05/14/2026
A letter to a convert from a 91 year old nun; Mother Thekla. I encourage you not to just brush over these words but read carefully what is said.
Dear _____,
I hear that you are preparing to enter the Orthodox Church. I know nothing about you, except that you are English.
Before we go any further, I must be clear about one thing: if you are converting for negative reasons—because you are dissatisfied elsewhere—you will be disappointed. Orthodoxy has as many faults, sins, and scandals as any other Church. You will meet hypocrisy, pride, and even evil here too.
So let me ask you: are you ready for that?
Are you expecting an earthly paradise—endless incense, beautiful chanting, and majestic ritual?
Do you imagine that crossing yourself slowly and correctly will guarantee heaven?
Do you think Orthodoxy is about recipes for Easter cakes, or about learning how to kiss three times in the proper way?
Do you expect that prostrations and bows, done gracefully, are what save the soul?
Or…
Have you read the Gospels?
Have you truly faced Christ crucified?
Have you stood, in spirit, at the Last Supper and grasped what Holy Communion means?
Because Orthodoxy is not an escape. It is not theatre. It is not sentiment. It is life lived under the Cross.
Faith means accepting the Truth without proof. We will never, in this life, go beyond faith into certainty. And yet—mystically—we know because we believe, and we believe because we know. This is the paradox at the heart of Orthodoxy, and it extends into all our worship, both private and public.
Are you ready to accept all things as from God? If we were meant to be happy always, then why the Crucifixion? Faith means believing that somehow, in ways we may never understand, everything will make sense in Him. This does not mean passive endurance—it means constant watchfulness, readiness to hear what God asks of us, and above all, love.
Even poor, old, sick, or near death, we can still love. Not sentimental love, but love as sacrifice: the crucifixion of pride, greed, and envy within ourselves. Never confuse love with sentimentality. Never confuse worship with performance.
Be humble. Love when it is hard. Worship with sincerity. And remember always: Orthodoxy is the way of the Cross.
With my prayers and best wishes,
Mother Thekla
Mother Thekla, Orthodox nun, was born on July 18, 1918. She died on August 7, 2011, aged 93.
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