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St John Chrysostom: The Golden Trumpet

~ By John Athanasatos St John Chrysostom is celebrated in the Orthodox Church three times a year. His repose is on September 14 but since that is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Feast was moved to November 13th. In addition, Chrysostom is celebrated on January 27th and again on the Feast of the Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs (Jan 30th), along with St Basil and St Gregory the Theologian. On

Evangelist Luke: Disciple of St. Paul

On October 18, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Evangelist Luke. He was one of the Seventy who were early emissaries of Christ sent out to do missionary work. After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.  Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray the

Saint Longinus the Centurion

~ Who was Saint Longinus and what is his story? By Zachary Porcu “Longinus” is the name given to the Roman centurion who had been serving under Pontius Pilate, the governor who oversaw Christ’s execution, and was said to have stood at the foot of the cross, witnesses Christ’s death. According to Eastern Orthodox tradition, St. Longinus was the one who said, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54) following the earthquake that

For God So Loved the World

~Sermon Preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, September 11, 2005 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ! When we want to express love to a special person we often tack on the little word “so”. I love you soooo much and, of course, the more you want to express it the longer you stretch the word. St. John uses

Sunday after the Elevation of the Honorable Cross: The Three Conditions for our Salvation

Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria, Naousa and Kampania ‘Let those who desire to come after me deny themselves, and take up their cross and follow me’ (Mark 8, 34). A few days ago, our Church celebrated the universal elevation of the honorable and life-giving Cross; and today, the Sunday after the Elevation, the Gospel reading reminds us of the importance of the Cross in our lives. Because, although Christ ascended the Cross for our salvation and although

The Elevation of the Precious Cross

Fr. Gennadios Manolis, Theologian The Lord’s Precious Cross is the supreme symbol of sacrifice and sanctification for the Church of Christ, Who was crucified and then rose, because the Cross, together with the Resurrection, are the two pillars which support the life for the Church and its members. The honour paid by the Orthodox Church to the Precious Cross on 14 September (though not only on that day) began in the very first, Apostolic years,

The 9-11 Cross at Ground Zero

When someone says 9-11 almost everyone in America will know that it refers to September 11, 2001, the day of the infamous attacks on the United States by 19 hijackers who flew two airline passenger jets into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon near Washington DC, and one that crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, while it was undoubtedly bound for the Capitol or White House. 9-11 became a

Our Means of Salvation

Metropolitan Ieronymos of Larisa and Tyrnavos As we prepare to celebrate the great feast of the Universal Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, which, according to the liturgical tradition of the Church is comparable to Holy and Great Friday- hence its status as a strict fast- the Gospel reading of the day reminds us of another strange elevation which happened centuries before, in the wilderness, during the exodus of the Israelite people from their

Peter, Self-Denial, and Change

~Sermon Preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, September 24, 2006 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ! Metropolitan Anthony Bloom once advised inquirers to Orthodoxy to put down their books and attend a Divine Liturgy. “The service is long, but even Orthodox services eventually come to an end. And if you simply stand there and are open to whatever

Discourse on Love

Archimandrite Georgios Kapsanis, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Gregoriou † 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