The mere mention in our prayers of the all-holy name of God, of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God, of the martyrs, the saints and the blessed brings great joy, indescribable comfort and peace to the heart. Elder Germanos Stavrovouniotis
Ill-founded views of Scripture within the Orthodox Church With reference to Biblical texts, the great theologian of our era, Elder Sophrony Sakharov, said that even if we were to lose all of them somehow or another, we’d still be able to re-write them. Perhaps not in exactly the same words, but certainly in the same spirit. It’s clear from this that there is no question of making idols of the letter and texts of the Scriptures. In any case, it’s obvious and well-known that the Church existed before the texts, which were nevertheless alive in its tradition. And it was the Church which determined which texts were canonical, with all that involves. So what exactly is Scripture? In simple terms, ...
3. The spiritual perspective of the Transfiguration Beyond being a historical event with the most profound theological significance, the Transfiguration is also projected as a proposal for an experience of life. This experience should not be associated solely with the person of the transfigured Lord, but rather references the personal life of us all. The divine experience is the fixed point of reference and model for us. It was precisely in this way, as a purely spiritual experience, that the Lord’s disciples and, thereafter, the whole of the people who were present at the miracle understood it as the continuation and consequence of the Transfiguration itself. Through his Transfiguration, Christ showed the world his true face and the mystery of his presence. ...
The Transfiguration of the Lord is one of the greatest of the feasts of Christianity. Until the 4th century, it was celebrated before Easter, but after the day of the inauguration of the church of the Transfiguration, which had been built by Saint Helen on Mount Tabor, it became customary to celebrate the event on 6 August. The Transfiguration is the most sublime initiation, the greatest lesson of mystical theology and every last detail is instructive. What did Jesus want to reveal through the Transfiguration; why did he take only three disciples; why did they need to ascend a mountain; why did the disciples have to fall asleep and what does this symbolize; what does the white light symbolize; why were ...
‘Have mercy upon us, Son of David’ Many miracles have been performed through the invocation of the name of Christ. The Lord himself, on his way to the Passion, said: ‘Whatsoever you ask in my name, I will do’ (Jn. 14, 13). And when he was being taken up into the heavens and giving his final instructions to his disciples, he again stressed: ‘In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues…’ (Mark 16, 17). In the name of Jesus, the Apostles were to work wonders. And they did. The lame man who sat outside the Temple was healed by the Apostles Peter and John through the invocation of the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 3, ...
Breaking the commandment, construed as rebellion, caused the fall, desolation and death. Now, for us, the way back is practical recognition of this. Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi
The nub of the matter rests in faith. This is what brings us close to God and makes us his children. This is what introduces us to God. On the last day of this fleeting life and at the dawn of the eternal day, this is what will set us on the right of God’s throne, where we shall gaze on God for ever, rejoice with him for ever and reign with him for ever. Saint Ignatij Brianchaninov
When the mind is united to God and remains with him in prayer and love, it becomes wise, good, strong, caring, merciful and slow to anger. In a word, it has all the divine attributes. But when it removes itself from God and attaches itself to worldly things, it either becomes a monstrosity, wallowing in pleasures, or it becomes a wild beast, ravaging people over material things. Saint Maximos the Confessor
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ handed down to us the perfect teaching on salvation. And he himself was the first to implement what he taught. It is he who ‘practices and teaches’ (Matth. 5, 19). He also gave us the parable of the Good Samaritan as an example of real love. But the most outstanding Good Samaritan is Christ himself, who took upon himself our nature tortured by robbers, that is the demons, the passions, and human wickedness, then raised it and gave it life through his death on the Cross and his resurrection. We all know now that perfect Christian love is universal; it’s love for everyone, even for our enemies. This is something we all know but find ...
