From my understanding, apart from the greater manliness of spiritual love, it’s also surrounded all the other virtues. It seems that love is the affectionate mother of all the virtues.
At around their thirty-fifth year, that is half-way through our earthly life, people have a great struggle to remain true to themselves. At that age, many of them don’t remain virtuous, but go astray and follow the path of their desires.
Watch Fr. Chris Metropulos’ welcome speech at the official opening of the 2nd International Conference on Digital Media and Orthodox Pastoral Care DMOPC18 which took place from 18th-21st June 2019 at the Orthodox Academy of Crete, organized under the High Auspices of His All Holliness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
If you suffer and are sad, blame your sins and the devil, but, above all, blame yourself. Because the devil couldn’t harm you if he didn’t find a flaw in you that allowed him to do so.
Denigration signals the birth of hatred. It’s a delicate affliction, but also a substantial one. It’s a fat leech, hidden away and unmanifested, sucking out and destroying the blood of love. It means a pretence of love, it’s a weight on the heart and it does away with purity.
When you place your trust in other people, you’re being weak, but when your place it in God you’re being strong. Cleave to God and all His power will be with you. Confess your weakness before Him and He’ll send you His all-powerful Grace.
Prayer is our help in life, a conversation with God, an obliviousness towards earthly things, an ascent into heaven. It’s a general medication against the passions and protects us from them. It brings life, it’s a promise of health, it’s a flower of hope. Prayer’s a powerful weapon, a mighty fastness, a rich treasure, a safe haven, a secure place.
Satan’s a master of his craft. He steals the present from us and promises us the future.
For this particular reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we see the Apostle Paul imparting his spiritual legacy upon the presbyters of Ephesus in an emotional farewell address at the seaside town of Miletus. Our Church, in its wisdom has chosen this passage as the one to be read today, in honor of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod. This is because the Holy Fathers have taken to heart these words of St. Paul in how they lived, and we commemorate this faithfulness today. The Apostle had remained in Ephesus for three years straight, working to found one of the largest Churches in Asia. At the conclusion of his third Apostolic Tour, he set sail for Jerusalem, to ...
Change doesn’t depend on Him Who has sown, but on those who don’t want to mend their ways.
Those who reveal to their spiritual guide the serpents of the temptations are people who show their true faith. Those who hide them are following the road to perdition.
Scholarship Programme ANNOUNCEMENT The Saint Maxim the Greek Institute, with the support of the Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopaidi, is introducing the ‘Evyenios Voulgaris’ Scholarship Programme. Evyenios Voulgaris (1716-1806) served as principal of the Athoniada School, which had been established by the Holy Monastery of Vatopaidi. In his day, he was the greatest and most important Greek scholar, a theologian, philosopher, polymath, a man of encyclopaedic learning, poet, Father and Shepherd of the Church and an influential teacher for the whole of Orthodoxy. The ‘Evgenios Voulgaris’ is directed towards: Orthodox theologians (up to 37 years of age), holders of or candidates for a doctoral degree. Duration: 1 year (October 1st – September 30th) Programme Language: Modern Greek Requirements: Good knowledge of Ancient Greek, ...
Sinners won’t achieve remission of their sins unless they first realize with all their heart that these are senseless, destructive and illusory. Just as they committed the sin and found it pleasant and enjoyable, so now they must repent and confess that it was deceptive and leads to perdition.
Fr Jonah from Taiwan speaks on the miracle of the cure of the blind man (John 9, 1-38).
Prayer will bring Christ into your heart, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit and it will strengthen and protect your soul against all evil. But after prayer, you have to guard your heart carefully. » Saint John of Kronstadt
When the heart is humbled, it’s overshadowed by Divine Grace, which brings contrition, tears, peace and love. When you yourself are humbled, everybody else will seem to you to be saints. But when you’re proud and puffed up, everybody seems bad to you. All of these times that you fall are lessons in humility. >Blessed Joseph the Hesychast
The slightest muttering against your neighbor affects your soul and you can’t pray. When the Holy Spirit finds the soul like this, He dare not approach it. » Venerable Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
Whether the sword is sent, or sickness, famine, death, or something else that’s considered appalling, they’re all sent to earth for our regeneration and correction, and so that we can concentrate our minds on devotion to God. Because every generation needs to be educated by a visit from the Lord. » Saint Ephraim the Syrian
Putting yourself in the place of other people is a great aid in acquiring internal kindness, because then love comes naturally, as do pain, humility, and gratitude to God through continuous hymns of praise and prayer of the heart for our neighbor. Then our prayer is both well-pleasing to God and helps our fellow human beings. » Venerable Païsios the Athonite
In today’s passage from the Acts of the Apostles, we see two main themes: Satan’s cunning in how he deceives people, and the wondrous protection that God provides to the faithful who are devoted to Him. St. Paul the Apostle and his partner Silas are in Philippi of Macedonia, proclaiming the Gospel and gathering the first believers in Christ. While there, something strange happened: Whenever they went to prayer, a certain slave girl would follow them. She was possessed by a spirit of divination, and would make money for her masters through fortune-telling. She would run after the Apostle crying out: “These men are servants of God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation” (verse 17). This was not a ...
