Dear Church Family,

I’m excited to share that I will be posting a story I have created in Church Literature, that will continue daily. It is called "The Lamp Before the Icon". It is completely fictional and it was something I wanted to try for a long time. I am not a professional writer it's just a hobby, so please keep that in mind and be patient and kind :)

I pray you will like my story and that it will encourage your heart, strengthen your faith, and give you something meaningful to reflect on daily.

I invite you to follow along each day as the story unfolds!

GOD bless you all!

Saint Titus was a courageous warrior renowned for his valor in combat. During one fierce battle, he suffered a grave injury. A sickness that developed from this wound compelled him to withdraw from military duty, after which he joined the Kiev Caves Monastery. There, he devoted the remainder of his life to prayer and repentance, ultimately attaining the Kingdom of Heaven.

Troparion — Tone 8

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father Titus, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!

To the clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, beloved children in the Lord:

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

First, please be assured of my prayers for you, my flock throughout North America, as we enter into this great and holy season of the Fast. May God grant each of you his aid and support, comfort and blessings, as we all take up our Lenten podvig.

In our present media-mad, ever-online cultural atmosphere, opinion often appears to be our society’s highest value, both morally and economically. To hold and express an opinion on all manner of “issues” is cast as the highest form of self-realization. In the meanwhile, the so-called attention economy coddles our biases in order to peddle us all manner of products. Many of you, beloved in the Lord, will know that I have written of this before, but I do so again because…