September 2011
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A Miracle of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou
Saint Irene Chrysovalantou, I thank you for hearing my prayers and healing my daughter of fifteen years old who was admitted to a hospital in Vancouver because the doctors diagnosed her with leukemia. We prayed to Saint Irene Chrysovalantou to cure our child and she worked her miracle. I went to the hospital and gave my daughter the icon of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou to have next to her and pray...
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Patience
By taking one small step at a time, and not thinking that in one big step we are going to get any place, we can walk straight to the Kingdom of Heaven––and there is no reason for any of us to fall away from that .”
-Fr. Seraphim Rose
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What is the Divine Light?
In the divine light the mind is enabled to see God directly and to find itself in union with Him. This is not a light which is beyond itself or higher,
”..But seeing itself, it sees more than itself: it does not simply contemplate some other object, or simply its own image, but rather the glory impressed on its own image by the grace of God. This radiance reinforces the mind’s...
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The Healing Power of Embarrassment
When someone laughs at me over something I’ve done, the last thing I tend to think is, “I’m so glad this is happening—I’m really benefitting from this!” St. Dorotheos of Gaza, however, teaches that embarrassment really is good for us:
Believe that dishonors and reproaches are medicines that heal the pride of thy soul, and pray for those who reproach thee, as for true physicians of thy soul,...
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A quote from St. Dorotheus of Gaza
What we need is a little labor! Let us endure this labor that we may obtain mercy. -St. Dorotheus of Gaza
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The snares
I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, “What can get through from such snares?” Then I heard a voice saying to me, “Humility.” -St. Anthony the Great
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Saint John of Climacus said...
Repentance is the renewal of baptism. Repentance is a contract with God for a second life. A penitent is a buyer of humility. Repentance is constant distrust of bodily comfort. Repentance is self-condemning reflection, and carefree self-care. Repentance is the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair. A penitent is an undisgraced convict. Repentance is reconciliation with the Lord by...
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The Miracle of the Resurrection
…Isn’t this huge miracle we live in as big a miracle as the resurrection? Do you think creation is easier than resurrection? If God is strong enough to create everything from nothing, to create the whole world and the whole universe, do you think it is difficult to resurrect what he has already created?
–Metropolitan Filaret, sermon on Easter Monday in St. Vladimir’s cathedral, Kiev,...
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About Last Judgment
“Always remember that at the Last Judgment we are judged for loving Him, or failing to love Him, in the least person.”
—Archbishop Anastasios of Albania
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A different way of life...
In this video you’ll see a different way of life, a life in Christ. You can sense true compassion and the love of Christ. It’s good to pay attention at Hermits’ sayings. May God bless us all!
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Elder Gabriel of Georgia said about death
Death is transfiguration. Don’t be afraid of death; rather be afraid of the Judgment Day. When you go in for examinations before your professor, your heart starts palpitating; imagine how you will feel before the Creator. Greatness of GOD is incomparable.
-Elder Gabriel of Georgia
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Salvation
If salvation in Christ is the unique aim of our life, everything we do becomes liturgical, an act of prayer.
Archimandrite Sophrony, +1993
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Can I Get Sick from Receiving Communion?
The answer is, simply, no. We should not worry about transmission of germs through common use of sacred vessels that have held and touched “the divine, holy, pure, immortal, heavenly, life giving, and awesome Mysteries of Christ, let us worthily give thanks to the Lord” (Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom). Further, Saint John in his Gospel quotes Jesus saying “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My...
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Quote of St. Nikodemos on the Theotokos
For only the Lady Theotokos was able to please Him in all things. She alone standsbetween God and men, who made God the son of men, and men sons of God.
Without her intercessions no one, neither angels, nor men could entreat God, forshe alone is found on the border between the uncreated and natural creation.
She alone is God immediately after God and has second place to the Holy Trinity,as...
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Fr. Seraphim Rose said...
Now one cannot be a half-hearted Christian, but only entirely or not at all.
-Fr. Seraphim Rose
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He has cared for you as no one ever could
From that first moment – when in the hidden place that only God could see – He brought Life to you and said “Yes” to who you were and all that you could be by His grace…
He has been a Father to you even before your earthly father saw the reflection of his image upon your face. He put His arms around you even before you knew your mother’s touch.
