The beauty of Orthodox Spirituality – Theosis

The beauty of Orthodox Spirituality – Theosis

I do believe that the concept of theosis, or whatever word we want to use to describe what it stands for, is part of the foundation of all Orthodox spirituality and it belongs to all those, whatever the Orthodox community to which they belong, as part of a common inheritance. Of course that is not […]

The beauty of the Orthodox Spiritual Tradition

The beauty of the Orthodox Spiritual Tradition

I became Orthodox over 21 years ago in great part because the beauty of the Orthodox spiritual Tradition spoke to my heart and filled me with a desire for the transcendent realities it described. It offered the possibility of an interior union with God which might renew and transfigure our weak humanity and make it […]

Mission is means not end

Mission is means not end

Our bishop,  His Grace Bishop Angaelos,  posted a timely and necessary reminder to all those engaged in mission, and indeed in any service of the Church,  saying. .. Mission is only a means to an end for the Church in that it presents the Lord to the world; it cannot become gratification and end in […]

Mission Weekend in Stoke

Mission Weekend in Stoke

Over the weekend of Friday 2nd to Monday 5th October, Father Peter Farrington stayed in Staffordshire so that he could engage in several activities with the Coptic Orthodox Community of St Chad. In the morning he had celebrated the Liturgy of St Basil with Father Shenouda at the Coptic Centre in Stevenage, and then held […]

Forgive one another

Forgive one another

It can often seem impossible for us to forgive others when they have hurt us, or hurt those about whom we care. To forgive can seem like a betrayal, as if we were saying that what had happened didn’t matter. But often we are asked to forgive the most hurtful things of all, things that […]

Overcoming Habitual Sin

Overcoming Habitual Sin

I am always happy to receive correspondence from people around the world. Almost every day I receive messages on Facebook or by email, and much of my time is taken up in responding to the spiritual needs of those who have taken the time to contact me. Very often those who want to talk with […]

Wasting time, wasting life

Wasting time, wasting life

From the earliest ages people have valued leisure time as a relief from work and business. Indeed the Greeks spoke of leisure time and not leisure time, promoting the importance of what could be done during leisure. For the Greeks the time of leisure was to be spent in the most important pursuit of understanding, […]

A musical distraction

I was in the car yesterday evening taking my son to his guitar lesson. He turned the radio on and switched between channels, trying to find something he liked. We had the usual conversation about how much modern popular music is derivative and not as good as the music of 40 years ago. It generally […]

Spending the precious gift of time wisely

Spending the precious gift of time wisely

Every day that God gives us has 24 hours in it, 1440 minutes and 86,400 seconds. How we use those precious moments should matter to us. They matter to God. There is a real sense in which he created the whole world, and entered into it himself as Jesus Christ, and suffered, died and rose […]

Father Peter speaks at Indian Orthodox Conference

Father Peter speaks at Indian Orthodox Conference

I was very pleased to have been invited to participate in the annual Indian Orthodox family conference, which took place this year at Yarnfield Park Conference Centre, near Stafford. I had been given permission to attend by H.E. Metropolitan Seraphim, and then by H.G. Bishop Angaelos, and this was a wonderful opportunity to meet old […]