Ξένες γλώσσες

Had He prevented it, He would have interfered and would have abolished man’s freedom, which He bestowed him as a gift. Had He removed man’s freedom, then man’s conduct as well as his salvation would have been compulsory. Man would have lost his personality and would have been a creature without will. God preferred to change His designs on man, rather than take away the most significant element of his personality, his freedom. God has added a second element which is beneficial to man: His justice against demonic malevolence and hate. The devil believed that by misleading man, he would have prevented God’s designs and would have shattered man’s likeness to God. Thus he believed he would have managed to both ...

Let's keep a rein on ourselves while we're working at the Lord's commandments, so that we're not bound by the chains of wicked thoughts and soul-destroying pleasures. These are difficult to break and then we'll be faced with the verdict against the barren fig tree: 'Cut it down, root and branch; it's a waste of space’. If you don't bear fruit, you're cut down and cast into the fire.

Vegas Wedding No apology is needed for the theme of the seminary’s 2004 Summer Institute: “Does Christian Marriage Have a Future?” Practically daily we hear in the media how “traditional” concepts and definitions of marriage are being challenged. In recent years the focus has been on same-sex marriage - legalized in Massachusetts in 2004 and thereafter in six other states and gaining vocal support in many quarters, Christian churches included. But the challenge to “traditional” concepts and definitions of marriage is not limited to this latest headline getter. A few decades ago the term “open marriage” entered our vocabulary. We also learned about “prenups,” i.e., marriage qualified in various ways by formal prenuptial agreements. These days we barely blink when ...

Writing about the Biblical texts, Elder Sophrony Sakharov, one of our leading modern theologians, says that even if they were to be lost in some way, we would be able to re-write them, not in precisely the same words, but certainly in the same spirit. It is quite clear from this that there is no question of making the actual letter and text of the Scriptures into objects of worship in themselves. It is obvious and well enough known, in any case, that the Church preceded the Scriptures, since it already existed, living in its own Tradition, when it established the canonical books, with all that involves. What, then, are the Scriptures? To put it simply, a written part of ...

Monastery of Varnakova as seen from a nearby road The Byzantine monastery of Varnakova lies some 45 minutes to the East of Nafpaktos, on the old road to Lidorikos, beyond Efpalio. It was built in 1077 by Saint Arsenios Varnakovitis, on a small hill which lies within a vast forest of oaks and wild chestnuts. The katholikon of Monastery Varnakova, foto: Mixalis Ninoglou, Panoramio The katholiko (main church) is in the style of a basilica with a cupola, while the floor is made of wonderful opus sectile marble, dating from the 11th century. The Comneni emperors of Byzantium assisted the monastery financially and granted it extensive holdings in the Mornos valley, stretching as far as the sea and islands in the Gulf of ...

Dr. Constantine Cavarnos An interview conducted by Dive Ascent (DA), Vol. 3/4, with Dr. Constantine Cavarnos (DC) about his life’s work, and in particular his focus on Photios Kontoglou, the Greek iconographer, painter, and writer of the last century. *** DA: Over the years, Orthodox Christians of North America and Greece have come to know you through your many books and articles. When you began writing, did you set out to become a prolific writer? DC: While I was still an undergraduate at Harvard, I developed a strong aspiration to become an educator and a prolific writer. This aspiration was occasioned by my growing awareness of the great ignorance, the false teachings, the wickedness, violence, and suffering throughout the world. I saw ...

Make your heart a monastery. Ring the bell there, for the call to Vigil, cense and whisper prayers the whole time. God’s with you.

(Previous publication:...) But of course it also took some scholarly side work in order to facilitate such forced entry. When the journal started in 1995, the only ever available and reliable Orthodox contributor the journal could count on was - Engelhardt himself.  There was, of course,  Father John Breck, from St. Vladimir’s Theological Seminary. Beyond that, Herman  worked with priests who had experience in hospital-based ethics committees, such as Fathers George Eber, Dimitrij Cozby, Paul D. O’Callaghan, Alexy Young, Thomas Joseph, and Edward Hughes. These priests understood the need for a specifically Orthodox account. Only in 1998, the Engelhardts’ efforts of love (and a miracle of God) had brought me around, as his first Orthodox author from philosophy. A crucial turning ...

