November 2011
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Virgin Mary weeps
“Virgin Mary weeps, she weeps every day. She says to her Son: ‘My Son and my God, grant the world wisdom, forgive the world.’”
-Saint Sophia the New
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An Orthodox Christmas Can be a Remedy for...
“The birth of Christ brought joy and hope to those who had been in darkness and the way the Orthodox celebrate Christmas is designed to let people feel that hope again,” states Father Jonathan Ivanoff, an Orthodox Christian Priest and Pastor of St. John the Theologian Orthodox Church in Shirley, New York.
The Orthodox Church (known by some in the west as “Eastern...
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Whoever wants to become a Christian must first...
“Whoever wants to become a Christian must first become a poet. That’s what it is! You must suffer. You must love and suffer—suffer for the one you love. Love makes effort for the loved one. She runs all through the night; she stays awake; she stains her feet with blood in order to meet her beloved. She makes sacrifices and disregards all impediments, threats, and difficulties...
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Saint Seraphim of Sarov said...
One must always strive to give oneself up to dispersion of thoughts: for through this the soul turns away from remembrance of God and love of Him…
-Saint Seraphim of Sarov
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Anonymous asked: If a Catholic wants to convert to Russian Orthodoxy, what are the steps?
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How can we prepare for Christ’s arrival?
*By increasing our prayer. Says Fr. Anthony Coniaris, “The two great movements of the soul have always been withdrawal and return…withdrawal into God’s presence through prayer for strength…without prayer, the quality of our service deteriorates. Without prayer we forget the world; with prayer we remember.” Advent is a time to remember that in God, we move and breathe and have our being, and we...
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About the Lord’s birth and baptism
“The Lord’s birth and baptism are directly connected to His dying and rising. He was born in order to die…the harmony between the events is overwhelming…Jesus lay as an infant in the cavern in the reign of Caesar Augustus that He might lay in the tomb under Pontius Pilate. He was hounded by Herod that He might be caught by Caiaphas…He was worshipped by wise men that the whole of creation might...
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The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called
Commemorated on November 30 The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, and he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ (John 1:35-42). The future apostle was from Bethsaida, and from his youth he turned with all his soul to God. He did not enter into marriage, and he worked with his brother as a fisherman. When the holy...
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On priesthood
In the Orthodox Church, priests and bishops are regarded as bearers of divine grace, as instruments through which God Himself acts. When receiving a priest’s blessing, the faithful kiss his hand as if it were Christ’s hand, because it is by Christ’s power that he gives the blessing. This sense of holiness and dignity in priestly ministry is weakened in some Christian denominations. In certain...
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Tomorrow Orthodoxy celebrates one of the greatest...
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Orthodox Christian Fasting recipes (part 3)
The Navity fast has started on November 15. We Orthodox Christians fast for 40 days. Also the Catholic Advent has started.
Today’s recipe is a Winter Fruit Salad :)
Ingredients
1 medium apple,
cut up 1 medium banana,
sliced 1 navel orange, peeled, cut up
cinnamon for sprinkling
pomegranate seeds (optional)
6 tablespoons
chopped walnuts
Directions
*Mix the fruits together and...
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When everyone makes fun of Greek people, a...
“I was searching for the Truth, using more than 30 different publications of the Holy Bible, which unfortunately, were all full of errors (translated by non-Orthodox). I would have liked to be born Greek, so that I may read the Holy Bible in its original form!”
-Pelagia Yu, an Orthodox Christian (ex Protestant) from Taiwan.
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If Christ were to walk in this world today...
”If Christ were to walk in this world today, do you know what would happen to Him? He would be placed in a mental institution and given psychotherapy, just as would His saints. The world would crucify Him today just as it did two thousand years ago, for the world has not learned a thing, except more devious forms of hypocrisy.”
