F. Savvas the Athonite : "How do you spend your time?"

 Father Savvas the Athonite is a hieromonk in the Monastery of Holy Trinity, Edessa, Macedonia, Greece. He has a degree in Dentistry and in Theology.

St. Paisios on the death of children

God arranges things correspondingly. When I hear of the death of some youth, I mourn, but I mourn as a man. Because, if we examine things more deeply, we see that, the older someone gets, the greater struggle he has, and the more sins he adds. Especially when he is wordly, as the years pass by, instead of his spiritual state improving, it gets worse with cares of life, with injustices, etc. Because of this, it is more triumphant when God takes a youth.

-Elder, why does God allow so many young people to die?

-No one has a say with God when he will die. God takes each person in the best instant of his life, in a special way, for him to give up his soul. If He sees that someone will become better, He allows him to live. If, however, He sees that he will become worse, He takes him, in order to save him. There are some further who have a sinful life, but have the attitude to do good, and He takes them near Him, before they are allowed to do it, because He knows that they would do good, if only He would give them the chance. It is as if He tells them: “Don't tire yourself; your good intentions suffice.” With others, because they are very good, He decides to take them near Him, because Paradise requires flower buds.

Naturally, it is difficult for parents and relatives to understand this. They see that a small child dies, that Christ took a little angel, and the parents cry and wail, while they should be joyful, because, do they know what would happen if he grew older? Would he have been able to have been saved? When we left Asia Minor by boat in 1924 to come to Greece, I was a baby. The boat was full of refugees, and, as my mother had me in swaddling clothes, a sailor trampled on top of me. My mother thought that I had died and began to cry. A fellow villager of ours opened the swaddling clothes, and confirmed that I had not been hurt at all. If I had died then, I surely would have gone to Paradise. Now that I am so old, and [though] I have done so much asceticism, I am not sure that I will go to Paradise.

Elder Gabriel Urgebadze Has Been Canonized

Archimandrite Gabriel (Urgebadze) (26 August, 1929 Tbilisi – 2 November 1995, Mtskheta, Georgia) was canonized on December 20, 2012 by the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church. His feastday will be celebrated on November 2nd, the day of his repose.

Elder Gabriel opposed the communist regime in Soviet Georgia (former republic of the USSR) and was persecuted by the government for many years. He built a four-cupola church in his yard single-handedly. Monk Gabriel was arrested by Soviet police after he burnt down a huge portrait of Lenin during the parade in Tbilisi, 1965. Tortured by KGB for several months monk Gabriel was eventually released from prison.

The Student that Met God through Elder Paisios

Several years ago a young student approached me. Very hesitantly but in the strength of a demanding seeker, he told me he was an atheist but would really like to believe, but he couldn't. He was trying and seeking for years with no result. He talked to professors and educated people, but his thirst for something serious was not satisfied. He heard about me and decided to share with me his existential need. He asked me for scientific proof of God's existence. “Are you familiar with integrals or differential equations?” I asked. “Unfortunately not”, he replied, “I study philosophy”. “That's unfortunate, because I knew one such a proof” I said, obviously joking.

St. Nikolai Velimirovic - How God can be inside man

St. Nikolai Velimirovic

Letter # - How God can be inside man
To a soldier of a student's brigade who asks how God can be inside man

You asked somebody, "where is God?" And you got an answer that God is inside you. And you marvel at this answer. How can that be?

Kind of like light in a room, or like fire in a stove. When you are able to feel God within you, you will feel and know that He is inside you, but you will not be able to explain it to someone else. But you will look for images in nature and then you will speak to the other person as I speak to you:

The one who is and who was…Grace and peace from the Holy Triune God.

Father Athanasios Mitilinaios

Apocalypse

Chapter 3
Revelation 1: 4-6.

The one who is and who was…Grace and peace from the Holy Triune God.

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is coming, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

Orthodox Christianity In Czech and Slovakia Is Growing

By Aimilios Polygenis
September 24, 2011
Romfea.gr

"The number of Orthodox in the Czech Republic is increasing every day," said the Metropolitan Christopher of the Czech Republic and All Slovakia in an interview.

His Beatitude the Metropolitan of Czech spoke of increased faith compared to other denominations in the country, saying that "many people from the former Soviet Union come to live here. Many Czechs come to be baptized Orthodox; the Orthodox Church is a refuge for all."

The vision of Daniel and Zachariah — I am the Alpha and the Omega...

Father Athanasios Mitilinaios

Apocalypse

Chapter 5
Revelation 1: 7-9

The vision of Daniel and Zachariah— I am the Alpha and the Omega —Sharing in the suffering and gospel of the cross.

 

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

As we were saying last time, these two verses serve as the conclusion of the initial introduction of the book but they also include the central theme of this book which is the Second Coming of Christ.

Church of Cyprus: Announcement Concerning Vassiliki (Vassula) Paraskevis Pendakis-Ryden.

CHURCH OF CYPRUS
Synodical Committee for
Matters of Heresy
Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus
13 January 2012.
 

ANNOUNCEMENT 

Topic: The heretical positions of Vassiliki (Vassula) Pendakis-Ryden.

Over the last few days Vassula Ryden has been appearing in the media, giving lectures and trying to come into contact with bishops and priests, giving the impression that she presents and teaches the Orthodox Christian faith. In reality, her teachings are heretical, and her claims that she communicates directly with Christ are fantastical and outside of the spirit of the experience of the our Church. 

