Πεμπτουσία

Goodness is the Lord Himself, whatever originates from Him and all that surrounds Him. Goodness was also found in the human nature before the fall and afterwards in the reform of sanctification. Goodness is also the essence of what is right and what is rational and is found in the relationship between them. It is the complete absence of irrationality, wickedness and perversion. On the other hand, evil is the perversion and the absence of whatever we have described as goodness. Whatever originates from evil comprises the elements and parts of death, the very same “body of death”, whose father and supporter is the devil and his numerous servants. On the one hand, goodness has an existence and essence, because it is ...

On 4 November, our Church honours the memory of an outstanding personality of the Middle Ages in Greece, the emperor Ioannis Vatatzis. Ioannis came from a well-known Byzantine family which had given many exceptional members to the political and military life of the Empire. He himself was born in Adrianoupolis. His parents died when he was still young, leaving him the master of great possessions. He chose, however, to them away to the poor and to churches, and to go to Nicaea, in Bithynia, which was, at that time, the seat of the Empire, Constantinople having been taken by the Franks during the Fourth Crusade (1204). Here he met his clergyman uncle, who was a close adviser to Emperor Theodoros (Laskaris). ...

The beginning and the Litany of Peace The priest lifts up the Gospel, makes the sign of the cross with it over the altar and says in a loud voice: ‘Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and to the ages of ages’. The choir, or the people, reply ‘Amen’- (May it be so). Then the priest- or the deacon if there is one- begins to say the Litany of Peace. He encourages us to pray to God with the words: ‘In peace let us pray to the Lord’, and we submit our supplications regarding our salvation and also our everyday life. We entreat God to grant us health, ...

When you hoard more money than you need, the slightest breeze, a temptation in your life, will be enough to sink the ship with all hands. But if you’ve got only what you need then even if you’re caught in a violent storm, you’ll be light enough to ride the waves.

The endeavours and teaching of Saint Gregory Palamas were directed at ensuring that people could enjoy the possibility of participating in God, at demonstrating that God is not merely completely transcendental and beyond involvement but is also here with us in the world and welcomes our involvement with Him. Gregory correctly saw, in Varlaam’s views, the renewal of the theological heresies of the 4th century, those of Evnomios, Areios, and Makedonios, who, by accepting the Son and Holy Spirit as creations, deprived people of the chance of glorification . Because how could They glorify people if They Themselves were also creations and in need of deification, as Gregory the Theologian so succinctly and provocatively says about the Holy Spirit: “unless ...

People are free and autonomous and can decide on matters pertinent to their lives and even as regards their death. According to the Church, people are an image of God, autonomous, certainly, but only in terms of their relationship with others. Our freedom has to do with our relations within society. The Church accepts euthanasia only when it comes from God, not from people themselves* ‘Our life is God’s greatest gift and the beginning and end are in His hands alone: “In the hand of God is the spirit of every person” (Job 12, 10). It is the locus in which our self-determination finds expression, where we encounter the grace of God through our free will and where our salvation is ...

Mary of Nazareth has been given many titles over the last two millennia. She is called the Virgin Mary, Theotokos (Greek: “Birthgiver of God”), Panagia (Greek: “All Holy One”), the Blessed Mother and Our Lady to name a few. No other woman has achieved such enduring fame and influence than has Jesus’ mother Mary. Through eyes of the world, Mary is a historical curiosity. Through the eyes of the Christian however, Mary is the preeminent follower of Jesus and an example to all believers. Everything she does and says points to her Son. A Life of Virtue Early on in the New Testament, we see Mary’ as the paradigmatic “handmaiden of the Lord.” Mary’s cousin Elizabeth greeted her while she was pregnant saying, ...

The blessed Elder George came from the Black Sea and was orphaned and left on his own very early in life. After being persecuted  and imprisoned by the atheist regime in Georgia, he came to Greece where the humble man lived with such asceticism and zealous faith that he was granted the gifts of discretion, perception, precognition and prophecy.   Father George was born in Argyroupolis (Gümüşhane), in the Black Sea region, in 1901. He was orphaned at an early age and his upbringing fell to his devout grandmother. After the death of his grandmother and sister, he and his grandfather left for Erzurum in Greater Armenia. The death of his grandfather and the abuse of his brother took him to the ...