 |
 |
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 45 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 139182 |
| Visitors Out: 1812 |
| Total Visitors Out: 2123 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| From The Brothers Karamazov |
| 2007-10-28 12:02:36 |
“Fathers and teachers, I ponder, What is hell?
I maintain that hell is the suffering of being unable to love.”
Dostoyevsky
Technorati Tags: pilgrim, way of a pilgrim, dostoyevsky, brothers karamazov, journey to God, hell, love, what is hell
Share This
...
|
| |
|
| From St. Symeon the New Theologian |
| 2007-10-22 11:56:25 |
“Do not say that it is impossible to receive the Spirit of God. Do not say that it is possible to be made whole without Him. Do not say that one can possess Him without knowing it. Do not say that God does not manifest Himself to man. Do not say [...]
...
|
| |
|
| Out of the Jesus Prayer |
| 2007-10-18 13:05:41 |
If the prayer, “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me”
is constantly on your mind and on your lips,
and the name is always in your heart
in the way that air circulates in our bodies
or feeds the candle flame,
how happy it will make you.
The sun, as it rises over the earth, brings day,
and the holy and venerable name [...]
...
|
| |
|
| Moving On |
| 2007-10-15 07:42:32 |
Without intending it to happen, I ended up spending a month in the monastery, which is why, dear mlh and other unknown readers, I have been silent for so long and I beg your forgiveness.
It seems that I have been through what, I suppose, many are afflicted with — an overdose of the world as [...]
...
|
| |
|
| Hesychius |
| 2007-09-23 19:14:53 |
Snow can never emit flame.
Water can never issue fire.
A thorn bush can never produce a fig.
Just so, your heart can never be free
from oppressive thoughts, words, and actions
until it has purified itself internally.
Be eager to walk this path.
Watch your heart always.
Constantly say the prayer
“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.”
Be humble.
Set your soul in [...]
...
|
| |
|
| The True Monastery |
| 2007-09-18 05:53:22 |
The monastery was down a dirt road on a small hill, the land having been a gift from a rancher some hundred and fifty years earlier. Brother Dave, whom I had met in the store in town, made sure I was introduced to some of the monks living there. We shared a dinner together [...]
...
|
| |
|
| Finding the Monastery |
| 2007-09-13 17:41:52 |
When I left Father Garza and headed out he gave me a few notes written on a small piece of paper. Apparently, between the church and where the graves of my father and mother were miles down the road, there was a small monastery where he said I would be welcomed if I needed somewhere [...]
...
|
| |
|
| A Time of Prayer |
| 2007-09-03 17:26:20 |
I was ready to leave on my journey to my parents’ graves, but I was having a difficult time pulling myself away from the church with its marvelous quiet and the depth of feeling that came to me there.
With the kind gift of a bus ticket and the promise of food, I sat quietly in [...]
...
|
| |
|
| At Breakfast |
| 2007-08-29 14:21:53 |
“God did not create us to watch us like a scientist,
but to dance with us like a lover.”
Brian Robertson
When I awoke the next morning, I thought of that quote, one which had been a favorite of my teacher’s years ago. I made up my mind to get up and, having the means for the bus [...]
...
|
| |
|
| A Quiet Night of Prayer |
| 2007-08-28 23:35:51 |
That very night, I slept in a small room adjacent to the cathedral at the request of Father Garza. I was eager to get going in the morning toward the graves of my parents, but he was so kind and so pleasantly insistent that I agreed to stay until breakfast.
I prayed The Jesus Prayer quietly [...]
...
|
| |
|
| A Dinner, A Saint |
| 2007-08-25 17:11:12 |
The meal at the small cathedral was joyous. The priest, Father Garza, seemed to know the name of each person who was seated at the tables and he walked up to each and had a short word and a prayer with them.
Some were obviously members of the little church, but the majority were people [...]...
|
| |
|
| Today’s Prayer |
| 2007-08-03 15:13:35 |
God, our mother and father, you have chosen us to be children of the light, free and honored. Through the power of your Spirit, give us the determination to eliminate those forces that rob others of their rightful dignity:
Hasten the day of freedom, O God.
That no child will be unfed, unloved, unsheltered or unwanted.
That no [...]
...
|
| |
|
| The Window |
| 2007-07-26 01:44:14 |
Traveling, as I am, toward my parents’ graves to pay homage to them during this time of their almost shared birthdays, planning is next to worthless. I have a destination which I will see, God willing, and I am drawing closer to it. Much of life, however, is made up of God’s little [...]
...
|
| |
|
| Toward A Memory |
| 2007-07-22 18:22:55 |
It was, perhaps, ten years ago when both of my parents had strokes in the same 24 hours. My mother lived another six months, although she was ravaged by the effects, and I sat with her almost around the clock for the last two weeks of her life. My father lived another nine years, [...]
...
|
| |
|
| At The Core Of My Practice |
| 2007-07-13 21:39:13 |
[mlh: from the Pilgrim’s journal. I hope the picture will help better explain the words that follow. Please let me know if it is of any help to you. Blessings.]
