In English

GAMBLING DEMONSTRATES THE INSUFFICIENCY OF USING SCRIPTURE ALONE The stand of many twenty-first-century Protestants against gambling demonstrates that the Bible is not a sufficient authority for Christian ethics and practice, or at least must be supplemented by the tradition of the church.  Christians cannot oppose games of chance for money or other valuables unless they accept at least the earliest part of Christian tradition in addition to Scripture, as a guide or supplement to it or as a means of interpreting the holy text. Scripture itself does not plainly speak against gambling, even though many Christians strenuously discountenance this activity on moral grounds.  On the other hand, many non-biblical bearers of the apostolic tradition of the church did oppose gambling, which may ...

If children are brought to hospitals and old people’s homes under circumstances in which they’re comfortable, this allows them to become acquainted with sickness and bodily decline as a natural part of life, which makes it easier to link death to biological causes. Moreover, if children go to a cemetery with a relative whose intention is to look after a family grave, this is an opportunity to explain things to the children. Placing flowers, lighting an oil-lamp or candle for praying, or communicating with the person departed are experiences which teach children directly and allow questions to surface regarding, for example, the manner of burial, life after death, and communication with the departed. In general visits to cemeteries provide children ...

Every member of the Church isn’t just a guest, but is also an apostle of the Gospel of Christ.

The spiritual unity and communion in Christ between the Holy Mountain and Russia is not something recent. It goes back to the last one thousand years. Those who contributed to this unity were mostly Russian Hayiorite monks, from the times of St Antony from Esfigmenou, the founder of the Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra (beginning of the 11th century) to St Silouan the Athonite and his disciple, blessed Elder Sofroni (20th century). In the lives of those Saints one may recognize the mutual benefit derived both by Russia and the Holy Mountain. The saints’ country is Russia. This country initially offered them Christ and His Most Holy Mother but they were destined to mature spiritually and accomplish their deification in the Garden of the ...

The children comprehended the concept of celebration, as well as the concept of sanctity. More specifically, when I asked “Do you know what does ‘Saint’ mean?” a child replied “Yes, the Saints are dead and they have become spirits”. In addition the lesson was more sedentary that active. So, I noticed that almost half of the pupils got bored during the second teaching period and they stopped participating actively. Nonetheless it is a noticeable fact that one boy, who rarely sits down quietly watching the lesson, was unusually quiet and never caused any problem, without watching or actively participating in the lesson of course. He did listen to the story, however he didn’t answer any of the comprehension question that ...

7. It is in this charismatic intermingling of divine fatherhood and sonship that our true knowledge of God has its roots. Our information and our life in God were given by the Father to His eternal Son, Who passed them on to His friends, the apostles and saints and, through these, to our fathers, as well. This mystery is revealed by the Son Himself, when He says: ‘All things have been handed down to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him’ (Luke 10, 22). To whom will the Son reveal His mystery and that ...

Sin clipped the wings of Adam and his descendants and so all of us were separated from God. The very clay from which we were made blinded us. Christ was the first Adam and the first Human, the first-born of the whole of creation and He was also the first Who ascended into heaven on spiritual wings, to the throne of eternal glory and power. He walked the path towards heaven and opened every gate to all of the faithful who have spread their spiritual wings, just as the eagle shows eaglets how to fly, or the first swallow flies in front of the flock, both to show them the way and to reduce the wind resistance.

The more you try to hide a sin behind another sin, the more you broadcast it. You can’t hide a sin behind another one. You get rid of it only through repentance and confession. When we want to hide a sin behind another sin, we’re like little children playing hide and seek.

The story of creation presents the basic principles of human life and behavior. It is the main reference for the Christian understanding of humankind’s existential questions. In the book of Genesis, the unique relationship between humans and their Creator unfolds. Inside it, the mystery of the purpose of this world is hidden, as is the destiny of our existence. According to Genesis, God created everything in this world to be in the service of His beloved creature, the human person. Humans are the purpose of the whole of creation. God created the perfect environment for His most precious creature and wanted to share with it His Divine life. Creation of humanity is a special creative act of God that was made ...

