Where there’s fear, there’s observation of the commandments. Again, where there’s observation of the commandments, there’s purification of the flesh, the nebula of which prevents the soul from seeing the divine radiance clearly. Where there’s clarity, there’s also divine illumination. Saint Gregory the Theologian
When the grace of God moved my heart to come to this blessed place of peace and prayer, it was February in the year of the Lord 1910. It was my desire to go to the Skete of Kavsokalyvia, where Saint Akakios, who was born in the same place as I was, had lived as an ascetic and where two brothers after the flesh, also from my birth-place, were living as hieromonks. One of these, the spiritual father Panteleimon, a most venerable and extremely virtuous monk, is perhaps the oldest among the Athonites still living, being now an elder of 103 years. It was, indeed, my decision after my arrival on the Holy Mountain to go and live as an ascetic, ...
Be vigilant and pray that you won’t be tempted. Don’t despair if you continually fall into old sins. Many of these are powerful by their nature and are reinforced by habit. As time goes by, however, and with care they’ll be overcome. Don’t despair over anything. Saint Nektarios of Pentapolis
Forgiveness The Cross was decided in the pre-eternal Council, so in a way God had forgiven us even before we fell. He took the risk of creation about which Father Sophrony speaks, for His purpose even before the foundation of the world was our salvation. And if the Lord had not said on the Cross, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34), we would not be able to repent nor find forgiveness. It is His word that is active and gives the fruit of forgiveness to our repentance. The word of the Lord was said once and it remains for ever, and this is the miracle of forgiveness. Likewise, the Lord said once, ‘Take, eat; this ...
Our personal God gives meaning and purpose to our life. Human nature can communicate in energy with the distinct and interpenetrating persons of the Holy Trinity. Elder Efraim Vatopaidinos
Nobody’s been perfected by prayer. God sees the intention we bring to prayer, rather than the words we say while we’re praying or the number of times we cross ourselves. Dimitrios Panagopoulos
10. According to the Gospel for Meat-Fare Sunday all our affairs will be displayed for judgement. It says: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him’. At his first coming, the glory of his divinity was hidden by the flesh he took from us, for us, which is now hidden with the Father in heaven, together with his divine flesh. But then he will reveal his glory in its fulness. He will be radiant, visible from east to west, illumining all things with the rays of his divinity. All over the world, the sound of the life-giving trumpet will be heard everywhere and, at the same time, all things will be summoned to ...
If our body is continuously in decline and appears to be moving closer to death, let’s disregard it as being a wayfaring stranger and let’s direct all our care to our immortal soul. The body’s a faithless, temporary friend. Saint John Kronstadtskij
People who love in a spiritual way feel that, when they’re praying, they’re within God and within their brothers and sisters. They’re saddened that their siblings aren’t moving forward and pray for their progress. Saint Amfilohios Makris
6. Do you see that those living for Christ are filled with inexpressible joy and courage over what will happen immediately after this, while those who live according to the flesh are filled with shame, pain and dejection? As Saint Paul declares: ‘God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil’ (Rom. 2, 6-9). In the time of Noah, when sin had increased and held sway over almost ...
In Cyprus the aethereal land, does the pure soul live? This was a poetic flight on the part of our national poet, Kostis Palamas. A question which then, of course, would have received a positive response, as being yet another confirmation of the universally recognized simplicity and exquisite purity of the Cypriote soul. If the same question were posed now, as part of a search for an answer to concerns over what we see and hear today, the yes or no answer would hang in the balance. If we take into account that Cyprus is vying for first place among the member states of the European Union in terms of corruption, then it comes as no surprise that the answer sought to the ...
Don’t lay the blame for what happens to you on other people. Although we have a tendency to attribute our problems to others, to their wickedness and incompetence, in reality they’re nothing other than tools in God’s hands. Tools he avails himself of to construct our salvation. Saint Makarij
1. Last Sunday, the Church commemorated the indescribable loving-kindness of God towards us, as presented in the parable of the saved Prodigal. This Sunday, it teaches about the future, most dreadful judgement of God, following a proper order and paying attention to the voices of the prophets: ‘I will sing to you, Lord, of mercy and judgement’ ; and ‘God has spoken once and I have heard these two things: that dominion is God’s and that mercy is yours, Lord. For you will recompense people according to their works’ . 2. So mercy and long-suffering precede divine judgement. God is distinguished by having and containing all the virtues, while, at the same time, he is just and merciful. Since mercy is ...
All these Sundays before Great Lent initiate us into the wisdom of repentance and every Sunday gives us constants, principles that we must keep throughout this period for our renewal. All the lessons we receive now are meant to help us realise the greatest task of our life, that of discovering our heart and become true images of God, able to converse with Him face to Face. The Sunday of Zacchaeus has two main major themes. The first is the significance of voluntary shame in cleansing ourselves from the shame of sin that we have accumulated in this life. The second theme is the desire of God. If our ascetical labours during Great Lent are to be perfect, we need ...
Keep your tongue and your lips sweet and you’ll be friends with everybody. Be careful not to chastise anybody for anything at all. Love doesn’t become angry, nor does it hotly berate anyone. Saint Isaac the Syrian
Prayer has great power. If you say the Jesus prayer, you can even bring a soul out of hell. Saint Efraim Katounakiotis
You’re troubled because you don’t understand the meaning of the words you’ve heard so often and have said over the dead. You’ve done well to ask. The better we know our ancient and beautiful Orthodox faith, the more we love it. ‘Eternal memory’ means ‘May your memory be eternal for you’. I once heard a funeral address when someone said of the dead person: ‘May your memory be eternal on earth!’ I was taken aback by such an erroneous misinterpretation of our faith. How can anything be eternal on earth, when everyone’s hurrying on through, like guests at a wedding. Really, aren’t we wishing the dead absolutely nothing of value at all if we hope they’ll be remembered in this world which ...
If we don’t have good works, our knowledge isn’t certain and may not even be true. Because, in every case, good works are confirmation. Saint Mark the Ascetic
2. The phenomenon of urbanization This development started in the 18th century and has grown to such an extent that today it has acquired monstrous proportions. It is the product of the industrial revolution and the rise of the urban class. People today crowd into cities not only to find the means of survival (since cities are where large enterprises are located) but also to seek enjoyment, which is increasingly seen as being one of our rights as individuals. The city is a place of anonymity, it provides deliverance from the eyes of our neighbors, it gives us the chance of a double life, which is what so many people want today. This urbanization and the industrial revolution which accompanied it had ...
Spiritual labor within ourselves is humble labor on behalf of our neighbor, because it gives an example for other people to follow and to change for the better. People who’ve been blessed with God’s grace pass it on and alter those who are merely carnal. Wherever there’s grace it isn’t hidden, because it’s radiant. Saint Païsios the Athonite
