Archimandrite Georgios Kapsanis, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Gregoriou † The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is glad tidings [Gospel= gōd ‘good’ + spel news], because it brings into the world not only a new teaching, but a new life to replace the old one. The old Read more…
Watch Now. Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta, at his exclusive interview to Pemptousia, speaks on the benefit of the monasticism to the Church and to the society. Watch the second part of the interview: The person of the Mother of God in the Life of the Church Source: pemptousia.com ABOUT THE Read more…
George Mantzaridis, Professor Emeritus, Theological School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Apart from marriage, which is the natural way of life for us humans, there’s also celibacy as a way of life beyond what’s natural. In the New Testament and the Patristic tradition, celibacy is declared to be superior to Read more…
12th Sunday of Luke St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews 13:17-21 Prokeimenon. Grave Mode. Psalm 115.15,12 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Verse: What shall I render to the Lord for all that he has given me? Brethren, obey your leaders and Read more…
“Other monks and nuns lived out their days alone….in small wood-and-mud huts; they kept a cow or two, and accepted gladly the gifts of an occasional loaf or basket of vegetables from local farmers. The desire for a solitary life and time to spend simply yearning for God…must have drifted Read more…
By Prof. Georgios Mantzaridis With the advent of monasticism, a special way of life appeared in the Church, which however did not proclaim a new morality. The Church does not have one set of moral rules for the laity and another for monks, nor does it divide the faithful into classes Read more…
Long before 60 Minutes produced a documentary about life on Mt. Athos, some French filmmakers managed to obtain permission in the early 80s to take extensive footage of the famous Athonite monastery of Simonopetra. The result is the distinctive documentary embedded above, which provides a window into many aspects of monastic Read more…
Metropolitan Kallistos says that Elder Sophrony wanted his monastery to stay loyal to the tradition of Orthodoxy, but at the same time be open to the spirit of the world. He explains how monks in Essex Monastery practiced hospitality, and why Elder Sophrony wanted his monks be well-educated, so they Read more…
Driving down the highway several years ago, I passed a huge billboard advertisement for The Container Store. In case you don’t know, The Container Store is a store dedicated entirely to organizational items for home, office, and all the minutiae therein. The billboard itself cleverly alluded to the notion that Read more…
When it comes to life simply lived, no one does it better than the monks and nuns of the Orthodox Church. Committing themselves to a life of prayer, askesis (strict self discipline) and obedience, they live with few possessions and luxuries. The monastic folk song, God’s Love Abides, brings to Read more…