"I am descending deep into my heart, to see who is dwelling in it besides me and You, O Eternal God. "And I am filled with fear as I find legions of strangers fighting over portions of my heart. I found as many of them in my heart as time contains human and inhuman souls from the Fall of Adam. "And then I understood why my heart has become weary, and cannot receive either You or me into its chambers, but instead shoves us to the outer perimeter – pushing the proprietors out t

There can be any number of reasons that we feel susceptible to emotional harm. Whether we recall experiences of the past that have taught us not to trust or we're entering a new phase in life and don't yet feel grounded in it, we all find ourselves in a place of not feeling like we have the personal support we need to feel safe. Without pretending like this doesn't hurt, we also have to remember that our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds can deceive us. All balled up with pride,

Do not be afraid to do what is difficult in order to get on the path of completing the will of God. If you avoid those tasks, you will not be able to move forward. This will cause you great sorrow at later times and in unexpected ways. And it will be much worse than facing the task in the first place. - If you need help completing the work to get on the straight path, implore the Mother of God who intercedes for us. Try using one of the kontakia (a special type of hymn) from

A small but brave group of Byzantine Catholics has stood on Western soil tediously, yet joyfully, toiling away at the task given by Pope John Paul II in his May 2, 1995, Apostolic Letter Orientale Lumen (Light of the East). That is to aid in the restoration of unity between Catholics and all the Christians of the East. For the better part of 14 years, The Orientale Lumen Conferences have provided ordained and lay Roman Catholics, Eastern Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox a f