This is why you mustn’t be lazy, but rather be eager to do good. Because now’s the time for work; Later’s the time for reward. On earth, war; in heaven, rest. And of necessity you’ll do one or the other: you’ll either win or be defeated. You’ll either stay close to God or be separated from Him. There’s no third way.

The various Books of the Elders, ancient and modern, take us into the world of the monastic state. There the genuine way of the Christian/Gospel life continues, as does the human reality of blunders and failures, which are overcome through asceticism. One very important and substantial mode of asceticism is obedience. Obedience, together with chastity- of body and soul- and poverty as freedom from material bonds, are the virtues that every monastic is called upon to attain if they’re to be true to their vocation, a person dedicated to God. But obedience isn’t a feature only of monastic life, but of that of all those who want to live in accordance with the Gospel and for Christ to be their ‘Lord and ...

For many people with a secular outlook, decorating the Christmas tree is the essence of Christmas. In Greece, this custom was imported from abroad and was introduced by the Bavarians*. The first time a Christmas tree was decorated was in Otto’s palace and thereafter it spread throughout Athens. After World War II, the tree and its multi-coloured balls became a feature of all Greek houses. Its forerunner was the Yule log, a large piece of wood from a pear or wild cherry tree. According to popular thinking, trees with needles kept at bay the demonic beings, the kalikantzari. In the old days, the Yule log was placed in the hearth on Christmas eve. The ash from the logs protected the house and the ...

We should fast without hypocrisy and cleanse the soul from sins. ‘Pour oil on your head and wash your face’ (Matth. 6, 17). This saying is inviting you into sacramental rituals. If you pour oil on your head, you’re anointed; if you wash, you’re made clean. You have to realize within your inner self what the command means. Cleanse your soul from sin. Anoint your head with holy chrism so that you can become a partaker of Christ, and then you can enter the fast. Don’t alter your countenance, the way the hypocrites do. Your face is blackened when your inner disposition is overshadowed by a meretricious external appearance, when it’s hidden by falsehood, as if with a curtain. Hypocrites ...