“Grand opening.” When we see such an advertisement for a store, we think low prices—bargains. More likely than not, we don’t think about the flip-side. When retailers advertise for these and other special events, their eye is almost solely on the bottom line. Let’s get the most people we can in here in order to maximize sales. Every person through the door represents a certain percent chance of a sale, and therefore a certain percentage of today’s income. The math is fairly simple: a product people want plus the people who want it equals growth (profit, then ordering more, then selling more). This plan works great for capitalism, but it is a disastrous scheme and a horrible ‘model’ for Christianity. The ...

It was February, 1988. Quite cold in Karyes . It’s at quite a high elevation and it’s damp which makes things more difficult. But the weather was dry that day. There was a bit of a breeze and if you were warmly dressed it was quite enjoyable. It was late afternoon and the sun had just dropped behind the hill. I was walking along a path with Father Païsios, and on the way we met up with Fr. Kallinikos from the Skete of Koutloumousi. We arrived at the little wooden bridge. There were walnut tress all around, with just bare branches. ‘Who’s gone and brought mandarins?’, asked Father Païsios in surprise. Much further on, about sixty meters away, there was the gate to ...

God is the beginning and the end. It's His Grace that permeates everything. That's the motivating power. How it works, how love operates, is by keeping the commandments.

Soup Kitchen As the time draws near for Angelo to enter Kindergarten I find myself on a roller coaster of emotions.  Excitement.  Nervousness.  Fear.   However, the most prominent emotion, by far, is the overwhelming sense of responsibility that I feel.  Have I adequately prepared him? For the past couple years we’ve spent countless hours practicing letters, numbers, sight words and more.  Every weeknight when supper and chores are finished we work in workbooks and flip through flash cards.  I breathe a sigh of relief as he recites the alphabet and writes his name complete with all 17 letters.  I am gaining confidence in his preparedness to begin his lifelong journey of learning. Why then do I feel like I am forgetting ...

Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (Rev. 5:8) Patmos - Cave of St. John An amazing transformation happens in the minds and hearts of those who journey to Mount Athos in pilgrimage. Peace and freedom of cares quiet the soul making it possible to pray. As I walked passed the massive steel gate of the monastery of Philotheou and into the inner courtyard, it was as if I had never left.  I could hear my friends, monks S. and D. calling me, but even as I greeted them, my inner being was still. “Lord ...

‘The term “Mother of God” in the Fathers of the Church and its use as a criterion of Orthodoxy’ The term ‘Mother of God’ is nowhere to be found in Scripture, as can easily be seen by a consultation of the concordances of the Old and New Testaments. In Scripture, the Mother of God is called Mary (Matth. 1, 16), Virgin (Matth. 1, 23), mother of Jesus (Matth.1, 18), but not Mother of God or All-Holy Lady, terms which are familiar to and popular with the Orthodox. Without doubt, Orthodoxy both depends upon and arises from Scripture and the Tradition of the Church, so we should look for the use of the term in the Tradition of the Fathers of the ...

Wickedness is passed on as easily as an infectious disease.

Every priest is asked questions about behavior during worship, both what should be done to show proper respect in the Lord's temple and what can be done to achieve more meaningful participation in the services. This article will attempt to address some of the more common questions and concerns; it draws on a variety of sources. These should not be taken as laws to be obeyed, but as aids to an attitude or frame of mind which will make our parish's worship more meaningful to each of us. Whenever we enter or leave the temple we should do so as quietly as possible, so as not to disturb the prayers of our brothers and sisters. As we enter or leave the temple, ...

Elder Sophrony (Sacharov) has been called ‘a leading Church personality who lived and presented the Christian life in practice, in its theological entirety’. As regards content and the depth of experiences they describe, his works have been likened to the spirit to be found in texts by Symeon the New Theologian and Gregory Palamas. His basic contribution to Orthodox theology in modern times is considered to be the way in which he highlights the Hypostatic Principle in God and humankind. The person, or hypostasis has always been of prime importance in Orthodox Patristic theology, from the very beginning. The importance of the person has once again been highlighted in the circles of Orthodox academic theology, generating concerns which in some instances ...