Sermon on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-giving Cross
Metropolitan of Pisidia Sotirios On September 14, the whole of the Orthodox world rejoices as we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: “Behold, through the cross joy has come to the world!” (Paschal prayer) Three historical events contributed to the establishment of this holiday: 1st. The discovery of the wood...
Homily on the Birth of the Theotokos
Metropolitan of Pisidia Sotirios “Your birth, Oh Theotokos, brought joy to the whole world, for from you dawned the sun of righteousness, Christ our God. Freeing us from the curse, He gave us His blessings. Abolishing death, He granted us eternal life.” Apolytikion (the Dismissal hymn) of the Nativity of the...
Encomium on the Beheading of the Great Forerunner – 3
Saint Theodore the Studite According to the Gospel, his disciples then came, took away his body and buried it (Matth. 14, 13). Those of you who love history, look at how the burial of this righteous man is depicted and gives the lie to those enemies of the holy...
Encomium on the Beheading of the Great Forerunner – 2
Saint Theodore the Studite So what did he say to Herod? “You’re not allowed to live with her”. He reminded him of the divine law, as if saying to him: “Look and see what the Law orders you to do. If there are two brothers and one of them...
Encomium on the Beheading of the Great Forerunner
Saint Theodore the Studite Dear God-fearing Christians, the feast which we have gathered here to celebrate together today is radiant and filled with divine joy. It is rightly called radiant because it shines from the very name of him whom we are honouring today, since he is called the...
The Great Paraclitic Canon
Archbishop Stylianos of Australia † The time from August 1 to 15 is a period in the Church’s year during which the Orthodox soul turns to Our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God, with eyes full of contrition. For the two weeks before the feast of the Dormition,...
The Transfiguration of the Saviour
George Mantzarides, Professor Emeritus of the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki The Transfiguration of the Saviour occupies a central position in the Orthodox Church and theology. It is the event that reveals the glory of the Church and of the faithful. It is the evidence of...
Midpentecost
Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou ‘I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely’. During Great Lent, to a certain degree, we taste of Christ’s death. In the middle of this period, the Church institutes the Veneration of the Precious Cross, to quicken...
Homily for Sts. Cyril and Methodius, illuminators of the Slavs
Metropolitan of Pisidia Sotirios Wonderful is the missionary work of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, who are commemorated together on May 11th. Their mission was spread over a vast area of central Europe, which consists of what is now the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, and Ukraine. Their...
The Feast of Christ’s Reception as Fulfillment of the Ritual of Mosaic Law
Theodore Rokas The recent feast, the Reception of the Lord, is the feast which is celebrated exactly forty days after that of His Nativity. The name of the feast in Greek comes from a verb meaning ‘to go out and meet or welcome someone’ [Hence the depiction of Symeon...