Examine yourself continually in case you’ve sinned in thought, in case your tongue has erred by being hasty over something, in case your deeds aren’t in accordance with the will of God. And if this self-examination reveals that your sins are many- as it certainly will, because you’re human- then say the words of the tax-collector: ‘God, have mercy on me a sinner’ (Luke 18, 13). Elder Ilie Cleopa
You’re suffering from sadness? It doesn’t matter. A heart that’s full of gratitude, humility and wisdom- a heart that’s been filled with gratitude, humility and wisdom by its struggles and labors- will be richly comforted and blessed with the acquisition of serenity and joy. Saint Makarij of Optina
Holy Scripture tells us that the devil is ‘fallen Lucifer’. This is why the Lord says: ‘I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven’ (Luke 10, 18). He’s the leader, the general of the order of angels who fell from heaven when they wanted to rebel against the divine will. Then they were automatically put to flight and fell from their office and position. At the same time, they lost the stunning, radiant beauty of their form. They became such grisly monsters that the mere recollection of them is repellent. In the diabolical hypostasis there’s nothing good, blessed, just, straightforward, rational or true. Through his rebellion against God, the devil, who was once the bearer of the light of righteousness, love ...
Are the recent crimes simply a matter of violence and oppression against women, or do they have to do with the fact that love* has lost its bearings? We live in a time when love is treated as enjoyment, as enthusiasm, and, if it doesn’t last long, well, never mind. A lot of people snicker when they hear the Church’s teaching that love is sanctified in marriage, in its sacramental dimension. Even in marriage, they start out from the perspective that they won’t need to sacrifice anything of themselves, their habits, that they won’t have to work on their character, but rather that the other person should provide them with whatever they want in the way they want it. How ...
Given the fallen state in which we find ourselves, we’re unable to judge our brothers and sisters properly. Don’t be too sure that they’re in error. Don’t judge them. Elder Sophrony, Essex
Let’s bind ourselves tightly in order to carry out the Lord’s commandments, so that we’re not bound tightly with the chains of wicked impulses and soul-destroying pleasures. These are difficult to loose and we don’t want to suffer the verdict on the barren fig tree: ‘Cut it down from its roots, because it’s a waste of space’. Because all those who don’t bear good fruit are cut down and cast into the fire. Saint Theodoros of Edessa
We can’t deny God, because, in order to deny something we have to be strong enough to abolish it. In our lack of belief, we can boast that God really doesn’t exist, that we’ve destroyed him. But even if we deny him, as Saint Paul says, he remains faithful to us. So, if that’s the way things are, where’s the denial? The denial is in breaking the commandment. Elder Iosif Vatopaidinos
If your mind is freed of every hope in this world, this is a sign that sin has died within you. If it remains free of worldly things, then the distance that exists between you and God disappears. You then find yourself in a new life and you think new things, which are divine and imperishable. Saint Isaiah the Anchorite
For God, time is the waiting period between when he ‘knocks at the door’ and we open it wide for him (‘If someone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter and dine with them and they with me’ (Rev. 3, 20). In this sense, time also denotes our freedom and the respect which God has for his creatures. God doesn’t enter our heart through violence. Union with him in love can be achieved only through our free acceptance of the offer of it. This is why God gives us time. And because of the respect God has for those whom he fashioned, he experiences time just as we do. Because there can be no doubt that when we ...
Once we enter properly into the spiritual life, we feel from the first moment the light of hope in God beginning to dawn in us. But we’re definitely on a journey and that journey demands struggle, demands patience, demands endurance and, above all, faith that, as a good physician, God has our course of treatment in hand. This is a collaboration between our own freedom and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol
From the 1st to the 14th of August we fast in honor of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God. It’s a strict fast, with fish eaten only on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Savior (6 August). If 15 August falls on a Wednesday or Friday there is a dispensation only for fish. Fasting is a commandment from God. The first. The oldest of all. He gave it to Adam in paradise. The meaning of the fast was: with the weapon of the fast, people were to become accustomed to obedience to God and to the struggle against the devil. According to tradition it was common practice to fast for a period for this particular feast and this became ...
