Satisfy us in the morning with Thy steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. . .Let Thy work be manifest to Thy servants, and Thy glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, yea, the work of Read more
For those whose parents are seriously ill, the Elder advised that they should do whatever good and kind deed they can for their parents, to care for them lovingly, to give them affectionate attention and treat them with the tenderness they would a baby, to look after them in every Read more
O Lord, my God, I call for help by day; I cry out in the night before Thee. Let my prayer come before Thee, incline Thy ear to my cry! Psalm 88:1-2 Psalm 88 is one of the “Six Psalms” that are read at the Orthros services in the Orthodox Church. Read more
George Mantzarides, Professor Emeritus of the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki In his second discourse ‘On the Procession of the Holy Sprit’, Saint Gregory Palamas writes: ‘It was the common fate of all the Churches to fall away from the correct way of thinking, since over Read more
How lovely is Thy dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts! My soul longs, yea, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Psalm 84:1-2 Begin this morning’s reflection by reading Psalm 84:1-2, out loud slowly three times. How does that make Read more
Have you ever seen a fancy seal on a letter or on a certificate? A seal makes things official. A seal shows something really comes from who it says it comes from. Long ago, a king might write a letter, close it with wax, and then make a mark in Read more
Among other things, I asked the Elder what I could do to love Christ? I thought that he’d tell me all sorts of things involving unceasing prayer, many prostrations, fasting and so on, but he simply said: ‘Love Christ’s Cross’. Indeed, looking upon the Saviour’s Cross you learn to gratefully Read more
At that time, Jesus said this parable, “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord Read more
Father Damascene, abbot of St. Herman of Alaska Monastery, talks to Pemptousia about the history of the brotherhood of the Monastery and how the brotherhood turned from missionary to monastic. He is mentioning some important spiritual words of Father Seraphim Rose and he is describing the situation of Orthodoxy in Read more
If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who would examine me. Do we not have the right to our food and drink? Do we not have Read more
On many occasions, at the big feast of the province, instead of being the chief celebrant at the liturgy, as was his right, grandly wearing his monastic veil and expensive vestments and ordering his juniors about, the Elder would wear a shabby habit, would not concelebrate, but instead assisted and Read more
Arise, O God, judge the earth; for to Thee belong all the nations! Psalm 82:8 One of the greatest misnomers about Orthodoxy is that we aren’t a Bible based church. Many of us were raised not reading the Bible. Many people put more stock in “Tradition” than the Bible. And many Read more