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Anonymous Every Friday during Great Lent, crowds of the faithful flock to churches to honor the Mother of God, to sing ‘Hail’ to the ‘sweetly-smelling incense’, the ‘precious myrrh’, Our Lady. Orthodox churches are redolent with the ineffable fragrance exuded by the pure figure of the most blessed Mother Read more…
Archimandrite Varnavas Lambropoulos Today is the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and, during the procession with the holy icons, we commemorate those who affirmed the Orthodox faith not only through their teachings but also through their struggles unto death. The Church is therefore justified in choosing for the Epistle reading a Read more…
Metropolitan Athanasios of Lemessos On the first Sunday of Lent, we celebrate the Sunday of Orthodoxy, that is to say the feast of the restitution of the holy icons, as the Church once again, by the grace of God, vanquished the heresy of the iconoclasts and preserved with exactitude Read more…
Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi 11/9/88 Monastery of Vatopaidi Dear M. The Grace of Christ be with your spirit. I received your letter and read its contents with care. What is commendable is not so much the issues in themselves, but your own good intentions and determination for a stricter Read more…
The Akathistos Hymn occupies an important in the reverential period of Great Lent and is one of the most popular and well-known hymns, both in terms of its melody and poetry. Its inclusion in the Triodio can be explained by the fact that the content is linked to the joyful Read more…
Archimandrite Theodosios Martzoukhos Beloved parishioners, we are now embarking on the time of Great Lent, a period which will bring us to Easter. In this, we rather resemble the ancient Israelite people who left the country of slavery (Egypt) and made their way to the Promised Land. As is Read more…
Metropolitan of Gortyn and Megalopolis, Ieremias My Christian brothers and sisters, what will become of our sins, the multitude of our great sins? With those we committed when we were young and those when we were grown. And even in old age we don’t abandon vile sin. And if Read more…
Forgiveness The Cross was decided in the pre-eternal Council, so in a way God had forgiven us even before we fell. He took the risk of creation about which Father Sophrony speaks, for His purpose even before the foundation of the world was our salvation. And if the Lord had Read more…
Metropolitan Ioïl (Frangkakos) of Edessa, Pella, and Almopia In this period, we have two fasts, as we all know. There are about seven weeks of strict fasting, eight if you include the Cheese-fare weekwhich precedes. For a lot of people this is an enjoyable and desirable time, for others Read more…
Protopresbyter Nikolaos Patsalos The time of preparation for the Fast ends with the Sunday of Cheese-fare and so we pass into great and blessed Lent, which is full of mixed experiences and feelings transmitted to us in a mystical way by its penitential services. Today’s Gospel reading brings us Read more…
† Archimandrite Georgios Kapsanis, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Gregoriou It’s egotism that prevents people from loving God and their neighbour. Christians strive to root out egotism from within themselves, to root out the passions that darken their mind and make a prisoner of their heart. They strive Read more…
Saint Nil of Sorskij During the period of relentless warfare, we must arm ourselves against the spirit of ingratitude and blasphemy, because it’s with those weapons that the enemy attacks us at that moment. Satan defeats people with doubt and fear and directs wicked thoughts at them like arrows: Read more…