We have you as an example of repentance, Mary the Egyptian
Hierodeacon Rafael Misiaoulis, Theologian On the fifth Sunday in Lent, the Church brings to our attention an exceptional female ascetic: Saint Mary the Egyptian. She’s someone for us to imitate and has a great deal to teach us. Her Life was preserved for us by Saint Zosimas and written...
Dimitirios Magouris: ‘Open to me the gates of repentance’
Listen now The pre-cleansing period of the Triodio will bring us to the gates of Great Lent. It’s a period of intense liturgical activity and spiritual watchfulness, as demonstrated by the poetic discourse of these days. The hymns which follow the reading of Psalm 50 have a special...
Zacchaeus, a Moving Example of Repentance
Hierodeacon Rafael Misiaoulis, Theologian In today’s Gospel reading, we hear that Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town. There was a man there called Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a chief tax-collector by profession. This was a job identified in people’s minds with deceit, theft and lies. At that...
Repentance and Prayer according to Saint Païsios
Alexandros Christodoulou, Theologian In general terms, Saint Païsios set the greatest store in the spiritual struggle on repentance and unceasing prayer. It was through repentance that he received revelations from heaven. He used to say that the life of a monk was one of repentance and prayer. The monks...
Discourse on Repentance
Saint Saint Ephraim the Syrian Let’s not be overwhelmed, then, by that fear which has to do with the things and conditions of this vain world. In other words, let’s not fear where there’s nothing to fear (I Jn. 4, 18). What human fear can compare with the fear...
Repentance: Sacrament and Experience
Christos Klavas ‘Indeed, Good One, it’s in your power to work miracles and there’s no greater miracle than for someone to love sinners in their fall. It’s easy to love saints. They deserve it’. (Saint Silouan the Athonite †1938) The period of holy and great Lent is the time...
Practical repentance and its fruits
Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi Christ is the living truth. “I am the way, and the truth and the life” (John 14, 6). Therefore, He is life without beginning, unlimited (ἀπεριόριστος), unbound (ἀδέσμευτος), co-eternal with the Father, inseparable and undivided from him. “Praise be to God and Father of our...
Fasting and Prayer
The Great Canon of St. Andrew says, “When the Lord had fasted for forty days in the wilderness, He at last became hungry, showing His human nature. Do not be despondent, my soul, if the enemy attacks you, but let him be beaten off by prayer and fasting.” [Matthew 4:1-11;...
Repentance, as I learned it from contemporary Saints and Elders (Part 3)
Andreas Christoforou I saw Saint Païsios on a good number of occasions between 1979 and 1994, when he departed this life. Except for one time, I never asked him a question, but he always spoke to me and taught me. In 1990, Yorgos and I arrived at the Panagouda...
Repentance, as I learned it from contemporary Saints and Elders (Part 2)
Andreas Christoforou Then you can forgive others, as we said above. So you receive the remission of sins in prayer first and this is necessary so that you can go to your spiritual guide for confession and to receive forgiveness from the Church. Then you’ll also receive it from...
