The state of people’s souls is affected by their parents and this is something they carry with them throughout their lives. It leaves its traces, and a lot of the things which happen to them in life are the result of this state. » Venerable Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
We should always have complete affection in our souls, even though we may often be disappointed with the behaviour of other people towards us. » Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi
And you, All-Pure and All-Good and Most-Merciful Lady, the consolation of Christians, the fervent comfort of those in distress, the immediate refuge of sinners, do not abandon us as orphans, without your divine assistance. For if you do abandon us, where shall we turn? And what will become of us, you who are the breath and life of Christians? Just as our bodies breathe as an indication that we’re alive, so the invocation of your name by your servants, at all times and in all places, is not merely an indication of, but an invitation to life, joy and assistance. Shelter us under the wings of your goodness. Guard us with your intercessions. Give us eternal life, you who are the ...
The Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate met at Fanari on Wednesday, 29 August 2018 under the chairmanship of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and, on the recommendation of the Canonical Committee, decided to include the late Archimandrite Elder Amfilohios Makris in the list of saints of the Orthodox Church. Through the prayers of the saint, Christ our God, have mercy upon us. Amen. Elder Amfilohios Makris was born on the island of the Revelation, Patmos, in 1889. He became a stout defender of Orthodoxy, since he had suffered greatly during the Italian occupation of the Dodecanese islands. In those years, he founded many secret schools and made certain that the Greek language and the Orthodox faith would continue and would ...
Our struggle to enter into the eternal life of God Himself is neither a simple nor an easy thing. Our attitude is ‘May your will be done’. Then the potential develops within us to conceive of God as He is in His eternity. » Elder Sophrony of Essex
Discourse on the Deposition and Veneration of the Holy and Honourable Belt of Our Most Pure Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary Through the Holy Spirit, David, the Prophet and King, sang, “Glorious things are spoken of you, the City of God”. In this way he revealed, as City of the Great King, her of whom many wonderful things- praises and hymns- have been spoken. But what is this City, in fact? It seems to me that David answers this clearly and beyond doubt when talking about her who was really chosen and is superior to all others. Not because of the excellence of its buildings, nor because it is higher than the highest hills and mountains of the ...
The feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos was majestically celebrated at the Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopaidi headed by his Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta. During the all-night vigil, at the regularly scheduled festive treat offering in the monasteries meeting hall, his Eminence and the Abbot of the monastery Archimandrite Ephraim spoke to the attendees regarding the significance of the feast. Also in attendance was the well-known American actor Mr. Jonathan Jackson, having earned 5 Emmy Awards during his career, who has converted to the Orthodox Church. When his turn came to speak, he very movingly dedicated his 5th Emmy award which he won in 2012 to Panagia, the Mother of God, in which he had thanked all of the monks ...
Examine yourself. See who you are. Get to know your nature, that is that the body’s mortal, but your soul’s immortal. Don’t ask for superiority, but rather that you can recognize the equality of nature and can love, that you should be equal to those who seem in some way to be inferior to you. Saint Basil the Great
Today the Church celebrates and honours the sacred memory of Saint Alexandros, the Archbishop of Constantinople. Saint Alexandros lived at the time of the first Christian emperor, Constantine the Great. He was one of the Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Synod which, in 325, in Nicaea, condemned the Arian heresy. The Archbishop of Constantinople at that time was Saint Mitrofanis, but, since he was very old and sick he was represented at the synod by Alexandros, who was still a priest. It was often the case that, for a variety of reasons, bishops were represented at synods by priests. Saint Alexandros really was a bishop of the Church who was promoted by God. After the synod and the condemnation of Arius, ...
Beautiful things are linked to pain, but pain also brings joy. A rose produces a thorn and the thorn a rose. Generally, a rainbow appears after a squall. Unless there are storms, the sky won’t clear. » Venerable Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
Thousands of pious Orthodox faithful once again flocked to our Holy Monasteries to celebrate their respective feast days: Panagia Parigoritissa (August 23) and Saint Kosmas Aitolos (August 24). As is tradition, His Eminence Metropolitan Sotirios presided over both Great Vespers and the Divine Liturgy at each Monastery, traveling from outside of Montreal to north of Toronto to be with and preach Christ to the gathered faithful. His Grace Bishop Irénée (OCA) concelebrated at Panagia Parigoritissa; while His Grace Bishop Mitrophan (Serbian Orthodox Church) concelebrated at Patrokosmas. Thousands came together for the holy services, which were conducted in accordance to the Athonite typikon. Holy Communion was distributed by the bishops and many priests, with hundreds upon hundreds approaching to receive the life-giving sacrament. The homilies ...
Dear God-fearing Christians, the feast which we have gathered here to celebrate together today is radiant and filled with divine joy. It is rightly called radiant because it shines from the very name of him whom we are honouring today, since he is called the lamp of the light. He is not, of course, a lamp who illumines us with material light, because then his radiance would not be enduring and constant and would be lost every time some obstacle moved in front of it. But it is light that shows the brilliant radiance of divine grace in the depths of the hearts of those who have gathered to celebrate his memory and who elevate their minds to think upon ...
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge 31 August – 1 September 2018 Keynote speakers: Dr Brandon Gallaher (University of Exeter) Revd Prof Nikolaos Loudovikos (University Ecclesiastical Academy of Thessaloniki) Revd Prof Andrew Louth (Durham University) Prof Jens Zimmerman (Trinity Western University) Papers will be presented by: Barnabas Aspray (University of Cambridge) Lucian George Berciu (University of Fribourg) Richard Choate (Graduate Theological Union and University of California, Berkeley) Dr Viorel Coman (KU Leuven) Dr Christine Mangala Frost (IOCS) Ryan Hacker (University of Cambridge) Prof. Sigríður Halldórsdóttir (University of Akureyri) Dr Smilen Markov (University of Veliko Turnovo / University of Oxford) Michael Miller (University of Cambridge) Ben Morris (Diocese of Sourozh) Yuliia Rozumna (Nottingham University) Stefan Zelijkovic (University of Belgrade) Please download a programme/flyer for the conference here. Conference Abstract In Christianity, preservation of tradition and innovation are complexly intertwined. On the one hand, an act of ...
Say the prayer, say the Jesus prayer and that’ll bring you into such a good state that however much you think about it, you can’t think about it. » Elder Ephraim of Katounakia
The passions cover Divine Grace, just as ash covers the spark. With asceticism and prayer, however, the heart is cleansed of the passions, the spark of divine grace is rekindled and the faithful feel Christ in their heart, which is the centre of their existence. » Blessed Georgios Kapsanis, Proegumen of Gregoriou Monastery
We find ourselves on the sea of life – sometimes it’s a storm, other times it’s a mill-pond. God’s Grace doesn’t desert us. If things were otherwise, we’d never realize how Grace sustains us. » Elder Amphilochios Makris of Patmos
– Father, how can I be saved? – Hang on to Our Lady’s skirt, in complete confidence, such as a little child has in its mother. » Venerable Païsios the Athonite
Our soul’s like a tank full of water. If you pour water from it onto flowers, that is, the virtues, the part of goodness, you’ll feel real joy, and your sins, the thorns, will atrophy. But if you pour it onto the thorns, they’ll spread and choke you and all the flowers will wither. » Venerable Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
When marriage becomes a ‘sacrament’ it removes the couple and their physical marriage away from the old world, unredeemed and without God, the world of egotism of decay and death and places them in the new, theanthropic world of the Kingdom of Heaven, of the love of the Church. » Blessed Georgios Kapsanis, Proegumen of Gregoriou Monastery
