Welcome to The Daily Prayer Team messages by Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis, each day includes a passage of scripture, a reflection and a prayer. Sponsored by Saint John Greek Orthodox Church in Tampa, FL. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against Read more…
Vasileios Touloumtsis, Theologian It’s an unshakeable and irrefutable truth that every day of our earthly life is- apart from anything else- another step that brings us ever closer to our biological death. Despite the fact that this is the most certain event which will occur to each and every Read more…
Varnavas, Metropolitan of Neapolis and Stavroupolis In the text of the Old Testament, we read that, when Cain killed Abel, God asked him where his brother was. Still angry, he retorted: “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”. This question, so full of hate and indifference, is answered Read more…
Elder Aimilianos Simonopetritis † Like many, if not all, Elders on the Mountain, Elder Aimilianos was very loving towards those in his spiritual charge- in his case the monks at Simonos Petras and the nuns at Ormylia. But, to use a colloquial expression, ‘he took no prisoners’. A young Read more…
Saint John Chrysostom ‘Anyone who loves their soul will lose it, while anyone who hates their soul in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me’. This present existence is sweet and full of much pleasure. Not to everyone, but to those who Read more…
Georgios Patronos, Emeritus Professor of Theology, University of Athens The Gospel reading for 2nd Luke comes from the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. In Saint Matthew’s Gospel, in which almost all Jesus’ teaching during his public ministry is gathered together, emphasis is placed on the overall context of the Read more…
Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou Question: Sometimes it is difficult to accept that our God of love can pronounce such words as ‘outer darkness’ (Matt. 8:12) or ‘the worm that dies not’ (Mark 9:44). Archim. Zacharias: On the one hand He says, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no Read more…
Elder Germanos Stavrovouniotis There’s love in a Godly manner, but there’s also love in a devilish manner. There’s Godly hatred and also devilish hatred. Godly love is that which springs from the observance of His commandments. Devilish love is demonic, hedonistic, malevolent, such as, for example that which a Read more…
Elder Germanos Stavrovouniotis Those who strive to achieve perfect love, both for God and for their neighbor, can also confess our Lord Jesus Christ ‘in the Holy Spirit’ (see 1 Cor. 12, 3). You have to believe that God loves you even if everybody else turns away from you Read more…
Archimandrite Nikon Koutsidis During the Divine Liturgy, just before the recitation of the Creed, the priest urges the faithful: ‘Let us love one another, that with one mind we may confess’. Confess what? The people reply (through the singers): ‘Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Trinity consubstantial and undivided’. In Read more…