Vigilance – the Wealth of Orthodox Asceticism Conversations with Archim. Zacharias
Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou Question: Can you tell us a few words about negative and positive vigilance? Answer: Negative vigilance is when we resist the attacks of bad thoughts. As soon as they appear, we lift our mind to God saying, ‘Lord, my enemies have come, defend me against them,’ and...
Abbot Damascene: Social media and spiritual life
Watch Now. Abbot Damascene, talks about the worth of social media to the lives of modern Christian, highlighting at the same time their spiritual dangers. Source: pemptousia.com
Discussion with thoughts
Saint Paisios the Athonite ‘Elder, when a proud thought comes, I suffer’. Do you hold it inside yourself? ‘Yes’. Why do you keep it? Shut the door on it. If you hold on to it, you’ll do yourself harm. The thought comes like a thief. You open the door,...
Interview with Archimandrite Zacharias (part 2) – Prayer and the Divine Liturgy
Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou Question: Saint Sophrony says that the Christian should have unceasing inspiration in his life. What does this inspiration consist of? Answer: ‘Those who are led by the Holy Spirit never cease going downwards, condemning themselves as unworthy of God,’ says Father Sophrony (cf. ‘On Prayer’, p....
Spiritual Paternity
Protopresbyter Vasileios Kalliakmanis, Professor of the Theological School, A.U.Th. 1. Introduction These days, when we talk about a spiritual father, we usually mean a priest who’s a confessor. But in Church tradition, the sense of spiritual paternity is much broader. Only God is the Father . Christ, Who is...
Sunday of All Saints (part 2)
Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou Read the first part here Today, one week after Pentecost, again we celebrate a feast, commemorating all the Saints that were well pleasing to the Lord in this life and partook of His imperishable life. Last Sunday we celebrated the coming of the Comforter and the...
Variations in the Spiritual Life (Teachings from Athos)
Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi Even though we’re in the season of winter, we had a fine day yesterday, with lots of sunshine. We felt the weather had taken a turn for the better, and then today it changed again and we’ve got turbulence. We can’t get out to do...
A Story about Judging Others
Elder Panaretos Filotheitis The late Papa-Nikodimos, a spiritual father from the Skete of Kavsokalyvia told me the following story, which is recorded in Athonite Patristic manuscripts. There was a devout Christian who went to his confessor for fifteen years and told him his human weaknesses. One day he went...
What is Prayer of the Intellect and of the Heart?
Archimandrite Georgios Kapsanis, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Gregoriou † Remembrance of God demonstrates communion with Him and is therefore like prayer. Striving to invoke the holy Name of Christ continuously, through the prayer ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me’, is a constant renewal within us of...
Now is the Judgement of this World
Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou Now is the Judgement of this World In the last chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the Lord Himself warns us in the most intense and frightening way about the catastrophes which will precede His Coming. He foretells that that evil will be uncontrollable...