My own spiritual practice, as I must admit, is quite simple. At the same time, it is comfortable and meaningful, and, as far as [...]
...
|
| |
|
| Notes From The Path |
| 2007-07-12 01:52:42 |
[mlh] Continuing from the Pilgrim’s journal.
First of all, if there is one thing that my small journey has taught me it is that each of us must find their particular path to God. It is foolish to think that God created us on a one-size-fits-all approach that ignores our individual characteristics, talents and capabilities.
Yet, the [...]
...
|
| |
|
| Who Do You Say I Am? |
| 2007-07-12 01:27:19 |
[mlh] Discovered this on a fascinating website ChristianitySite.com and I think it is well worth your time to see which seem to resonate within you and your beliefs.
Jesus is …….
…………. calm and renewing friend.
…………. militant defender of the poor and downtrodden.
…………. suffering one, companion to all in pain and terror.
…………. mysterious and [...]
...
|
| |
|
| At The Core of My Faith |
| 2007-07-08 19:27:07 |
[mlh] From the Pilgrim’s journal:
For myself, at the very center of what it means to call myself a Christian is rooted in the meaning of the term “Christ” in the spiritual journey.
I am not much interested in theological wrangling, but far more concerned with practical, simple and direct understanding, as best I can, God willing.
The [...]
...
|
| |
|
| The Coffee Shop, pt. 1 |
| 2007-07-08 06:44:05 |
I found myself sitting in a small coffee shop, the few books I carry and my notebook across the scarred wood top of the old table. For some time, the table had interested me more than what I was reading.
Like me, I suspect it had seen better days, was once new, and now had [...]
...
|
| |
|
| The Coffee Shop, pt 2. |
| 2007-07-08 06:23:38 |
Please read The Coffee Shop, pt. 1
After the waitress arrived with the coffee, my new-found friend and continued talking.
“Are you in the University?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “And a big test tomorrow.”
“What are you majoring in?”
“Chemistry,” he replied.
“Ah,” I said. “So, you probably have learned that the only way to really know something [...]
...
|
| |
|
| Carl Bloch |
| 2007-07-04 05:19:05 |
Once, some time ago, I made a kind of surprise visit to Pilgrim and when I arrived he met me at the door, eyes red and tears still on his face. I didn’t say anything, and when he went to the kitchen to pour me some hot tea, I walked past the table he [...]...
|
| |
|
| In The Church, pt. 1 |
| 2007-07-02 08:41:25 |
Feeling a bit dizzy and off-center for over a week, I was fortunate to be able to stay in the house of a kind friend. Rather than a frightening echo of a stroke I had some six years earlier, it seems to have been related to a car accident some months ago when [...]
...
|
| |
|
| In The Church, pt. 2 |
| 2007-07-02 07:11:57 |
Please read pt. 1 first.
The woman was simply sitting alone in the front row of the old church, facing the statue of Jesus which was in the center of the back wall behind the altar.
I kept moving closer to her, saying a quiet blessing, and when I felt like turning around and walking toward the [...]
...
|
| |
|
| Our New Home, Your New Stopping Place |
| 2007-06-30 17:09:23 |
Welcome to The Way of A Pilgrim’s new web site! Not only are there more features (such as Prayer Requests) than our wordpress.com site and more features planned, but we’re able to make some design corrections we couldn’t make before.
Our feed address stays the same, thankfully, but please bookmark the site while you’re thinking of it. Also, your participation is needed! Feel free to make comments, offer up prayer requests and spread the word.
One note: not all the comments on the original site can be moved, although we’re working on it.
in Christ,
mlh
Technorati Tags:
jesus, jesus prayer, prayer of the heart, way of a pilgrim, christianity, christian mystic, spiritual quest, journal, spiritual journal
Share This
...
|
| |
|
| The Real Meaning of the Miracles |
| 2007-06-27 22:38:33 |
[mlh] Found a marvelous quote just today while looking through a very hefty book — The Gospel of Jesus by John Davidson. One part struck me, and it was when Davidson was talking about seeing the miracles –
“as metaphors for spiritual truths. We are all spiritually blind, deaf and dumb. We are crippled [...]
...
|
| |
|
| Pointing To The Mystery |
| 2007-06-25 10:12:14 |
From Pilgrim’s Notebook:
To be spiritual, one must be a master of translation. That is to say, a person must be able to speak on several levels, none of them quite literal, several of them rather mythical. By mythical, I do not mean a lie. A true myth straddles this life and another life; it speaks in a truer language, a language of the heart. Still, it is more real than any newspaper account, and it recognizes that the word is never the thing itself.
In Sanskrit, it is said that the sound of the word is the actual vibration of the thing being described,which is why there are so many powerful mantras spoken in Sanskrit. They, like the Jesus Prayer (in fact, Jesus’ very name) become sanctified by use.
