Fr. Steve Zorzos, Author at Saint Sophia

Repressed Guilt and the Phenomenon of Projection

02/05/2026

Archimandrite Symeon Krayiopoulos † What is projection? It’s when someone projects onto others whatever it is that’s inside themselves. To put it more analytically, so that we all understand: people who’ve committed a sin and have repressed the guilt created by it, have, along with the guilt, also repressed their moral conscience; they’ve also repressed the valid law of God and replaced it with their own. It follows that everything they think, judge and decide

Grace and the Handbasket

02/04/2026

~By Father Stephen Freeman, July 4, 2023 A difficulty arises when making cultural observations – things rarely turn out as expected. The Roman Empire fell once upon a time, although the fall wasn’t nearly as clean and final as Gibbons imagined and it wasn’t really the Roman Empire that fell. But ever since the “Roman Empire fell” people have been rehearsing the lessons learned and expecting its repeat. Yet the empires (or whatever is expected to fall)

The Feast of Christ’s Reception as Fulfillment of the Ritual of Mosaic Law

02/03/2026

~Theodore Rokas The recent feast, the Reception of the Lord, is the feast which is celebrated exactly forty days after that of His Nativity. The name of the feast in Greek comes from a verb meaning ‘to go out and meet or welcome someone’ [Hence the depiction of Symeon in icons as being at or outside a door. WJL]. As regards the determination of the celebration of the feast on 2 February, this was decided

ON THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE

02/02/2026

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Today’s Feast has no fewer than four different names. Each name recalls a different aspect of this Feast. What are they? First of all, today’s Feast is called the Presentation of Christ. This is because it commemorates the Presentation of Christ by His Mother in the Temple at Jerusalem exactly forty days after His Birth. As we can see from

Sunday of The Parable of the Publican and Pharisee

02/01/2026

The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee is the first Sunday of a three-week period prior to the commencement of Great Lent. It marks the beginning of a time of preparation for the spiritual journey of Lent, a time for Orthodox Christians to draw closer to God through worship, prayer, fasting, and acts of charity. It is also on this day that the Triodion is introduced, a liturgical book that contains the services from

Memory of Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cyrus and John

01/31/2026

The Church commemorates Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cyrus and John, who offered everything for free, with love and divine enlightenment for those who suffer. Saints Cyrus and John lived under the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305). St. Cyrus came from Alexandria and St. John from Edessa, Syria. When the persecution of Diocletian broke out, Saint Cyrus went to a seaside place in Arabia and, after being tonsured as a monk, settled in this place. Saint

The Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs

01/30/2026

As the close of January draws near, a month filled with feasts commemorating prominent Church Fathers of the Orthodox Faith, comes to an end with the Feast of the Three Hierarchs. The Three Hierarchs are none other than: St Basil the Great, St John Chrysostom and St Gregory the Theologian. Each of these great Fathers have their own feast day: St Basil on January 1, St John Chrysostom on November 13 and January 27 and St Gregory

How the Church Approaches Its Sinful Children

01/29/2026

Fr. Andreas Agathokleous The notion that the Church has laws for all people and all circumstances appears not to be the case in practice. Moreover, such an idea would negate the uniqueness of the person and would amalgamate all people together, which would contravene God’s plan. When John the Baptist preached his message of rebuke, he roused the souls of the crowds who came to him to be baptized and asked him: ‘What shall we

Feast Day of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

01/28/2026

St. Ephraim was born early in the fourth century in the ancient city of Nisibis in Mesopotamia, where the Roman Empire bordered on the Persian Kingdom. At one time Mesopotamia belonged to Syria and for this reason St. Ephraim is known as “the Syrian.” He was born of Christian parents before the Edict of Milan was issued (313), establishing official toleration of religion, and, as he later wrote, his ancestors “confessed Christ before the judge;

How Does One Feel the Presence of the Holy Spirit within Oneself?

01/27/2026

Saint Luke the Doctor The Holy Spirit descended in a visible manner and came to rest on each of the apostles in the form of a tongue of fire. Why was this necessary? Precisely so that the world would learn that the Holy Spirit comes down to people. In the great and tremendous phenomena of nature, we see the powerful force of the elements. In the hurricane, which flattens all before it, we see the

Archive

Repressed Guilt and the Phenomenon of Projection

Grace and the Handbasket

The Feast of Christ’s Reception as Fulfillment of the Ritual of Mosaic Law

ON THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE

Sunday of The Parable of the Publican and Pharisee

Memory of Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cyrus and John

The Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs

How the Church Approaches Its Sinful Children

Feast Day of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

How Does One Feel the Presence of the Holy Spirit within Oneself?

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