providence Archives - Saint Sophia

The Thirty-First Day of Christmas Advent. The Feast Day of the Holy Hieromartyr Eleftherios

12/15/2025

~By Father George Konstantopoulos My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God, CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. ON THE 15th OF DECEMBER OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE HOLY HIEROMARTYR ELEFTHERIOS, BISHOP OF ILLYRICUM Eleftherios (meaning freedom or liberty), the wondrous and glorious hieromartyr, shone forth as a brilliant luminary during the 2nd century after Christ. He was born in the renowned and great city of Rome of

The Difficulties of Life

07/24/2025

Metropolitan Athanasios of Lemessos Often when we go to sad events, we all say, with the best will in the world- and we’re partially right- that it’s God’s will. And, of course, if we can understand properly, those are, indeed, words of comfort, words that give us strength. Since it’s what God wants, since God decided this was to happen, we trust in his providence. But to be precise, these words aren’t strictly true. God

Providence and the Music of All Creation

07/14/2025

~Father Stephen Freeman, June 20, 2018 God’s being and actions are one. This is essentially the teaching of the Church on the topic of the Divine Energies. When I read discussions about this – it seems to get lost in the twists and turns of medieval metaphysics or passes into the territory of seeing the “Uncreated Light.” Both approaches are unhelpful for me, and both obscure something that should be far more transparent. Some of

Life in the Fog of the World

06/16/2025

~By Father Stephen Freeman, April 13, 2022 In December of 1990, fog rolled into a stretch of I-75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga. Visibility quickly became a problem. The result was a fiery 99 car pile-up with 12 deaths and 42 injuries. Such tragedies are repeated from time-to-time across the country, with fog, rain, snow, and ice as the primary culprits. If you have ever been involved in such road conditions, then you probably remember something

Second Thoughts on Success

01/27/2025

By Father Stephen Freeman, February 5, 2018 I have had a few emails and other notes regarding my recent articles on Providence and a non-modern spiritual life. To speak about a life that is not understood in terms of progress, but in terms of its struggles and weakness is the antithesis of the modern ideal. No matter how bad things might be, at some point, we are always assured that they can get better. “Getting

Where Is God in All of This? God in Providence

01/24/2025

By Father Stephen Freeman, January 24, 2018 Somewhere along the years, I gained a useful insight about “doing nothing.” On the whole, it’s the lousiest strategy for living that can be found. We were not created to be passive creatures. Our life is a gift of a good God, but we are not called to be passive recipients. Anyone who has struggled with a “besetting sin” will understand what I’m saying. Trying to “not” do

Venerable Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine

09/28/2023

Commemorated on September 28 Saint Chariton the Confessor was born at Iconium in the province of Lycaonia, and suffered there during a persecution against Christians in the reign of Emperor Aurelian (270-275). The example of the holy Protomartyr Thekla (September 24), who was also a native of his city, encouraged him to confess Christ, since he had a great devotion to her. Saint Chariton bravely denounced the pagan gods and staunchly confessed faith in the one

Monday of the Holy Spirit: The Orthodox Church as Continuous Pentecost

06/05/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on June 23, 2021 Saint Justin Popovich Who is Jesus Christ, who is both God and human? What in him is God and what is human? How do we recognize the God in him and the human? What did God grant us in the person of Jesus? All of this is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, the ‘Spirit of Truth’. In other words, he reveals the truth about Jesus, about the God

The Fourth Monday of Great Lent: The Mystery of Providence

03/20/2023

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, January 21, 2018 The entire mystery of the economy of our salvation consists in the self-emptying and abasement of the Son of God – St. Cyril of Alexandria Among the most troublesome thoughts to my modern mind are those surrounding God’s providence. A popular morning prayer from the Elders of Optina reads: O Lord, grant that I may meet all that this coming day brings to me with spiritual tranquility. Grant

A Cruciform Providence

01/27/2023

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, February 16, 2017 The entire mystery of the economy of our salvation consists in the self-emptying and abasement of the Son of God – St. Cyril of Alexandria Trust in the providence of God is much more than a general theory of how things are arranged in our lives and in the world. We tend to discuss the notion in the abstract, wondering whether this action or event is to be

Archive

The Thirty-First Day of Christmas Advent. The Feast Day of the Holy Hieromartyr Eleftherios

The Difficulties of Life

Providence and the Music of All Creation

Life in the Fog of the World

Second Thoughts on Success

Where Is God in All of This? God in Providence

Venerable Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine

Monday of the Holy Spirit: The Orthodox Church as Continuous Pentecost

The Fourth Monday of Great Lent: The Mystery of Providence

A Cruciform Providence

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