Mother of God Archives - Saint Sophia

The Participation of Nature in Worship: The Blessing of the Fruits of the Vine

08/20/2026

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on August 6, 2019 Georgios N. Manolis, Theologian According to Saint Basil the Great, nothing exists without due cause, nothing’s fortuitous, everything has some secret and unexpressed wisdom. Thus, regarding plants and their fruits, apart from their ecological importance as producers of eco-systems they’re also schools for rational souls and colleges of the knowledge of God, which train the intellect and lead it from the visible and tangible to the contemplation of things invisible. Plants

The Dormition of the Mother of God

08/15/2026

George Mantzarides, Professor Emeritus of the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki 15 August 2023 In the hymnography of the Orthodox Church, the Mother of God is called ‘god after God, holding second position to the Trinity’. Some people may feel that these terms are excessive and dogmatically unfounded. This is certainly not the case, however, since they convey the quintessence of Orthodox theology and anthropology. The Mother of God isn’t merely the

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 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

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

The Presentation and the Crucifixion

05/28/2026

Metropolitan Anthony Bloom of Sourozh (Extract from a sermon preached at the University Church of Great St Mary’s, Cambridge, on 19 May 1985) And then, lastly, two events which I would like to bring together. The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and the Crucifixion. Every male child first-born of a woman was to be brought to the Temple as an offering. If we read back into the Old Testament about the institution of the

Archive

The Participation of Nature in Worship: The Blessing of the Fruits of the Vine

The Dormition of the Mother of God

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 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

The Presentation and the Crucifixion

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