‘Faith without works is dead’ (Jas. 6, 26). Real faith can’t exist without works. Whoever really believes, will certainly perform good works, too. » Saint Seraphim of Sarov
Excerpt from a Homily by Saint John Chrysostom If someone’s really knowledgeable about gold mines, they wouldn’t be able to bear not examining the smallest vein for the wealth it contained. So, in the Scriptures, it’s impossible without loss to pass over the merest jot. We must investigate everything since everything’s uttered by the Holy Spirit, and there’s nothing written in them to distract us. Consider, for instance, what the Evangelist says here, ‘This is the second miracle that Jesus did, when He came out of Judaea into Galilee’. Even the word ‘second’ hasn’t been added without a reason, but so as to further exalt the Samaritans, by showing that even when a second miracle had been performed, the people who beheld ...
Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles tell us of the great healing of Aeneas, the paralytic man from Lydda, and the resurrection of Tabitha, who was in nearby Joppa. The Apostle Peter used to go around the cities and villages from Jerusalem and beyond, where the first Christian communities had formed. He supported them as he could and provided guidance in the spiritual life. When he visited the Christians of Lydda (some 40 kilometers northwest of Jerusalem) he met a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years. Naturally, St. Peter felt compassion for him and sensing Aeneas’ faith, he said to him: “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed. At that, Aeneas arose immediately.”(verse 34-35). With ...
Pride arises from a lack of self-awareness and results in a hardening of the heart. Acquire humility, then, and wrap yourself in it, as it were like a garment, in everything you do. >Blessed Joseph the Hesychast
On the morning of 9 May 2019, Archimandrite Elder Aimilianos, former Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petras on the Holy Mountain fell asleep in the Lord at the Holy Convent of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, Ormylia, Halkidiki. Biographical details by Hieromonk Serapion Simonopetritis (†2019). You have made known to me the ways of life; you will fill me with joy with your countenance (Ps. 15, 11). Elder Aimilanos’ withdrawal to the dependency at Ormylia At the beginning of 1995, permanent damage to his health forced the venerable Elder to withdraw gradually from his duties as Abbot and leave his beloved monastery and the Holy Mountain, of which he was so fond. In 2000, the revered Elder passed the baton ...
Peace is the integrity and health of the soul. Losing your peace means losing your spiritual health. » Saint John of Kronstadt
Watch Fr Jonah’s from Taiwan sermon on the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearers.
However, the form, in which the leaderless Father appears, is mainly for us. “I was regarding until the thrones were placed and The Old Of Days was seated and his attire resembling white snow and the hair of his head resembling pure wool ,His throne like flame of fire, His wheels like burning fire”. And I was regarding in the vision of the night and THERE He was with the clouds of the sky as the Son of Man coming up to the Old of Days arriving and in front of him was taken and the authority was given to Him and the honour and the reign and all the people and races and tongues serving Him. His authority will be eternal ...
Souls that love God and the truth don’t suffer even the slightest reduction in their passionate love for the Lord. Nailed entirely to His Cross, they feel spiritual well-being within themselves. Wounded by desire for Him, then, even if they are found worthy of the Divine Mysteries and share in rejoicing and Grace, they have no confidence in themselves, nor do they believe that they’ve achieved anything. Instead, the more they’re given by way of spiritual gifts, the more they seek the things of heaven. And the greater their well-being, the greedier they become for things divine. Although they’re spiritually rich, they behave as if they’re poor. Scripture tells us: ‘Those who eat of me will will become hungrier and those who ...
On the morning of 9 May 2019, Archimandrite Elder Aimilianos, former Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petras on the Holy Mountain fell asleep in the Lord at the Holy Convent of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, Ormylia, Halkidiki. Biographical details by Hieromonk Serapion Simonopetritis (†2019). You have made known to me the ways of life; you will fill me with joy with your countenance (Ps. 15, 11). Election to the office of Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petras After the unexpected departure to the Lord of Metropolitan Dionysios in January 1970, the need for a place which would guarantee more peace and be more suitable for the monastic life of the brotherhood, away from the noise and the ...
When faith wanes, the heart becomes uneasy, weak, like a straw blown in the wind, lifeless. Don’t pay any attention to this darkness of Satan. Cast it far away from your heart by making the sign of the life-giving Cross. » Saint John of Kronstadt
Knowledge, sensation, understanding, contemplation, insight and every movement of the intellect, everything in all things, should be directed towards God. >Blessed Joseph the Hesychast
The subject of the iconic approach of the Holy Trinity has especially preoccupied me here. And specifically the question whether, religiously wise, the depiction of the Holy Spirit in the classic icon of the Holy Trinity (in the past 350 years), as a pigeon, is correct or at least not harmful, that is the symbolic depiction of the non-built actions of HIM (as in the icon of Baptism) and not, of course, the existential depiction of the Embodied Son. (Besides from the non-built actions of HIM The Father as THE OLD OF DAYS is portrayed in the vision of DANIEL. Also the question arises, whether it is more correct the labeling of the Byzantine Icon of the three angels as ...
The most striking proof that the devil’s at work in the world is the fact that people hardly recognize, if at all, the mercies granted to them by God through the creation, His providence and salvation. The devil is frenzied in his opposition to any good and holy work. » Saint John of Kronstadt
In 1902, he wrote and set to music a service for Saint Efraim the Syrian and supplied other missing material, such as services for Saints Neofytos and Ioannikos, after whom his own elders were named, Saint Sofronios, the 99 saints in Crete, Saint Ieronymos, and Saint Mary Magdalene. His hymn-writing activities continued with a supplicatory canon to Saint Anthony the Great, Salutations to Saints Minas, Victor and Vicentius, Paul, Patriarch of Constantinople, and Sergius and Bacchus. He made additions to the services of other saints whose holy relics are kept at Simonopetra, and wrote verses of prayer and entreaty to the Lord, Our Lady and various saints. Many of these works remain unknown or are inaccessible. His main contribution, however, ...
To fall under the sway of your passions and abandon yourself to them is the ultimate slavery, because it’s the worst submission to the worst master. » Clement of Alexandria
Today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the philanthropy of the first Church of Jerusalem. With the election of the seven Deacons, the Holy Apostles demonstrated their care for the poor and the sick. Despite the daily persecution, they never lost sight of love for those who were hungry and destitute. As a result of this focus, the Christian faithful were moved to solidarity, and shared their belongings with each other held in common (see Acts 2:44-45). In doing this, those who were hungry or destitute were able to find relief. As the number of Christians increased, the Apostles found that more help was necessary in serving the people, in order to maintain their mission of spreading the Gospel. ...
The purpose of the Christian life is for our intellect to be united with our heart, because then we’re cured. We’re made whole and we can turn to God with our whole being, fulfilling His commandments in a manner well-pleasing to Him. > Elder Zacharias of Essex <
We have to pray for the departed. The poor people are awaiting trial, and if you give them an orange juice, it gets them out of prison. » Venerable Païsios the Athonite
On the morning of 9 May 2019, Archimandrite Elder Aimilianos, former Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petras on the Holy Mountain fell asleep in the Lord at the Holy Convent of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, Ormylia, Halkidiki. Biographical details by Hieromonk Serapion Simonopetritis (†2019). You have made known to me the ways of life; you will fill me with joy with your countenance (Ps. 15, 11) Abbot of the Great Meteora and multi-faceted activity in the Metropolis of Trikka At the end of 1961, the Metropolitan of Trikka, who shared Fr. Aimilianos’ desire for the monastic life, called him back from Dousiko and made him Abbot of the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration at the Great Meteora. Initially he ...
