Climb Above the Crowd
Be Transfigured –Climb Above the Crowd We each have something that gets between us and God. We each have a crowd that stops us from seeing God. I’m not talking about people specifically, but the temptations and life-stress that preoccupy our attention. We spend so much time planning the small...
On Fasting by St. John Chrysostom
Fasting is a medicine. But medicine, as beneficial as it is, becomes useless because of the inexperience of the user. He has to know the appropriate time that the medicine should be taken and the right amount of medicine and the condition of the body which is to take it,...
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on the Meaning of the Word “Liturgy”
Metropolitan Kallisos Ware is one of the leading Orthodox theologians of the last several generations. He is a sought-after speaker, appearing at scholarly conferences, clergy events, and church retreats around the world. In this lecture, titled “Liturgy: What Does the Word Mean?”, the Metropolitan discusses the inner meaning of the...
What Does It Mean to Take Up Our Cross
The great 19th century Russian bishop, St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, delivered the following sermon on a famous text from Holy Scripture: “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me,” (Mk. 8:34). Dear brothers and sisters! We too are disciples of our Lord...
St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain: It is Necessary to Receive Holy Communion Frequently
We shall prove from scriptural and patristic witnesses that it is necessary for the faithful and Orthodox Christians to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord frequently throughout our lives, so long as there is no objection from our spiritual father, and that frequent Communion produces great benefits for...
Charitable Works Abolish Death by St. John Chrysostom
A selection from a sermon by our father among the saints, John Chrysostom (On the Nativity, 55). The saint writes: is so great that they not only cleanse sins but even do away with death itself. Let me explain how. And who, someone might claim,...
Orthodox Priest, Formerly an Australian Rock Star, Battles Ebola in West Africa
By Dan Wooding Founder of ASSIST Ministries Freewtown, Sierra Leone (ANS) — A former Australian rock-star atheist, who found Christ and became a fearless missionary to war-torn Sierra Leone, West Africa, is now preparing for what could be the great challenge of his life. Themi pictured in 1964 as a...
5,000 People Celebrate St. Panteleimon’s Feast on a Small Greek Island
Editor’s note: Here is another report and some photographs from our correspondent in Elounda, a small village on the island of Crete. Kalimera and Chrona polla on this Feast Day of the Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon.Our church of Saint Panteleimon is on the island of Spinalonga, in the bay...