The Good Samaritan: Love above Divisions
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...
Cheap Love
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...
Saint John Chrysostom, Homily 67 on St. John
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...
Love is the Criterion of Faith and Works (2nd Sunday of Luke)
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...
Conversations with Father Zacharias – More on love
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...
On Love (2)
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...
Let us love one another
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...
Good training
Saint Nectarios of Pentapolis Forbearance is a virtue of a generous and noble soul. It’s founded on love for your neighbor. It’s magnanimity, high-mindedness and is a friend of meekness. Forbearance is testimony to a soul well trained and expresses itself as sympathy, philanthropy, modesty and justice. Source: pemptousia.com
Miracle, Hope and Love
Protopresbyter Themistoklis Mourtzanos And Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your pallet.’ And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. Why do people seek miracles in their lives in order...
