If there were no pain, if there were no manifestation of sickness, every ailment would result in death, and we would be blissfully ignorant, in the world of our imagined healthy state. This is why every crisis in the social realm makes known to us a sickness which is already eating away at us. And this motivates us to find ways of treating it. Elder Christodoulos, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Koutloumousi
Those who are overcome by desires and pleasures will quickly fall into the snares of sin. And once sin has happened, it’s a fire in dry grass, a stone rolling downhill, a canyon formed by widened gullies. And it prepares perdition for sinners in any way it can. Saint Theodoros of Edessa
The Birth of the Mother of God, Russian Icon, 17th Century Today, the Virgin Mother is born from a barren mother and the palace is bedecked for the coming of the Lord Christ. Today, the bonds of sterility are broken and the gates of the Virgin are barred. Because, as the barren womb was dead for the purposes of child-bearing and yet, against all hope, brought forth a wonderful fruit, so, by the same token, incorruptible virginity is pledged and the miracle of birth-giving is heralded with works obvious to all. Because child-bearing without the intervention of a man is a supernatural miracle, as is the preservation of virginity after birth. Another person who overcomes the laws of nature is the ...
February 1988. In Karyes it was quite cold. It’s quite a long way above sea-level and it has high humidity, which makes things worse. That day, though, the weather was dry. There was even a light breeze to enjoy, provided you were well wrapped up. It was early evening. The sun had just gone down behind the mountain. Fr. Païsios and I were walking along the path. On the way we bumped into Fr. Kallinikos, from the Skete of Koutloumousi. We got to his little wooden bridge. All around there were hazelnut trees without leaves. Just bare branches. ‘Well, who’s brought mandarins?’, Fr. Païsios asked with some surprise. Further on, about sixty meters away, there was the gate to his yard and ...
‘I forgave you all the debt, because you pleaded with me’. Today’s Gospel reading is known as the parable of the 10,000 talents and in it we see both the kindness and mercy of God and also the harshness of people. The occasion for this parable was Saint Peter’s question to Jesus concerning the number of times we should forgive those who have wronged us. Should it be up to seven times? The parable presents a servant up to his neck in debt to a local ruler. The latter forgives him his debt. Absolutely overjoyed, the servant makes his way home. There he meets a fellow-servant, who owes him a hundred dinars, a small sum compared to that which the king had ...
Death is the bridge that will lead us to Christ. As soon as we close our eyes, we’ll open them in eternity. We’ll present ourselves before Christ. In the next life we’ll experience the grace of God more intensely. Saint Theodoros of Edessa
Real love is shot through with the spirit of humility, sacrifice and giving. Those who love in accordance with God’s will sacrifice their desires and their leisure for the sake of those they love. Love which isn’t consistent with the will of God is linked to the spirit of egotism. Instead of sacrificing themselves for others, those who have such ‘love’ just demand that others sacrifice themselves for them. Elder Germanos Stavrovouniotis
Dear readers, once more, in one more article, I’d like to share with you a real-life incident which happened in the parish where I serve and which has to do with something that’s troubling us in general. Naturally, this particular case isn’t unique but is one of many in which, on the pretence of protecting their health, people are staying away from the Chalice of Life, the Divine Eucharist, the ‘remedy against death’. Of course, this has incalculable spiritual consequences for those who err in this manner and also, more generally, for all those who are adding their penny’s worth to the prevalent apostasy and lack of faith of our days. The strange thing is that people then ask where ...
Today’s spiritual crisis is manifested in the way that we’ve really become indifferent, inhospitable, impatient and materialistic. We’re accompanied by deep turmoil and the loss of identity; the lack of an internal sense of who we really are; and, of course, the absence of the inner sense that God’s somewhere in our lives. Elder Christodoulos, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Koutloumousi
There’s no way we can achieve our salvation unless we transfigure our mind, unless we transfigure it into something different from what it was. Our mind is deified by a unique action of God’s grace. It becomes passionless and holy. A glorified mind lives constantly with the recollection of God. Elder Tadej Vitovnički
(edited by Stelios Koukos) Abba Timotheos the elder said to Abba Pimin, ‘There’s a woman in Egypt who’s a harlot and she gives away the money she earns as alms’. The elder observed, ‘She won’t stay a harlot for long. It seems she has the seed of faith within her’. Shortly afterwards, the mother of Abba Timotheos visited him and he asked her, ‘Is that woman still plying her trade as a harlot?’. ‘Yes’, she answered. ‘In fact, she’s increased her number of lovers. But then, she’s also increased her alms-giving’. Abba Timotheos told Abba Pimin, who said, ‘She won’t stay a harlot’. Not long after this, Abba Timotheos’ mother came back to him and said, ‘You know, that harlot wanted to come and ...