(Read the whole post here)
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I went to Christouli (Jesus Christ) and Panagitsa...
E. and T. T., from Drosato N. Kilkis, are the parents of three children. They relate the following: “On March 30th 2001 we took our M., four and a half years old, to the Hospital in Thessaloniki because of an unbearable stomach pain. With the appropriate tests they diagnosed him with obstructive ileus, and operated on him for three and a half hours, removing half a meter of necrotic gut.
Our...
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Little ones to Him belong
Jesus loves me when I’m good,
When I do the things I should,
Jesus loves me when I’m bad,
Though it makes Him very sad.
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
(Photo By Close to Home)
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Prayer
I confess to God pantokrator, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, and to you, brethren: that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the...
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The time is coming...
The time is coming when people will be insane, and when they see someone who is not insane, they will attack that person saying: You are insane because you are not like us.
-Abba Anthony
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Chinese Orthodox Byzantine Chant - Resurection...
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Saint John of Damascus said about the Holy Trinity
“…The Father is the source and cause of the Son and the Holy Spirit: Father of the Son alone and producer of the Holy Spirit. The Son is Son, Word, Wisdom, Power, Image, Effulgence, Impress of the Father and derived from the Father. But the Holy Spirit is not the Son of the Father but the Spirit of the Father as proceeding from the Father. For there is no impulse without Spirit. And...
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A quote about Orthodox and Catholics
“We seek and we pray for our return to that time when, being united, we spoke the same things and there was no schism between us.”
-Saint Mark of Ephesus
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Confession of the Blind Woman
How long will I so fool the world, though I am like the devils,
with my false piety, fake virtue and hypocrisy?
When the world regards me highly, I rejoice and boast,
but when they criticise me, even kindly, I am sad, and mope.
Whomever of you knows me, I exhort you to feel piety,
and when reminded of me, weep for my iniguity.
Beg our God that someday He enlightenment will send me;
and by...
Anonymous asked: What do you think of the beliefs of tumblr user "apostolicfaith?"
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Why I became Orthodox
…As an Eastern Catholic, I had an identity crisis. Was I an Eastern Orthodox in communion with Rome, as many of the more Orthodox Eastern Catholics like to say? Or was I a Roman Catholic with Eastern Liturgics, as some Eastern Catholics in fact seem to be? When people would ask me about my religion, I distanced myself from Roman Catholicism, and tried to explain what an Eastern Catholic...
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Gospel Reading
The Reading is from Luke 6:17-23
At that time, Jesus stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him...
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One thing is truthful!
(My beloved) know that our relationship with God is not a joke; know that this whole world with all its civilization is a fad. You closed your eyes forever (when you die – transl. note) and will no longer know about civilization or the endeavors to the Moon or Mars, and so on… All are shadows/hollows; only one thing is truthful: our relationship with Christ, the immortality of our soul and what...
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About abortion
“The fact that this interruption (abortion) takes place at an initial stage in the human life process makes, of course, a psychological difference, but does not change the nature of the act of abortion being killing, and as such a very grave sin, because killing is evil…The hundreds of thousands of legal abortions performed in New York hospitals are a case of mass killing.”
-Archpriest John...
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A useful quote from a wise Elder
“Study, my child, to acquire in your life dignity, simplicity, understanding, continuous prayer, manliness, unfeigned love, wisdom, seemliness. Be sympathetic, love the poor. Attain silence and patient endurance. Do not slander, do not laugh at anyone. Acquire angerlessness, modestly, and humility, so that the Lord will glorify you before the angels and the saints.”
-Elder Athanasius of...
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Orthodox Christian screensavers
Here you can find three screen savers displaying beautiful orthodox icons. The icons were taken from monasteries and churches in the Holy Mountain, Greece, Romania, Russia, and other such orthodox places. All the screen savers are free.
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Little Boy’s Explanation of God — Fabulous!!
It was written by an 8-year-old named Danny Dutton, who lives in Chula Vista , CA . He wrote it for his third grade homework assignment, to ‘explain God.’ I wonder if any of us could have done as well?
EXPLANATION OF GOD:
‘One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn’t make...
