It’s up to us
Saint Peter the Damascan Nobody’s the cause of perdition; only our own will is. God’s the cause of salvation: He gave us life and bliss, knowledge and power and His own Self. Not even the devil can bring us to perdition against our will; all he can do is...
What is the Recollection of Death and what does it Mean?
Archimandrite Georgios Kapsanis, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Gregoriou † The recollection of death helps us get beyond our former self, because it brings humility to the soul. When we forget death, we’re under the illusion that we’ll be on earth for ever and this increases our arrogance,...
Sin as Sickness
Fr. Andreas Agathokleous It’s natural to have feelings of guilt if we look at sin as a transgression against ‘the law of God’ rather than as a sickness we’ve inherited as children of the first Adam. Because if, over time, sin becomes second nature, it exercises authority in our...
She’ll bring you joy
Abbess Makrina, Holy Monastery of Our Lady the Guide, Portaria When you can’t sleep and various thoughts keep bothering you, say the prayer ‘Rejoice, Virgin Mother of God…’ continuously. Sleep will come and Our Lady will give you great joy. Source: pemptousia.com ABOUT THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN NETWORK...
Open the Windows of the Soul
Archimandrite Varnavas Lambropoulos This year, the Sunday after Theophany coincides with the handing-back of the feast. ‘The Saviour has appeared, Grace and Truth’. The Saviour has appeared, about Whom the prophets spoke in preparation for His coming. The greatest of the prophets, the Honourable Forerunner, who was granted the...
Christ’s Behaviour (Matth. 4, 12-17)
Metropolitan Ioïl (Frangkakos) of Edessa, Pella, and Almopia ‘When he heard that John had been delivered up, he withdrew to Galilee’. The way in which Christ behaved towards people wasn’t always the same. He expressed Himself in a variety of ways. Besides, Christ became incarnate and was made manifest...
The Central Problem of the Lack of Change in the World is the Excess of Good Wishes and the Absence of Good Deeds
Protopresbyter Antonios Christou Dear readers, by God’s grace, here we are at the start of a new year, only a few days after the last one ended. We’ve been here before and have shared thoughts and resolutions for a better year in all aspects of our life. In our...
Our Feasts
Fotis Kondoglou For many people, Christmas, New Year, Epiphany and other feasts aren’t feasts at all, nor days full of joy, but times that bring sorrow and hardship. Hard times for the souls of those who aren’t in a position to celebrate in the way that others are. Apart...
Saint Theodosios, Abbot of Filotheou and Metropolitan of Trebizond
Saint Theodosius, Metropolitan of Trebizond, was born in the village of Koritsa, near the Kastorian hills. His elder brother was Saint Dionysios, the founder of the Monastery of Dionysiou on Mount Athos. At eighteen years of age, Theodosios became a monk at Constantinople. Later, he went to the Monastery of...
Why Christianity mustn’t change (2)
Saint Theophan the Recluse If the saving power of the teaching depended upon on our knowledge and our agreement with it, then it would make sense for people to come up with the idea of rebuilding Christianity according to human weaknesses or the demands of the time and to...
The Significance of the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan
Sophia Kafkopoulou On 6 January, our Church celebrates Theophany, one of the great feasts of the Lord. Jesus’ baptism is the event which formally confirmed the advent of the Messiah. Although the Lord Himself had no need of the remission of sins, He nevertheless came to John ‘to be...
Christ’s Baptism
Metropolitan of Gortyn and Megalopolis, Ieremias Today, my Christian brothers and sisters is the third feast of the Lord. The first is the Nativity, the second the Circumcision and the third is His Baptism. Since we’re already tired by the liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, which is longer...
