by St. John ChrysostomOur father among the saints John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, was a notable Christian bishop and preacher from the fourth and fifth centuries in Syria and Constantinople. He is famous for eloquence in public speaking and his denunciation of abuse of authority in the Church and in the Roman Empire of the [...]
Beautiful saying of Father Paisius (Olaru) of Sihla Skete, RomaniaFr. Paisius: "Humility is the thought and conviction of our heart that we are more sinful than all men and unworthy of the mercy of God. Reviling ourselves does not mean that we have true humility. True humility is when someone shames and abuses us publicly, [...]
القديس إسحق السريانيلا تميّز بين من يستحق المساعدة ومن لا يستحقها. ليكن كل الناس متساوين في نظرك تحبهم وتخدمهم. هكذا تأتي بهم كلَّهم الى الخير. ألم يأكل الرب مع العشارين والزواني ولم يبعدهم عنه؟ هكذا أنتَ قدّم الخيرات والإكرام لغير المؤمن، للمجرم، لأنهم إخوتك في الطبيعة البشرية. إليكَ هذه الوصية يا بني: لتغلب الرحمة دائمًا [...]
On AngerI The flame of anger and the fire of hellLet not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil’ (Eph. iv. 26-27).The devil has no access to the soul, if the soul itself harbours no passions. In such a state it is transparent and the devil cannot see it. [...]
1. When the holy Abba Anthony lived in the desert he was beset by 'accidie' - lethargy - , and attacked by many sinful thoughts. He said to God, 'Lord, I want to be saved, but these thoughts will not leave me alone. What shall I do in my affliction? How can I be saved?' [...]
الخير والشرّثمـة خطأ سائد عند الناس يجـعـل الله خالـقا مبدأي الخير والشر، وكأن الله خلق الانسان ووضعه امام خيارين: إما أن يختار الخير وله الثواب، او أن يختار الشر وله العقاب. إنْ هذا الا تبسيط لحقيقة ساطعة، هي أن الله خلق الانسان صالحا على صورته. ولكن الانسان، جَحوداً، يختار الابتعاد عن الصلاح فيعمل الشر، الذي [...]
Gregory of NazianzusMy father was every inch a gentleman, an old man, simple in style, an example in his life, truly a second patriarch Abraham.' He did not just seem noble, like people nowadays: he really was." Once indeed he had been astray; but latterly he had become a friend of Christ, then afterwards a [...]
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. At the beginning of the fourth century, to be precise, in the Year 325, when persecution of Orthodox Christianity had largely ceased, was held the first Universal Council of the Church. 318 Bishops gathered together from all over the Orthodox [...]
by St. Leo the Great St. Leo the Great was the bishop of Rome during difficult times. He was an eminent scholar of Scripture and rhetoric. During an invasion by Attila the Hun, St. Leo met him outside the gates of Rome. After some short words, to everyone’s surprise, Attila turned and left. Three years later, [...]
by St. Athanasius of AlexandriaOur father among the saints Athanasius of Alexandria (also spelled “Athanasios”; from Greek, “immortal”) was a bishop of Alexandria and major theological writer in the fourth century. He is also called Athanasius the Great and Athanasius the Apostolic. He was born in 298 and died on May 2, 373. His feast day [...]