The three offices of Christ and the faithful: prophetic, priestly and royal.

Father Athanasios Mitilinaios

Apocalypse

Chapter 4
Revelation 1: 4-7

The three offices of Christ and the faithful: prophetic, priestly and royal.

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Therefore, glory belongs to the One who incarnated, who became a faithful witness, who shed His blood to wash us from our sins because He loves us. So to Him, Jesus Christ, be glory and power forever and ever, as we read at the end of John’s introduction to the book of the Revelation. Again, the Word of God took on flesh.

A Word From Saint Nektarios to Future Priests

The following is taken from an address given by St. Nektarios when he was first assigned dean of Rizarios Ecclesiastical School.

“My children, in each of you there exists a future priest, an important element of the history and future life of our suffering country. You should be proud to wear your cassocks (anteri). Pray to the Almighty that He grants you the ability to serve His Church, for this vocation is not merely a job but is a mission which begins on earth and continues in heaven. Please heed these humble words and may your souls continuously shine with the eternal truths of our Holy Gospel…

“My children, I also want you to be proud of our Orthodox faith.

St. Nikolai Velimirovic - About the World Crisis

St. Nikolai Velimirovic

Letter # 38 - World Crisis

Answer to a Priest about the World Crisis

You ask me, O man of God, where did today's crisis come from and what does it mean? Who am I to be asked about such a great thing? "You should only speak when what you have to say is better than silence," says St. Gregory the Theologian. And even though I believe that silence would be better right now, I will give you my opinion on it for the sake of my love for you.

Crisis is a Greek word, and it means judgment. In the Holy Scripture this word is used many times. The Psalmist says, "therefore, the godless will not stand up in judgment" (Ps. 1: 5). In another place, it says, "I sing of mercy and judgment" (Ps. 101: 1).

The Five Holy Martyrs

THE FIVE HOLY MARTYRS: EUSTRATIOS, AUXENTIOS, MARDARIOS, EUGENIOS AND ORESTES

These five holy martyrs lived during the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian, in 296 A.D. At that time, perhaps the worst persecutions against Christians had broken out, aiming to wipe off all Christians from the face of the earth.  

In those days the Cappadocians were being slandered to the emperors, claiming they did not respect or listen to the emperors' orders and were preparing to defect.  

When Diocletian heard this, he was disturbed. He immediately ordered that the rulers of Cappadocia be removed from office, and in their place he sent two wise Hellenistic Romans, authorizing them to put to death any person found out to be Christian, without needing a pretext and under false accusations. 

Are the Heterodox Members of the Church?

 Dr. Demetrios Tselengidis,
Professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki 

          

Firstly, it is necessary to clarify that as Orthodox Christians we believe, in agreement with the Symbol of Faith (the Creed) of Nicene-Constantinople (381 AD), “in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church”. According to the unbroken dogmatic consciousness of the Orthodox Church throughout the ages, i.e., according to her self-consciousness, this One Church is the Orthodox Church. 

The confession of the Symbol that the Church is “One” means that this is the basic attribute of her self-identity. In practical terms this means that the Church is not able to be divided – to be split apart – because this is the Mystical Body of Christ. Christ as the Head of the Body of the Church is neither able to have many bodies, nor to possess a divided one. In the Body of Christ even death itself is defeated.

Ένας μουσουλμάνος βαπτίζεται

Fr. Zacharias Kerstyuk

EN: This story comes from Archpriest Zacharias Kerstyuk, who works for the external relations department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Fr Zacharias used to look after the parishioners at St Andrew’s Church at the Ukrainian Embassy in Tripoli in Libya, but now serves in Spain.

GR: Αυτή η ιστορία προέρχεται από τον Αρχιερέα Ζαχαρία Kerstyuk, ο οποίος εργάζεται για την Υπηρεσία Εξωτερικών Σχέσεων της Ουκρανικής Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας του Πατριαρχείου Μόσχας. Ο π. Ζαχαρίας συνήθιζε να φροντίζει τους ενορίτες στην εκκλησία του Αγίου Ανδρέα στην Ουκρανική Πρεσβεία στην Τρίπολη της Λιβύης, αλλά τώρα υπηρετεί στην Ισπανία.

TU: Bu yazı, Moskova Patrikhane’sine bağlı Ukrayna Ortodoks Kilisesi dış ilişkiler bölümünde çalışan Rahip Zacharias Kerstyuk’tan geliyor.  Peder Zacharias Tripoli’de ki (Libya) Ukrayna Elçiliğinde bulunan St. Andrew Kilisesinin Cemaati ile ilgileniyordu, fakat şu anda İspanya’da hizmet ediyor.
EN: The Muslim
He is Turkish, a ship’s captain and travels all over the world. He is 49 years old and has spent 25 of those at sea and has been in all sorts of difficult situations. He is a clever man and speaks some five languages.
GR: Ο μουσουλμάνος
Είναι Τούρκος, καπετάνιος του πλοίου και ταξιδεύει σε όλο τον κόσμο. Είναι 49 ετών και έχει περάσει τα 25 από αυτά στη θάλασσα και έχει περάσει κάθε είδους δύσκολες καταστάσεις. Είναι έξυπνος άνθρωπος και μιλάει περίπου πέντε γλώσσες.