Κατηγορία

In English

Praiseworthy and blameworthy (Saint Gregory of Nyssa)

Κατηγορίες: In English

From holy Scripture we learn that there are two kinds of wealth: one is praiseworthy and the other is blameworthy. The riches of the virtues are laudable whereas those which are material and earthly are to be condemned. This is because the former are held in possession by the soul, whereas the latter are skilled at deceiving our feelings. This is why the Lord forbids us to lay up such treasure, since it’s exposed to moths to feed off and to thieves to attack (Matth. 6, 19). He insists that we should give priority to the superior riches, which the power of decay cannot touch. And when He talks about moths and thieves, He means him who destroys the riches ...

Περισσότερα

The Spiritual Meadow (Ioannis Moskhos)

Κατηγορίες: In English

When we went to the island of Samos, we visited the monastery called Harixenou. The abbot was Abba Isidoros, a virtuous man with great love for others and adorned with simplicity and immeasurable obedience. He later became bishop of the town of Sabia and it was he who told us this story. About eight miles from the city, there was a village with a church. The priest there was a wonderful man, who’d been forced into marriage by his parents, against his will. Not only did he avoid falling into the trap of sensual pleasure, even though he was young and was legally married, but he also had his wife living in purity and restraint. Both of them learned the ...

Περισσότερα

Sermon on the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple (Metropolitan of Pisidia Sotirios)

Κατηγορίες: In English

On the 21st of November, the Church celebrates a special Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her going to the Temple of Jerusalem. As we know from Holy Tradition, her parents Sts. Joachim and Anna were elderly and beyond child bearing years. After many prayers, God blessed them with a daughter, after which they dedicated her to God. They named her Mary, and when she was three years old they brought her to the Temple of Jerusalem, the original having been built by King Solomon. The young Mary was received into the temple community by the Priest Zacharias (the father of St. John the Baptist, and a relative). It is in this sacred atmosphere of the Temple that the pure ...

Περισσότερα

Unpleasant but Beneficial (Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk)

Κατηγορίες: In English

Bad talk’s a great evil. It’s a terrible thing for others to hurl themselves at you and besmirch you. It happens. Out of nowhere. Suddenly. Sometimes it’s a fair judgment by God on us; sometimes it isn’t. In the first instance, when we ourselves are to blame because we’d been guilty of wicked actions and activities, attributing to others reproaches similar to those aimed at us, it’s our duty not to dwell on how much we’ve suffered but to make sure we put things to right, including ourselves. Then the torrent of abuse against use will stop. In the event that they speak badly about us and we can’t remember ever having done so to the detriment of others, it’s natural for us ...

Περισσότερα