- Father Seraphim Rose (via theophilus79)
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We Should Not Despair Even If We Sin Many Times
If those attacked by many passions of soul and body endure patiently, do not out of negligence surrender their free will, and do not despair, they are saved. Similarly, he who has attained the state of dispassion, freedom from fear and lightness of heart, quickly falls if he does not confess God’s grace continually by not judging anyone. Indeed, should he dare to judge someone, he makes it...
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Teachings On Purification of the Nous
Love defeats those three: self-deception, because she is not proud; interior envy, because she is not jealous; exterior envy, because she is generous and serene.
-St. Maximus the Confessor
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Musing of an Orthodox Brit: 14 messages insulting...
So now you stopped insulting me (after 7 insulting messages) and you started insulting Daniel?
In this way you don’t promote Catholicism, you make people fear of Catholicism, can’t you understand that??
PS. Thank you for all the encouragement messages from Christians of all denominations (including dear Catholic friends). I love you all!
Daniel please don’t worry,
God bless...
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The world of eternity looms nearer
“As the present world approaches its end, the world of eternity looms nearer…. The end of the world merges with the beginning of eternal life…. The spiritual world is moving itself closer to us, manifesting itself through visions and revelations.”
-Saint Gregory the Dialogist
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I’m so sorry people have been hurting you about the whole Catholic/Orthodox thing, but you have to expect it when you are dealing with the theological questions you did and the way you handled them. Its not their place to have offended you, I hope you haven’t lost your peace with the offenders personally, they are just trying to cut you down because they realize you speak the truth....
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A reply to the hateful message from a Catholic (I...
If your purpose was to hurt me with your insults, well done, you did it.
First of all, Orthodoxy is NOT going to accept the Pope as her head. Never! There are Saints just like Saint Mark of Ephesus who said the following:
“It is impossible to recall peace without dissolving the cause of the schism—the primacy of the Pope exalting himself equal to God.”
During the Early...
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God will give you help.
“Pray that you may be granted the grace to read the Fathers with the right understanding, the grace to live up to the standards they put before you, and the grace to clearly see your own frailty. You will not long be left wanting and waiting. God will give you help.”
-Saint Macarius of Optina
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Speak to God about your children
“Speak more to God about your children, rather than to your children about God.”
—Father Epiphanios Theodoropoulos, Counsels for Life
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I do not speak about Christ
“I do not speak about Christ, unless others want to, unless they ask. I pray for those people, I will even work miracles for them, but I do not speak to them. I want their soul to open up and to ask me. By asking to hear something, a person willingly listens.”
-Elder Porphyrios
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Mysteries We Should Not Contemplate Without the...
St. Gregory of Sinai writes:
We confirm that there are eight principle subjects for contemplation:
First, God, invisible and unseen; without beginning and uncreated; the First Cause of everything that exists; Triune; the one and only pre-existing Divinity;
Second, the order and rank of rational powers [the bodiless powers of heaven; the angelic world];
Third, the composition of visible...
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Anonymous asked: Hello, I was wondering why we wear crosses. Is it to let others know we are Christians, to remind ourselves we are Christians or for another reason? I know I can't leave the house without my cross anymore, if I do, I just feel like I'm missing something. Sometimes during the day, I think I forgot, and I feel round my neck, and I'm always really relieved when I feel that I do have...
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A prayer request for a person who died
Two days ago, my teacher died. He had cancer. His name was Evangelos.
Please pray for him. Let us unite our prayers for a person who suffered a lot from cancer.
Let’s pray that our merciful Lord will forgive him and have him at his Kingdom.
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How to read the Bible and why?
By Saint Justin Popovich
The holy Fathers recommend serious preparation before reading and studying the Bible; but of what does this preparation consist?
First of all in prayer. Pray to the Lord to illuminate your mind—so that you may understand the words of the Bible—and to fill your heart with His grace—so that you may feel the truth and life of those words.
Be aware that...
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Instructions on Forgiveness by Saint Seraphim of...
‘Thus should we weep for the forgiveness of our sins. The words of the bearer of the purple should convince us of this: “Going they went and wept, casting their seed; but coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves” (Psalm 125.6); as well as the words of St Isaac the Syrian: “Moisten your cheeks with the tears of your eyes, that the Holy Spirit may...
