Mother of God Archives - Saint Sophia

Holy Protection of the Theotokos

10/28/2026

The Feast of the Protection commemorates the appearance of the most holy Theotokos in the Church of Blachernae in Constantinople in the tenth century, as recorded in the life of Saint Andrew the Fool for Christ’s sake. While the multitudes of the faithful were gathered in church, Epiphanius, the friend of Saint Andrew, through the Saint’s prayers, beheld the Virgin Mary above the faithful and spreading out her veil over them, signifying her unceasing protection

The Holy Apostle James the Just

10/23/2026

Brother of the Lord, First Bishop of Jerusalem, and Author of the Epistle “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” (James 4:8) As one of his last blessings of new church communities, His Eminence Metropolitan Philip of blessed memory graciously granted us a charter and name for our church in honor of St. James the Apostle, First Bishop of Jerusalem and the

Homily on the Birth of the Theotokos

09/08/2026

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on September 8, 2020 Metropolitan of Pisidia Sotirios “Your birth, Oh Theotokos, brought joy to the whole world, for from you dawned the sun of righteousness, Christ our God. Freeing us from the curse, He gave us His blessings. Abolishing death, He granted us eternal life.” Apolytikion (the Dismissal hymn) of the Nativity of the Theotokos The birth of the ever virgin and Mother of God, Mary, which is celebrated on the 8th of September, is the

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

Archive

Holy Protection of the Theotokos

The Holy Apostle James the Just

Homily on the Birth of the Theotokos

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

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