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Man without God
“Without God, man is an empty armor… since fearing in the Lord, I no longer fear the world around me”.
-Elder Justin Parvu of Petru-Voda Monastery
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Icon of Sophia, the Wisdom of God
The Icon of Sophia, the Wisdom of God (Kiev), occupies an unique place in the Russian Orthodox Church. On the icon is depicted the Theotokos, and the Hypostatic Wisdom, the Son of God incarnate of Her.
In Wisdom or Sophia, ponders the Son of God, about Whom in the Proverbs of Solomon it says: “Wisdom has built a house for herself, and has set up seven pillars” (9:1). These words refer to...
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Prayer for the enemies
Bless my enemies, O Lord.
Even I bless them and do not curse them.
They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world.
They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself
They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments.
They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself
They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance.
Bless...
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Bookshops and religion
When you are in a bookshop and go to the section with the religion books and you see only books like there is no God, get over it. And then you go to an Orthodox Christian bookstore and you don’t know what to choose! There are books from Fr. Seraphim Rose to everything you can imagine. And then you want to cry and thank God for this treasure…
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God needs golden souls
“…Honor him then by sharing your property with the poor. For what God needs is not golden chalices but golden souls.”
-St. John Chrysostom “On the Gospel of St. Matthew”, 50, iii (PG 58, 508)
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A group of Protestants
An Example for the Orthodox I’d like to tell you a little about a group of Protestants who live not too far from our monastery in northern California. In some ways I think they are actually an example for us, in other ways a warning, and perhaps most of all an indication of the responsibility and opportunity we Orthodox Christians have because we have been given the true Christianity.
...
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Thoughts about the Holy Communion
The Holy Comunion is the central part in the life of the Church. Unfortunately though, we disregard it and seldom we prepare to receive it, invoking different causes.
And this is a proof that we are away from the center of the Church which is Christ.
Oddly enough, we aren’t interested to meet Christ, to give us life but we are interested to meet Him to crucify Him through our sins.
And this...
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Ecclesiastes 1:4-5
One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose.”
- Ecclesiastes 1:4-5
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St. John of Kronstadt said...
Never confuse the person, formed in the image of God, with the evil that is in him, because evil is but a chance misfortune, illness, a devilish reverie. But the very essence of the person is the image of God, and this remains in him despite every disfigurement.
– St. John of Kronstadt
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What Do you Seek?
…Actually, becoming Orthodox is much more pedestrian than being on a treasure hunt and disillusionment lies not far behind any pedestal worship. Orthodoxy is simply being a Christian and in the most personally profound and challenging way. If you are not prepared then to change on becoming Orthodox and every day for the rest of your life then you will not find what you are looking for with...
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Saint Theodora- Miracle
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Fear of torment...
Fear of torment is the way of a slave, desire of reward in the heavenly kingdom is the way of a hireling, but God’s way is that of a son, through love.
-St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain
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Interview with Jean
May Jean’s story touch your life and renew the hope we have in Christ our Lord and Saviour, our Great Physician and Healer.
What is a common misconception about the Orthodox Church that you would like to address?
Something I found of interest during my initial classes of the Orthodox faith, was to learn that in the history of the Orthodox Christian Church, it wasn’t until the eleventh...
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Patron Saints
A patron Saint is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Since the time of the early Christians up to the present, a vast number of patron saints have been recorded.
Now, I’ll mention some categories (You can find the full list HERE)
Against demons and witchcraft
Ss. Cyprian & Justina (October 2)
St. Mitrophan of...
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Matthew 19:14
“God bless those who work against the exploitation of children - to whom the Kingdom of Heaven belongs.”
-St. Matthew 19:14
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From St. Maximos the Confessor
“There is a single energy of God and the saints; they are living icons of Christ, being the same as He is, by grace rather than by assimilation.”
(The Philokalia Vol. 2 edited by Palmer, Sherrard and Ware; Faber and Faber pg. 274)
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It's magnificent...
It’s magnificent when you are in a Church, it’s night, all the lights are turned off and the beautiful icons are illuminated by the light of the candles… It’s the moment you feel closer to God… It’s magnificent…
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The Bible in two words
The Bible in two words: Jesus Christ
