Elder Paisios Archives - Saint Sophia

Apostle James, the Brother of our Lord, First Bishop of Jerusalem

10/23/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on October 23, 2017 James W. Lillie Saint James was the son of Joseph the Betrothed from his (first) marriage. He was blessed by God while he was still in his mother’s womb and was so righteous in his life that all the Jews called him the “Just”. Even from a very early age, James lived a very ascetic life. He did not partake of wine or other strong drinks. In imitation of Saint

Agios Paisios of Mount Athos

07/12/2023

By Greek City Times Today is the Feast Day of Agios Paisios of Mount Athos, who was born on July 25, 1924 and died July 12, 1994. Also known as Elder Paisios (Γέροντας Παΐσιος ο Αγιορείτης), he was a monastic of Mount Athos. An ascetic, he was known by his visitors for his gentle manner and acceptance of those who came to receive his advice, counsel, and blessing. Over the course of his life the

Agios Paisios of Mount Athos, Patron Saint of Signalmen

07/12/2022

Published by Pemptousia Partnership, November 10, 2017 Nikolaos G. Koios, Content Coach of Pemptousia Following a request by the Office of Military Chaplains, part of the General Staff of the Greek Armed Forces, the Holy Permanent Synod of the Church of Greece has declared Saint Paisios the Athonite to be the Patron Saint of the Corps of Signals. Thinking Christians are often troubled by the question: how is it possible that the Church, which blesses the

The Fourth Tuesday of Great Lent: The Meaning of Pain in Our Lives

03/29/2022

Published by Pemptousia Partnership, October 18, 2014 By Abbot George Kapsanis of Gregoriou Apart from the suffering that it causes, physical, mental or spiritual pain– which entered man’s life by divine sufferance – also has positive effects for man’s earthly life and development. It is easy to philosophize or theologize about pain but it is difficult to have a proper attitude towards pain when one experiences great pain oneself. I believe it is very presumptuous to

Elder Paisios: The Children, Their Joys and Their Difficulties

02/23/2022

Published by Pemptousia Partnership, September 24, 2014 Q.: I’ve noticed, Elder, that sometimes babies smile at the time of Divine Liturgy. A.: They don’t do that only at the Divine Liturgy. Babies are in constant contact with God, because they’ve got nothing to worry about. What did Christ say about little children? ‘Their angels in heaven continually gaze upon the face of my Father who is in heaven’. They’re in touch with God and with

The Life of the Cosmos

07/30/2021

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, January 15, 2016 What does it mean to be alive? This is a question whose answer would seem so obvious that it is hardly worth asking. And yet. A recent comment drew attention to a different way of thinking about what is “alive.” I will offer some quotes from the comment and then some observations of my own. I give special thanks to Justin. Everything is alive. Everything. We encounter the

The First Tuesday of Great Lent. The Lenten Journey. Repentance.

03/16/2021

The Lenten Journey: Transformation through the Lenten Journey By Abbot Tryphon, February 27, 2020 The Byzantine Court was filled with sycophants, busying themselves with building alliances that would help them rise in status and influence. During the thousand years of the empire, a few emperors were tricked into believing these sycophants were truly their friends, and could be trusted, when in actuality they were being played, and these flatterers were not their friends. These sycophants

The Fifth Wednesday of Great Lent. The Banishment of Hell. Repentance.

04/01/2020

One of my favorite authors as a young man, was Thomas Merton, the famous Trappist monk. In the introduction to his work New Seeds of Contemplation he wrote: “Hell was where no one has anything in common with anyone else except the fact that they all hate one other and cannot get away from each other and from themselves.” This very much fits with the Orthodox view of hell as being in the presence of

REAL PEACE (Part VIII)

07/28/2016

“The joy of God is not a joy like the joy we experience in this world, and if we start comparing them it is like light and darkness. It is the contrast between something imperishable and that which is perishable. When one has a taste of God’s joy, then all the joys of the world are transcended, annihilated. They cannot dazzle you. How could the moon dazzle you when you have seen the light of

REAL PEACE (Part VI)

06/22/2016

“So when we examine ourselves and discover that our behavior is similar to that of Christ, we can rejoice,” Fr. Maximos continued. “Otherwise we should humble ourselves. Never justify ourselves. Whoever tries to justify himself or herself will never reach metanoia.” “How does one humble oneself?” Maria wondered. “Thank God there are plenty of opportunities in our everyday life to humble ourselves! The more difficulties we have in life, the greater the opportunities for humility.”

Archive

Apostle James, the Brother of our Lord, First Bishop of Jerusalem

Agios Paisios of Mount Athos

Agios Paisios of Mount Athos, Patron Saint of Signalmen

The Fourth Tuesday of Great Lent: The Meaning of Pain in Our Lives

Elder Paisios: The Children, Their Joys and Their Difficulties

The Life of the Cosmos

The First Tuesday of Great Lent. The Lenten Journey. Repentance.

The Fifth Wednesday of Great Lent. The Banishment of Hell. Repentance.

REAL PEACE (Part VIII)

REAL PEACE (Part VI)

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