Pemptousia Archives - Page 10 of 16

The Fifth Wednesday of Great Lent: Beware of Habit

03/29/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on January 28, 2022 By Protopresbyter Georgios Dorbarakis ‘Do not become accustomed to being defeated in the spiritual war, because habit becomes second nature’ (Saint Efraim the Syrian). The great Saint Efraim the Syrian makes a profound psychological and also spiritual observation, the truth of which we can all confirm from our daily experience. Who doubts the power of habit? If we do something once and then repeat it, it becomes difficult

The Fourth Wednesday of Great Lent: The Prayer of Righteous Symeon

03/22/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on February 3, 2022 Metropolitan of Pisidia Sotirios At every Vespers, we hear the prayer: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; For my eyes have seen your salvation …” (Luke 2: 29-31). As St. Luke the Evangelist writes, it is with these words that the Righteous Symeon praised and thanked God, when he took the 40-day old baby Jesus in his arms, while in the Temple of

The Third Wednesday of Great Lent. Sin: An Existential, Not a Legal Issue

03/15/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on February 17, 2022 Archimandrite Kyrillos Kostopoulos ‘Herein lies the essence of sin: in our lack of trust in and absolute love for God the Creator; and in our total attachment to the ego’. In society today, in particular, the notion of sin has been deliberately distorted. This is because we dwell on the superficial meaning of the word (‘failure’, ‘missing the mark’) and miss the more profound meaning. For the Orthodox Church and

Light and Lights

02/22/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on January 26, 2022 Protopresbyter Georgios Dorbarakis ‘Because the Lord has prepared it to be his throne and dwelling-place, the soul which has been granted spiritual union with the light of Christ and has been illumined by the moral beauty of his inexpressible glory completely becomes light, completely becomes a persona*, completely becomes an eye. There is no part of such a soul that is not filled with the spiritual eyes of the light;

Beware of Habit

02/15/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on January 28, 2022 Protopresbyter Georgios Dorbarakis ‘Do not become accustomed to being defeated in the spiritual war, because habit becomes second nature’ (Saint Efraim the Syrian). The great Saint Efraim the Syrian makes a profound psychological and also spiritual observation, the truth of which we can all confirm from our daily experience. Who doubts the power of habit? If we do something once and then repeat it, it becomes difficult to stop. So

A Remarkable Royal Family: Feast of Saint Werburga

02/03/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership, February 3, 2017 W. J. Lillie February 3, Feast of Saint Werburga While it may be true that history doesn’t repeat itself, it is also true that human beings do. Each generation, each person, is born into the same spiritual state as the generations who have gone before. It’s true that a child will benefit from a loving environment, a good education and a proper formation in the faith, but that

On Those Who Have No Patience

01/11/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on February 1, 2022 Protopresbyter Georgios Dorbarakis ‘Wretched and pitiful are those who have no patience, because it is against them that the ‘Woe’ in Holy Scripture is directed. It says woe to those who have lost patience. So really, woe betide those who have no patience, because such people are tossed hither and thither like a leaf in the wind. They can’t abide being challenged, and they’re faint-hearted in sorrows. They’re quick to

The Eleventh Day of Christmas: The Good of Our Soul

01/04/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on November 25, 2017 By Saint Isaac the Syrian It takes a great struggle, because the passions are very powerful. But by God’s grace those who are courageous and fight with all their strength will be victorious. Bodily effort and study of the holy Scriptures preserve the purity of the mind. And then it needs a lot of prayer, so that divine grace will shelter those who are struggling. If we’re to acquire the

The Thirty-Eighth Day of Christmas Advent: St Anastasia the Roman

12/22/2022

Published by Pemptousia Partnership, October 29, 2017 Saint Symeon the Translator We find two Anastasias in the Lives of the saints, both of whom were of prominent and famous families and who confessed their faith. Both were daughters of mighty Rome. The first was married against her will by her parents, but never came together with her husband, nor even slept with him, pretending she was ill, though in reality because he was a pagan.

The Thirty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent: Martyr Boniface and Saint Aglaïa

12/19/2022

Published by Pemptousia Partnership, December 17, 2021 Evagoras Mahaira Aglaïa was a prosperous woman who lived in the region around Rome in the time of Diocletian and had Boniface as a slave. Bonifatius was her steward, very good-looking in appearance, generous to the poor and kind-hearted, but with a liking for drink and debauchery. They soon fell in love and had a clandestine relationship, since the difference in their social station would not permit any

Archive

The Fifth Wednesday of Great Lent: Beware of Habit

The Fourth Wednesday of Great Lent: The Prayer of Righteous Symeon

The Third Wednesday of Great Lent. Sin: An Existential, Not a Legal Issue

Light and Lights

Beware of Habit

A Remarkable Royal Family: Feast of Saint Werburga

On Those Who Have No Patience

The Eleventh Day of Christmas: The Good of Our Soul

The Thirty-Eighth Day of Christmas Advent: St Anastasia the Roman

The Thirty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent: Martyr Boniface and Saint Aglaïa

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