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Grace active even in unworthy clerics
It happens that laymen live in piety, while priests live in unrighteousness, and therefore, if grace were to seek everywhere only the worthy, neither Baptism nor the offering of the Body of Christ ought to be performed through them. But now the Lord usually acts even through the unworthy, and the grace of Baptism is not in the least injured by the life of the priest. I say this so that anyone...
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As a friend talking with his friend
As a friend talking with his friend, man speaks with God, and drawing near in confidence he stands before the face of the One who dwells in light unapproachable.
-Saint Symeon the New Theologian
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If you only knew...
“Oh, if you only knew what happened to the Lord on Wednesday and Friday, you would put nothing in your mouth. Neither bread, nor oil. Do not break the fast of Wednesday and Friday.”
-St. Sophia the New
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Selected Quotes of the Fathers on Fasting
“If anyone, while keeping fast, adds something to it by his own will, or if he fasts seeking men’s praise or some gain from it, such a fast is abomination in the eyes of God. And so it is in all things. Every good action, which is done not merely from the love of God, but is mingled with one’s own will, is unclean and unpleasing to God.”
-St. Barsanuphius and St. John -...
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A new Orthodox Saint: St. Sophia, the "Ascetic of...
Elder Sophia to be officially numbered among the Saints
The Holy Metropolis of Kastorias is deeply moved to inform the fulness of our Holy Metropolis that bears the name of Christ, along with all the inhabitants of Western Macedonia, that the Ecumenical Patriarchate, led by our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, along with the Holy Synod, has recorded and numbered among the Saints of our...
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Gospel Reading: 13th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 18:18-27
At that time, a ruler came to Jesus and asked him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’...
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It will be my first Christmas on tumblr! :)
This will be my first Christmas here. So I will share for you many greek traditions, like “kalada” (traditional greek songs that differ from place to place), greek Christmas hymns, greek decorations (we decorate both Christmas tree and the traditional greek ship)… everything Greek! :)
It’s a Greek Orthodox blog :)
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I fall in love with Orthodox Church...
I fall in love with Orthodox Church because I see how God loves her so deeply and keeps her undeviled [undefiled] by the evil one just like a Husband who doesn’t let His Wife be deviled [defiled] by wicked men…
She is my mother now. Even though she looks old, unchanging, rugged, old fashioned and the world doesn’t see it.
- The testimony of a young brother
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I have a question (for both Orthodox and...
I am confused… I recently heard that there are “Old Catholics” who are not in communion with Rome.
“The Old Catholic Churches reject the doctrine of papal infallibility; thus they reject the dogmatic status of the teachings promulgated in the Roman Catholic Church by such means, namely the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary. While Old Catholics affirm the Real...
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I promised to find a historic wrong of Orthodoxy...
I was called by someone a “sectarian”, so I decided to search and find a wrong that happened in Orthodoxy.
I found how Russia was Christianized by Saint Vladimir of Kiev who is honored both in Orthodoxy and in Roman Catholicism. We both celebrate him on 15 July.
In the year 987, a prince, Vladimir (Saint Vladimir) sent envoys to study the religions of the various neighboring...
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26 November Troparion (Tone 3) St. Stylianos
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Elder Sophrony said...
“It is essential in these days to be able to protect ourselves from the influence of those with whom we come in contact. Otherwise we risk losing both faith and prayer. Let the whole world dismiss us as unworthy of attention, trust or respect – it will not matter provided that the Lord accepts us. And vice versa: it will profit us nothing if the whole world thinks well of us and sings our...
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Anonymous asked: I am a lapsed Catholic. Atheism is NOT a solution. Protestantism is NOT a solution. There is always the Eastern Orthodox Church that remains unchanged since the Early Christianity. I WAS SO BLIND. Orthodoxy is the light! Thank you for your beautiful blog! I love you xoxoxoxo
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