to Jerusalem

Following the Flame, Part II: The Road to Jerusalem

When I look back now, I sometimes wonder how I managed to do some of the things I did when I was young. Perhaps youth gives us a courage that age later replaces with caution. I had finished high school…