Fr. Steve Zorzos, Author at Saint Sophia

Mother of Us All

08/14/2026

~By Fr. Stephen Freeman, August 12, 2024 A young friend recently lost his mother. It has been an occasion of reflection for me, thinking about the emptiness created by such a loss. Despite all of the confusion and conundrums in our contemporary culture surrounding gender issues – they only serve to underscore the fact that male-and-female, on the most fundamental level of the human psyche, are core realities – subject to debate, but not subject to dismissal.

The Grandeur of the Mother of God (Part III)

08/13/2026

Monk Arsenios of the Skete of Koutloumousiou, the Holy Mountain 31 August 2023 If we see that some saints enjoy greater glory than others, this is due to the fact they have even a little bit more of Christ’s humility within them, nothing else. There are saints who have astonishing ascetic achievements to their name, but have less glory than others who performed fewer ascetic feats and this is due to the amount of the

The Grandeur of the Mother of God (Part II)

08/12/2026

Monk Arsenios of the Skete of Koutloumousiou, the Holy Mountain 30 August 2023 So humility which comes as a natural result after we sin, especially when these are mortal sins, is one thing, and the humility of Christ is another. For sinful people, humility’s absolutely necessary for them to stay alive, so that they won’t be swallowed up by the devil. The humility of Christ, on the other hand, is a divine garment, it’s magnificence,

The Grandeur of the Mother of God (Part I)

08/11/2026

Monk Arsenios of the Skete of Koutloumousiou, the Holy Mountain 28 August 2023 When the most glorious and richest kings on earth have in mind to build their throne and their royal palace as a whole, they don’t leave a stone unturned until they find the most precious material that nature is able to offer, so that the palace won’t lack the slightest thing in terms of luxury goods. And if they themselves were able

The Sword that Pierces the Soul

08/10/2026

~By Fr. Stephen Freeman, August 14, 2024 Mary, the Theotokos, was described by St. Irenaeus in the 2nd century, as the “New Eve.” Like Eve, she is the “mother of us all,” if we have the eyes to see her properly. She is a quiet figure in the New Testament – not a preacher or worker of miracles. We see the story of her humility and openness to God as she embraces His condescension: “Be

The Soprano and the Miracle of the Holy Belt

08/07/2026

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on September 6, 2019 Gina Poulou, who is a soprano with the Greek National Opera, has had the most astonishing experience. When the Holy Belt, the relic of the Mother of God, was in Nea Ionia, Athens, in 2017, she reverenced it. A few days before, a small tumor had appeared on her neck as had others in her breast. These unsettling symptoms, together with the pain she was feeling, terrified her and she

Look Who’s Talking

08/06/2026

~By Fr. Stephen Freeman, August 6, 2025 In the Transfiguration, Christ is seen speaking with Moses and Elijah on the top of a mountain, shimmering with a light of unbearable brightness. It is an event unlike anything else in the gospels, deserving the Great Feast that is associated with it. That Christ is seen speaking with Moses and Elijah is itself an affirmation that in Him, the whole of the Law and the Prophets find

The Beauty of Nature as a Stimulus for Spiritual Enquiry

08/05/2026

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on August 12, 2020 Protopresbyter Vasileios Kalliakmanis, Professor of the Theological School, A.U.Th. The way of life in large cities has degenerated in recent years. Pollution of the atmosphere, accumulation of garbage, electromagnetic and noise pollution, lack of greenery, the ecological crisis, the commute between home and places of work, traffic congestion as well as the alienation and isolation of people, despite the flourishing social networks, have all contributed to the heavy atmosphere. Permanent

Behold Your Mother

08/04/2026

~By Father Stephen Freeman, August 11, 2025 Christ’s words from the Cross to St. John, “Behold your mother,” are both an intimate whisper of a son’s care for his most beloved as well as a cosmic directive to the whole of humanity and creation. This woman is Woman – and her significance abides and will not fade. She points us towards the deepest realities of what it means to be human and, in doing so,

The Great Paraclitic Canon

08/03/2026

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on August 7, 2020 Archbishop Stylianos of Australia † The time from August 1 to 15 is a period in the Church’s year during which the Orthodox soul turns to Our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God, with eyes full of contrition. For the two weeks before the feast of the Dormition, the bells ring at sunset and crowds of the faithful go to sing the Great Paraclitic Canon. Of course, we have

Archive

Mother of Us All

The Grandeur of the Mother of God (Part III)

The Grandeur of the Mother of God (Part II)

The Grandeur of the Mother of God (Part I)

The Sword that Pierces the Soul

The Soprano and the Miracle of the Holy Belt

The Beauty of Nature as a Stimulus for Spiritual Enquiry

Behold Your Mother

The Great Paraclitic Canon

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