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Saint Anthony the Great of Egypt

Perhaps the most effective tactic adopted by the adversary of man’s salvation has been to blind man to the reality of the spiritual warfare being waged for possession of his soul. We have consequently become spiritually flabby and easy prey for the enemy. To escape such a perilous condition we would do well to contemplate more often the examples of the saints who engaged in direct combat with the Evil One, unmasking his deceptions and

Saint Macarius the Great of Egypt

Saint Macarius the Great of Egypt was born around 331 in the village of Ptinapor in Egypt. At the wish of his parents he entered into marriage, but was soon widowed. After he buried his wife, Macarius told himself, “Take heed, Macarius, and have care for your soul. It is fitting that you forsake worldly life.” The Lord rewarded the saint with a long life, but from that time the memory of death was constantly

The Fear of God is Reverence for and Love of Him [2 of 2]

Published by Pemptousia Partnership, November 20, 2017 Metropolitan Athanasios of Lemessos The Church is not opposed to the human body. This is why the Fathers were so careful not to damage their body with their ascetic efforts. They tried to submit it to the Holy Spirit and to God’s commandments, so as not to seek the pleasures and lapses of the flesh, but they never accepted that their bodies should be damaged. In Patristic literature,

The Fourth Wednesday of Great Lent: Thoughts on Great Lent, Thoughts on Fasting

Thoughts on Great Lent By Michael Haldas, February 27, 2017 “Lent is a time for those who are at the “curious” stage to explore the faith deeper. For those who are at the “desire” stage, it is a time to deepen the commitment. For those who are at the “convicted” stage, it is a time to give greater witness. For those out recruiting, it is time to double efforts and recruit even more people to

Anthony the Great

Saint Anthony, the Father of monks, was born in Egypt in 251 of pious parents who departed this life while he was yet young. On hearing the words of the Gospel: “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what thou hast, and give to the poor” (Matt. 19:21), he immediately put it into action. Distributing to the poor all he had, and fleeing from all the turmoil of the world, he departed to the

Full of Grace and Truth: Saint Euthymios the Great

Saint Euthymios the Great came from the city of Melitene in Armenia, near the River Euphrates. His parents, Paul and Dionysia, were pious Christians of noble birth. After many years of marriage they remained childless, and in their sorrow they entreated God to give them offspring. Finally, they had a vision and heard a voice saying, “Be of good cheer! God will grant you a son, who will bring joy to the churches.” The child

The Problem of Evil

By Abbot Tryphon, October 26, 2019 Darkness does not exist in its own right Our Orthodox Christian theology views evil not as a primeval essence that is co-eternal and equal to God, but rather a falling away from good. Evil does not exist in and of itself, and was not created by God. Our Orthodox Church rejects the Gnostic teaching that the entirety of being is made up of two realms which have forever existed

Shaping Life Spiritually (Part II)

Every evening numerous dramas are played out as husbands and wives come home from work, bringing with them a chaotic mass of negative feelings from the office. They are glad to see each other, but they are full of thoughts from work. And thus there is no meeting of minds; people talk past each other and unload problems dragged in from elsewhere. Here it would be a good exercise to take the path home more

30 Days and 38 Sayings of Saint Anthony (Days 26-30, Sayings 29-38)

DAY TWENTY-SIX 29.  A brother in a monastery was falsely accused of fornication and he arose and went to Father Anthony.  The brothers also came from the monastery to correct him and bring him back.  They set about proving that he had done this thing, but he defended himself and denied that he had done anything of the kind.  Now Father Paphnutius happened to be there, and he told them this parable:  “I have seen

30 Days and 38 Sayings of Saint Anthony (Days 18-25, Sayings 21-28)

DAY EIGHTEEN 21.  It happened one day that one of the brothers in the monastery of Father Elias was tempted.  Cast out of the monastery, he went over the mountain to Father Anthony.  The brother lived near him for a while and then Anthony sent him back to the monastery from which he had been expelled.  When the brothers saw him they cast him out yet again, and he went back to Father Anthony saying,