This is why one cannot know Jesus by the Bible but, rather the Bible by Jesus. There have been layers of explanations and creeds of various Christian communities imposed upon the person of Jesus, but a keen heart knows the difference. Clouds may indeed cover the sun, but its ...
|
| |
|
| A Quote For Today |
| 2007-06-24 04:04:30 |
“[Many people have] taken scissors to their Bibles, and cut them so severely, that their version now begins with the Old Testament and ends with Revelations, with little resembling Jesus’ teachings left in between.” Todd Huffman
{mlh} Came across this quote today and thought it might be of interest to some of you. I haven’t heard from Pilgrim in a week, and I’m a bit worried. The last note mentioned he was ill. I’ll pass along details if I can get them.
Technorati Tags:
jesus, christiaity, bible, revelations, old testament, christian, christian mystic, way of a pilgrim, pilgrim, spiritual quest
Share This
...
|
| |
|
| Quote For Today |
| 2007-06-23 23:04:10 |
“[Many people have] taken scissors to their Bibles, and cut them so severely, that their version now begins with the Old Testament and ends with Revelations, with little resembling Jesus’ teachings...
For the travels and teachings of a modern Way of a Pilgrim with striking graphics, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| I Learn The Jesus Prayer, pt 3 |
| 2007-06-19 19:19:37 |
“When people use the Jesus Prayer,” my teacher said as he leaned back in the rocking chair in his living room, “they only use half of it.”
“I don’t...
For the travels and teachings of a modern Way of a Pilgrim with striking graphics, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| I Learn The Jesus Prayer pt 2 |
| 2007-06-17 04:48:11 |
“The question,” my teacher told me as he sat back in his chair, “is whether or not one can see God. If you think of the great light of the Sun, you cannot look at it directly....
For the travels and teachings of a modern Way of a Pilgrim with striking graphics, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| I Learn The Jesus Prayer, pt 1 |
| 2007-06-14 00:45:50 |
I was sitting with my teacher (although he would never let me suggest such was the case) one evening in his small home. The entire wall to the left of was covered with ceiling-to-floor bookshelves....
For the travels and teachings of a modern Way of a Pilgrim with striking graphics, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| Prayer For The Evening |
| 2007-06-14 00:18:20 |
Calm me, O Lord, as You stilled the storm.
Still me, O Lord, keep me from harm.
Let all the tumult within me grow still.
Enfold me, Lord, in Your Presence,
For that Presence is peace.
Father, bless...
For the travels and teachings of a modern Way of a Pilgrim with striking graphics, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| The Hospital, pt 2 |
| 2007-06-11 08:45:28 |
We sat in our plastic chairs in the crowded waiting room of the hospital, looking at the cold, polished floor. My companion said nothing. The woman at the desk had taken his temperature and measured...
For the travels and teachings of a modern Way of a Pilgrim with striking graphics, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| A Kind of Prayer |
| 2007-06-10 20:09:08 |
[mlh] Now and then, visitors and others send questions and ask if I would pass them on to A Pilgrim. That’s easier said than done, since most of the time I have no idea where he is....
For the travels and teachings of a modern Way of a Pilgrim with striking graphics, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| The Hospital, pt 1 |
| 2007-06-09 23:38:51 |
By the time I got off the bus it was long after midnight and the streets of the city were all but deserted. I said a prayer, entrusted myself to God, and took a seat in the bus station...
For the travels and teachings of a modern Way of a Pilgrim with striking graphics, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| Become Passers-by |
| 2007-06-08 18:37:12 |
[mlh] Many people think there is an independent saying of Jesus’ that did not find its way into the official gospels. It was preserved and mentioned by some of the early Church Fathers, and...
For the travels and teachings of a modern Way of a Pilgrim with striking graphics, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| I Meet A Teacher |
| 2007-06-08 03:54:05 |
A good many years ago, I stayed at a church for several days. I was much younger and I was helping out as I could, cleaning up for the visitors who came to pray and for the Sunday services. Their...
For the travels and teachings of a modern Way of a Pilgrim with striking graphics, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| The Bus Ride and The City pt 2 |
| 2007-06-06 21:04:20 |
Tonight, there are so many of God’s broken angels.
They have fallen to the ground. They stand away from the lights or sit on the sidewalk, backs against quiet brick walls watching nothing. Like...
For this story as well as more pages and striking photographs, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| The Bus Ride and the City pt 1 |
| 2007-06-05 14:55:28 |
The bus trip was to be four hours long, but life has a way of getting in its own way.
Rain hammered down in the early evening, lightning and thunder that shook us as we rode through the cupped hands...
For this story as well as more pages and striking photographs, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| Who Is This Jesus? |
| 2007-06-04 05:07:45 |
Who is this Jesus whose name I say? I do not know. I would be judged mad if I were to dip a small bottle into the sea, then to go and show it to everyone I met saying, “Look — I have the...
For this story as well as more pages and striking photographs, please visit our site....
|
| |
|
| |
 |
|
| |
| |
|
 |
