The Power of Prayer

While yesterday began well, the afternoon and night after about 3 PM went downhill quickly.  My girlfriend, whom I love dearly, was very upset, and the majority of that (if not all of it) was my fault.  My grandfather probably suffered another mini-stroke, his 6th since last June.  I found out that a leader of my Boy Scout troop for 50 years was rushed to the hospital.  And, on top of it all, I had to do some school work which is due on Monday.  All in all, when I staggered into my room at 10:00, after a trying 14 hours, I was exhausted and was in no mood to pray.  However, I decided to pray the Small Compline, which I had prayed with my friends the night before, along with portions of the Supplicatory Canon to the Theotokos.  Though for the first few minutes, I was still exhausted and wanted to cut the prayers short.  But as I continued to pray, I no longer felt tired or anxious, but only repentence and joy.  Through prayer, sincere prayer of the heart, we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, the παράκλητος, the Comforter, and allow Him to come into our lives, guide our steps and ultimately, to save our souls.

"O Heavenly King, the Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, Treasury of blessing and Giver of life: Come and abide in us, cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Good One." (Prayer to the Holy Spirit)

Welcome and Explanation

To the readers (or reader) of this new blog, welcome!

The purpose of this blog is for me to talk about and express opinions on matters that interest me.  These matters are as diverse as theology and liturgics, philosophy, history, politics, foreign relations, science and art.  Being a Greek from Naxos, I have opinions on EVERYTHING, though they are often not fleshed out or fully supported, and I hope that this blog will help both you and me come to a better understanding of my opinions and stances.

A huge influence on my stances and opinions is my belief in God and my baptism into Christ.  I am a reader of the Holy Orthodox Church (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, New Jersey Metropolis) and my Orthodox and Hellenic heritage (in that order) affect many of my stances on politics and the like.  In my opinion, everything we do should be an act which gives praise to the Holy Trinity (hence the title of this blog).

That being said, what I say on this blog is in no way endorsed or supported by anyone other than myself, unless otherwise noted in the individual post.  Not by the Holy Orthodox Church, any one of the bishops or priests thereof, not by the Boy Scouts of America (of which I am a proud member), not by my own metropolis or parish, my metropolitan or priests, not by my wonderful girlfriend who convinced me to start a blog in the first place, and not by my family (especially not by them, they never agree on anything!).  These stances and opinions are mine and mine alone unless otherwise noted.

Finally, the rules.  I encourage comments and participation by everyone.  I will not moderate comments (unless problems arise), however, everyone must be respectful and provide valid reasoning behind their arguments.  No ad hominem attacks, no PC and, most importantly, no bullshit.  Seriously, no BS or PC, as there are few things I hate more.  Lastly, if ANYONE uses the word "retarted" on this blog as anything other than a referece to a mentally retarted person, they will be banned, permenantly.  My beloved uncle who passed away 8 months ago was mentally retarted and I hate when people use that word to mean someone who is stupid and doesn't think.

I look forward to this new adventure with all of you.  May God bless you all.

In Christ,

The Greek