Gladsome Light Dialogues - An Orthodox Blog » prayer

Pray without ceasing – From the Desert Fathers

Fr. Vasile — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 21:11:56 +0000

There came to the abbot Lucius in Enna certain monks of the kind called Euchitae, that is, the Men of Prayer: and the old man asked them, saying, "What kind of handiwork do ye do?" And they said, "We touch no kind of handiwork, but as the Apostle says, we pray without ceasing." The old man said to them, "So ye do not eat?" They said, "Yea, we eat." And the old man said, "Now while ye are eating, who prays for you?" And again he questioned them, saying, "Ye do not sleep?" And they said, "We sleep." And the old man said, "And while ye sleep, who prays for you?" And they could find no answer Continue reading

Beneath the surface – Sailing the shallow waters of the Internet

Fr. Vasile — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:59:18 +0000

“When carried into the realm of the intellect, the industrial ideal of efficiency poses, a potentially mortal threat to the pastoral ideal of contemplative thought”

Nicholas Carr, The shallows

There is a lot of commotion in the teaching industry around generational learning. The premise lays in the different approaches that consecutive generations take when it comes to education. Take the baby-boomers generation, most of them like to learn in a linear fashion, read books (actually finish them) and they feel comfortable in a traditional class setting. As you move up toward the newer generations however, the situation changes. The reading pattern is not linear anymore, the learning is blended, books are abruptly loosing importance and the all mighty Internet gains more and more acceptance

The Akathyst of the Holy Martyr Menas the Wonderworker

Fr. Vasile — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:09:29 +0000

The shrine of St. Menas used to be for the Ancient Eastern Orthodox world what Lourdes is for Roman Catholics, a place where thousands of pilgrims would bring their prayers in distress and receive the grace of God in return, through the intercessions of the Holy Martyr. Though the Shrine of Saint Menas was one of the most popular pilgrimage sites of the early Middle Ages, it fell into oblivion over the centuries with the Muslim occupation and was even believed by many scholars to be a myth. Following its discovery in 1905, the ruins of the fabled city of St. Menas were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 as one of the five most historically important Continue reading

“To be” or “to know”, that is the question

Fr. Vasile — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:15:01 +0000

Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, from William Shakespeare’s synonymous play, starting with the memorable phrase “To be or not to be, that is the question”, is a reflection that profoundly resonates with the Eastern Orthodox theology. Let me explain this. Continue reading

Silence of the minds

Fr. Vasile — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:14:05 +0000

I always liked this dialogue from the movie Pulp Fiction (slightly adapted for language): "Don't you hate that?" "Hate what?" "Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it's necessary to yak about nonsense? In order to be comfortable?" "I don't know. That's a good question." "That's when you know you found somebody really special, when you can just shut […] up for a minute. Comfortably share silence." Continue reading

The struggle of prayer – a short practical guide

Fr. Vasile — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:19:16 +0000

If you ask anyone in church about prayer they will most likely us a descriptor like: a pleasant experience, a conversation with God, a link with the absolute or other general terms, all positive in nature. Things are different however when, during Confession, a Father Confessor asks the same question. He will most likely hear more about lack of time, loss of focus, procrastination and struggle in general. The truth is that prayer is easier said than done. Continue reading

Fos Ilaron – O Gladsome Light

Fr. Vasile — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:03:04 +0000

O gladsome light of holy glory, of the immortal Father, heavenly and holy, blessed Jesus Christ; now that we have come to the setting of the sun, and see the light of evening: we praise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God. It is worthy at all times to praise You, with voices of joy, Son of God and Giver of life: therefore, the world does glorify You Continue reading

Prayers for the Family

Fr. Vasile — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:07:47 +0000

Family or Group Prayer Leader: May the grace or our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. All: And with your Spirit. All: You have given us grace at this time to offer You a common prayer together and have promised that when two or three are gathered together in Your name, that You will grant their requests; fulfill, Lord, the prayers of Your servants, which are for our welfare, grant us the knowledge of Your truth in this world and life everlasting in the world to come. Amen. (At this point you may add your own private prayers and intercessions, using your own words or some of the prayers Continue reading

Prayer for one’s spouse

Fr. Vasile — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:49:25 +0000

Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Who taught us that we should always pray for each other, for in this way we will fulfill Your law and we will be found worthy of your mercy, look with compassion and safeguard my husband (wife), which you have granted me in order to spend our lives together until the end. Continue reading