‘Elder, there’s a woman whose husband’s left her. He’s taken the child and he’s involved with two other women. She asked me what she should do’. ‘Tell her, as far as she can, to be patient, to pray and to act with kindness. She should wait and not dissolve the marriage herself. There was another man who scorned his wife, maltreated her and she dealt with everything with patience and kindness, until she died quite young. When they exhumed her, a fragrance wafted from the grave. Everybody there was amazed. You see, she’d dealt with everything patiently in this life and so she found her proper place in the next. I recall another instance, as well. There was a secular young man ...
Apart from the saints who are remembered on the day, on September 1 our Holy Church also celebrates the beginning of the Indiction, that is the start of the new ecclesiastical year. Among the hymns for the feast is the following, the kontakio for the Indiction, which reads as follows: ‘Maker and Master of the ages, God of all, who are indeed transcendent, bless the course of this year and, in your boundless mercy, save all those who worship you, our one and only Lord, and who cry out to you in fear: Lord and Savior, grant a fruitful year to all’. The start of the new ecclesiastical year marks the beginning of a new period of time. And the beginning of ...
This year, God again permitted us to celebrate the Dormition of the Mother of God at her dependency of Our Lady of the Vintage. This is on the island of Limnos and belongs to the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petras, on the Holy Mountain. Once again we enjoyed the warm climate with its distinctive, quiet atmosphere when we went out to meet and to accompany back into the courtyard of the dependency the Lady of Limnos, the bride in her white raiment. When you see her, you immediately want to sing ‘Pure Virgin Maiden’ or ‘Rejoice Bride Unwedded’. At the moment of the arrival of the icon of Our Lady, one’s heart is transferred spiritually, but firmly and in confidence, to ...
Let’s not fear any delay in a miracle we’ve asked for. It may be better thus. It’s certain that God knows our state much better than we do. God is on our side and the miracles are for us, but his presence and his intervention aren’t predetermined by us. God’s presence is often felt in our life in many and different ways, not in a deafening and phantasmagorical display. What else are an inexpressible inner peace, an exceptional and moving sense of contrition, a profound feeling of sinfulness if not a sign of the serene presence of God in our life? God isn’t merely the provider of health, longevity and prosperity, much less earthly immortality, but also the dispenser of the ...
† B A R T H O L O M E W By God’s Mercy Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch To the Plenitude of the Church Grace, Peace and Mercy from the Maker of All Creation Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ Esteemed brethren and beloved children in the Lord, The Feast of the Indiction, the solemn day of prayers for the natural environment, finds once again humanity confronted with intense weather conditions due to mounting climate change, with devastating floods and fires across the globe, as well as with the Coronavirus pandemic and its socioeconomic consequences. The fact that the restrictive measures in transportation and the limits imposed on industrial production have resulted in a reduction of pollutants and emissions, offered an additional valuable ...
The Lord said we’ll enter into life through many sorrows. There’s no other way than tribulations and sorrows. This was the path trodden by the holy Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Saints and the Righteous. There’s also a broad path which is followed by those who are going to perdition… We should ask God to give us understanding and the strength to tread gladly the strait and narrow path which leads to the spacious realm of the Kingdom of Heaven and ineffable gladness. Saint Iakovos (Tsalikis)
There are times when, inexplicably, we feel euphoric, as if our hearts are full. Everything seems wonderful, what’s difficult is easy, problems are overcome. There may be specific reasons that encourage these experiences, such as being outside in nature, an encounter with people who have beautiful souls, people who transfuse peace and love, a visit or pilgrimage to a monastery or chapel. And sometimes, not necessarily always, after we’ve had confession or holy communion. There are other times when, equally inexplicably, we feel sad and out of sorts. We see everything as being black, there’s no good to be found, our minor problems become an unbearable burden. Here, too, there may be certain specific reasons which encourage these feelings, such as ...
Saint John the Damascan lived between the 7th and 8th centuries and was one of the most well-read and ascetic Fathers of our Church. Verifiable information on the life of this Syrian monk from Damascus is limited and, essentially, is to be found in the older synaxaria. He was a prolific writer, and his contribution at the time of the dispute over icons made him one of the most outstanding historical figures of the period. His anti-heretical teaching, his immersion in philosophy as well as his exact exposition of the theological teaching of seven centuries in clear, succinct sentences, contribute to his standing as one of the leading personalities in Byzantine intellectual life in general. Saint John is well known also ...
It may be that people have acquired a small leaven of virtue and, despite wishing to, haven’t managed to make it into bread, either because of sloth, indifference or procrastination. The day then comes when death mows them down, but they won’t be forgotten by the righteous Judge. The Lord will move the souls of the others who were closest to them to come to their aid, in this way making up for the failings of the departed. Saint John the Damascan
