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
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
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
With the vocal resonance which is his hallmark, Archon Maestro of the Great Church of Christ, Grigorios Daravanoglou sings ‘My soul, my soul’ the famous kontakion of Great Lent and the Great Canon. It is one of the most moving troparia of the time of Great Lent, a period of Read more
Protopresbyter Nikolaos Patsalos After the middle of this period [Lent], then, the Church provides appropriate additional help in our ascetic efforts, which differ in accordance with the capacities of each one of us, by presenting the perfect figure of asceticism, Saint John of the Ladder, that great asceticwho really Read more
Archimandrite Georgios Alendas Great Lent is a period of repentance, during which our stony hearts must become, through God’s grace, softened in the flesh, and move from being callous to being sensitive, from cold and hard to warm and open to others, particularly God Himself. Great Lent is a Read more
Georgios Zaravelas, Theologian On the 3rd Sunday of Lent, and, indeed, throughout 4th week, a time within the reverential climate of the fast which is so beneficial to the soul, the Church displays the Precious Cross of the Lord, for the support of the faithful. The appointment of the Read more
Metropolitan of Pisidia Sotirios HOMILY ON THE SUNDAY OF THE VENERATION OF THE HOLY CROSS (22/3/2020) The Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross is today! With a spirit of celebration and surrounded by flowers, the Precious Cross of Christ is placed in the center of the Church. All Read more
One of the more curious features of living in Greece is that, if you go to a football match on the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, one of the messages relayed to the crowd at half-time is always: “The Triodion is open! Bring your family and friends to Read more
George Mantzarides, Professor Emeritus of the Theological School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki The progression from the first Sunday in Lent, which is dedicated to Orthodoxy, to the second Sunday, which is dedicated to Saint Gregory Palamas is of double significance: on the one hand it extends the Read more