Ioannis Karavidopoulos, Professor Emeritus of New Testament Hermeneutics, A. U. Th. Today’s Gospel reading presents us with two typical kinds of people: a Pharisee and a Publican, who were praying in the Temple. They were the two opposite poles of society at that time. One was pious and righteous Read more
Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi Christ is the living truth. “I am the way, and the truth and the life” (John 14, 6). Therefore, He is life without beginning, unlimited (ἀπεριόριστος), unbound (ἀδέσμευτος), co-eternal with the Father, inseparable and undivided from him. “Praise be to God and Father of our Read more
St. Philothei lived in the Turkish-occupied, sixteenth-century Athens. Her spiritual and social work was groundbreaking, especially for a woman of that era. It was accomplished within the Church and dedicated to the service of the Greek people as a continuation and consequence of Orthodoxy and Romanity. On 19 February 1589, Read more
Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou There is more to Lent than fasting, and there is more to fasting than food. This principle lies at the heart of the Lenten Triodion, the main hymnbook of Lent. Lent is without doubt the richest and most distinctive season of the ecclesiastical year. The Lenten Read more
God doesn’t want us to compare ourselves to other people. Have you ever played a “find the difference” game? You know, you look at one picture and then you look at the other picture. Then you try to figure out what is different about the two. (You can do one Read more
Saint John Chrysostom While we’re in church, our behavior should be appropriate, befitting those who are standing before God. We shouldn’t get involved in pointless discussions, but should rather stand with fear and trembling, with attention and readiness, with our gaze trained on the earth and our soul raised Read more
Saint Porfyrios Kavsolkalyvitis One evening I visited the Elder with an acquaintance of mine. He received both of us at the same time in his cell. During the discussion that followed, my acquaintance said, among other things, that he held me in the highest regard. The Elder looked at Read more
Fr. Andreas Agathokleous It’s not unusual for people to be very concerned that others should have a good image of them. This demonstrates a lack of self-awareness, humility and seriousness. In the depths of their being, the dominant feeling is one of egotism, the basis for vanity. In other Read more
Saint Neilos was born into a wealthy and illustrious family and was probably a pupil of St. John Chrysostom from as early as when the latter was preaching in Antioch. His birth and personal attributes were such that he was raised to the rank of prefect of the capital. The Read more
Metropolitan Ieronymos of Larisa and Tyrnavos One of the greatest problems of Orthodox spirituality in recent years has been the distortion applied to Orthodox eschatology, that is the prophetic discourse concerning the last times. It’s common for spiritually inexperienced people, without any real knowledge of what Orthodoxy means or Read more
Our Lord always practiced what He preached! Have you ever heard somebody say, “Practice what you preach”? Well, that means you do what you say. If you give advice about something, you do it too! Our Lord, Jesus Christ preached a lot during His ministry. He traveled around, telling people Read more
Saint Neofytos Recluse So you should reflect on your sins and say ‘Glory to You, Lord, for You’re punishing me justly’. Recollect that, before, you’d forgotten God and say: ‘Glory to You, Lord, that you’ve given me cause and reason to remember You frequently’. Think about the fact that, Read more