The Problem According to its advocates, euthanasia is morally neutral or even a positive good within the framework of ethics, including Christian ethics.  But is euthanasia really moral?  It certainly is not when inflicted by Christians. Euthanasia Described Euthanasia is the deliberate hastening of death to spare the patient a period of suffering or incapacity.  The usual cases for which euthanasia is advocated are persons with an incurable disease or permanent coma, but secondary uses include sparing the deformed, the mentally-impaired, or the handicapped—usually newborns—from languishing the rest of their lives under irreversible barriers that prevent them from living a self-sufficient or “full” life.  Far from ill-will, the motives of the killers are thus at least understandable or apparently well-intentioned, for they are ...

If somebody curses you or saddens you, pray very hard for them, as the Fathers say, as if they were a great benefactor, and a doctor treating your love of pleasure. If you do this, your anger will be reduced, because, of course, according to the holy Fathers, ‘love is the bridle on anger’. But above all else, entreat God to grant you spiritual vigilance and prudence, so that you know what His will is, which is good, pleasing and perfect. Also ask Him for the strength to be ready to perform good works.

          The sheer enormity of holiness which the commemorated Saint has acquired throughout his righteous life has fascinated the whole world. His name offers a lot of consolation to the devout. This degree of holiness is not something strange in our Church, since it is indeed capable of guiding its children to such heightened dimensions. We, who are truly smothered by our numerous weaknesses, are also genuinely encouraged by his example. Even during these difficult times one finds similarly afflicted people, who have not only won over their passions and transcended the unnatural life to life beyond nature, but through their sanctification have also reached the end of the most perfect promise, namely adoption. We are commemorating today the Saint ...

It’s all very well for people to communicate over the Internet now, to send e-mails, to write messages to other people in mere seconds. But sometimes they’re unable to communicate with their spouse or their children. We’ve wrecked our homes. When we find it difficult to communicate with others, we have to realize that the cause of the problem doesn’t lie with other people, but with us. It’s our fault, because we can’t find the point where we can meet and speak with other people.

FROM MY ACQUAINTANCESHIP WITH THE BLESSED ELDER PAÏSSIOS ‘Only saints can talk about the saints as they share common spiritual experiences and understand each other’, the blessed Elder Païssios once said to me. And as I fail to fulfil this essential condition, which would have enabled me to fathom the depths of his great spirituality, all I can do is dwell on certain external events in his life which he had the infinite goodness and grace to tell me about so that I might perhaps mend my ways. Even so, these events clearly illustrate the man’s great saintliness.    A few days before he departed this life, while still on his sickbed suffering from a painful illness, he had said: ‘These last ...

The soul that has firmly attached itself to the desire of the heavenly things and of its Maker, which is content to be adorned with celestial beauty, will never be altered, nor will it lose its good cheer or its joy over any passing misfortunes. On the contrary, it will take them as a cause of even greater contentment and joy.

Saint Gregory Palamas occupies a very prominent position in the Church, which is why he’s honoured on the Second Sunday in Lent, immediately after the Sunday of Orthodoxy. In his person we recognize the outstanding teacher of the hesychast life in Christ, a man who continued the Orthodox faith and added to its lustre. Saint Gregory was born in 1296 in Constantinople to aristocratic parents, Konstantinos and Kalloni, devout people who brought up their children in the ‘discipline and instruction of the Lord’ (Eph. 6, 4). They taught their children to live in accordance with the will of Christ, Who was the centre of their life. It is noteworthy that, shortly before his father departed this life, he commended his children ...

We must invite our friends and neighbors to "taste and see" the great treasure that is Orthodoxy, for it is our responsibility, as Christians, to reach out in kindness, and with a welcoming smile, when we see strangers enter our temples. Sts Cyril and Methodius Two Byzantine brothers, Saints Cyril and Methodius, brought Orthodox Christianity to the Slavs in the ninth century. The brilliance of Eastern Orthodox missionary outreach, as opposed to that of the Latin Church, was in the very use of the vernacular. These great saints who became known as the Apostles to the Slavs, left the Slavs with a liturgical language that was understandable to them. The services were not imparted in the Greek language, as though it ...