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Saint Paisios the Athonite Brings Solace to Every Soul

~Archimandrite Georgios Kapsanis, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Gregoriou † Elder Païsios has no need of any praise or introduction from us. With his imitation of Christ’s love, he satisfied both God and other people and this is why he’s widely praised in the Church of God. He had the rare gift of being able to bring solace to people of all works of life, irrespective of their level of education or their spiritual

Love and Mourning in the Human Race (Saint Mary Magdalene, II)

Sister Parakliti, Holy Skete of Saint Mary Magdalene, in Liti Grief has its own stages. According to the psychological approach [1], we need to pass through them with care and support. We need time to begin to discover meaning in everything that’s happening to us. With Magdalene, it didn’t take much time. Christ appeared to her and told her about the resurrection. With this faith, she then continued her life, which had acquired a different

Love and Mourning in the Human Race (Saint Mary Magdalene, I)

Sister Parakliti, Holy Skete of Saint Mary Magdalene, in Liti This year, we’d like to dedicate the great virtue, that of love, to the memory of Saint Mary Magdalene. In volume two of the Philokalia, we find the ‘Four Hundred Texts on Love’ by Saint Maximos the Confessor. There are many sayings by the saint, but we shall focus on the first two of the first hundred: ‘Love is a holy state of the soul,

Saint Kyriakos the Anachorite

† Dionysios, Metropolitan of Servia and Kozani Today the Church honours and celebrates the sacred memory of Blessed Kyriakos the Anchorite, who was born in Corinth in 408. His father was called Ioannis and was a priest, while his mother was Evdoxia. The then bishop of Corinth, Petros, who was Kyriakos’ uncle on his father’s side, ordained him reader. But Kyriakos did not find inner peace in Corinth and so, at the age of eighteen,

Theology of Events (Titus 3, 8-15)

Archimandrite Varnavas Lambropoulos A superficial reading of the epistle for the 6th Sunday of Matthew gives the impression of dry moralism. The apostle twice repeats the exhortation to the faithful to learn to take the lead in the performance of good deeds, which he considers to be examples of spiritual productivity. And once he counsels them to avoid heretics ‘after one or two admonitions’. True or merely useful? The obvious question arises, one which is often

The Normality of Ingratitude

Fr. Andreas Agathokleous It would seem that human behavior isn’t merely strange, but also unpredictable. It can’t easily be gauged and at times it’s surprising, inasmuch as it’s strange, weird and unnatural. Is it not natural for the beneficiary to feel gratitude and to want, as far as possible and to the extent of their ability, to repay the benefaction? And yet, exactly the opposite might be the case. In the book Wonderful events and advice

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,

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

Faith in Christ is a Matter of the Heart

Protopresbyter Georgios Dorbarakis Faith in Christ is principally a matter of the heart, and then of reason. The Lord didn’t say, ‘If you understand me’, but ‘If you love me, keep my commandments’. This means that we can understand him to the degree that we try to love him. Our love for him, expressed as observance of his commandments, opens the door for him to come and dwell in our soul and body, so that