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The Grandeur of the Mother of God [2]
Monk Arsenios of the Skete of Koutloumousiou, the Holy Mountain So humility which comes as a natural result after we sin, especially when these are mortal sins, is one thing, and the humility of Christ is another. For sinful people, humility’s absolutely necessary for them to stay alive, so...
The Grandeur of the Mother of God
Monk Arsenios of the Skete of Koutloumousiou, the Holy Mountain When the most glorious and richest kings on earth have in mind to build their throne and their royal palace as a whole, they don’t leave a stone unturned until they find the most precious material that nature is...
An Icon of Human Freedom (part 2)
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware of Diokleia Sharing, Silence, Suffering If the Mother of God at the moment of the Annunciation is a true icon of human freedom, of authentic liberty and liberation, then her actions and reactions in the events that follow shortly afterwards in St. Luke’s Gospel illustrate three basic...
An Icon of Human Freedom (part 1)
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware of Diokleia Am I not free? (1 Corinthians 9:1) God persuades, He does not compel; for violence is foreign to Him. (Epistle to Diognetus VII, 4) What Shall We Offer? In an Orthodox hymn used at Vespers on Christmas Eve, the Virgin Mary is seen as the...
The Elevation of the Bread in Honour of the Most Holy Mother of God
Saint Maximos the Greek The Only-Begotten Son and Word of God, who became a human person for us (though He was sinless), voluntarily underwent the crucifixion, death and burial so that our human nature, which the father of evil had caused to be cast out of paradise in olden...
The Holy Dormition of our Most Pure Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary
Saint Gregory Palamas If ‘the death of the saints is precious and the memory of the righteous is blessed’, with how much greater praise should we keep the memory of the ‘saint of the saints’ through whom the whole of sanctity came to them, that is the memory of...
The Dormition of the Mother of God: a liturgical approach
Ioannis Foundoulis The feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God is celebrated on August 15 by the Christian world and is the greatest of those established by the Church in honour of the Mother of the Lord. It may be the oldest of all. The first evidence...
The Joy of the Annunciation
Fr. Andreas Agathokleous The Feast of the Annunciation lends a pre-Paschal feeling to Great Lent, during which it always falls. The atmosphere of compunction recedes and gives way to the joy of the great feast. This is why we have a dispensation to eat fish. The hymns, the celebrations...
‘To you victorious leader of triumphant hosts’, ancient melody, 4th plagial tone (former Protopsaltis Archon Leonidas Asteris)
The Akathistos Hymn occupies an important in the reverential period of Great Lent and is one of the most popular and well-known hymns, both in terms of its melody and poetry. Its inclusion in the Triodio can be explained by the fact that the content is linked to the joyful...
Honoring the Theotokos
As a sinful follower of Jesus Christ, my ultimate goal is to joyfully spend eternity in God’s kingdom. Since becoming Orthodox, I’ve frequently turned to the Theotokos for guidance. She is the most pure, with no ego or agenda, and totally devoted to serving and worshipping God. Because of her,...
