Advice on peacemaking from the Saints Do you wish to honor the Body of the Savior? Do not despise it when it is naked. Do not honor it in church with silk vestments while outside it is naked and numb with cold. He who said, “This is my body,” and made it so by his [...]
Martyr Longinus, the Centurion who Stood at the Cross of the Lord
Martyr Longinus, the Centurion who Stood at the Cross of the Lord October 16th He stood transfixed at the foot of the Cross, watching and wondering, full of awe and amazement. And then all at once, something was born in him – a spark of faith, a brand-new beginning. And his life was changed forever. [...]
Saint Demetrius day sermon
Saint Demetrius day sermon In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Today, dear brothers and sisters, we have gathered in this Holy church to glorify with our prayers St. Demetrius, the Patrone ofthis Holy temple and Parish. I would like to humbly present to you the life [...]
Saint Maximos the Confessor on The Lord’s Prayer
Saint Maximos the Confessor on The Lord's Prayer St Maximos the ConfessorПреподобный Максим ИсповедникΜαξίμου του Ομολογητού If the purpose of the divine counsel is the deification of our nature, and the aim of divine thoughts is to supply the prerequisites of our life, it follows that we should both know and carry into effect the [...]
Venerable Pelagia the Penitent
Venerable Pelagia the Penitent October 8th The Lord loves sinners with an abiding love, we are told, and it is easy to imagine that He must have loved the Venerable Pelagia with a special fervor – because this egregious sinner not only sought repentance for her misdeeds, but then went on to become a pious [...]
Be Angry And Sin Not
Be Angry And Sin Not By St. Nikolai Velimirovich "Be angry and sin not" (Psalm 4:4). Be angry with yourself, brethren, and sin no more. Be angry at your sins of thoughts and deeds, and sin no more. Be angry with Satan the father of lies (John 8:44), and no longer do his will. [...]
Venerable Chariton the Confessor
Venerable Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine September 28th Tortured relentlessly for his faith by the Romans, St. Chariton the Confessor refused to denounce Jesus Christ – and then went on to found the series of monasteries that made this monk a legendary figure among the early saints of the Holy Church. His dramatic story [...]
The Repose of the Apostle and Evangelist John The Theologian
September 26th The Repose of the Apostle and Evangelist John The Theologian He was a humble Palestinian fisherman who earned a living by casting his nets daily into mighty Lake Gennesareth (also known as the Sea of Galilee). And it was here, on the shores of the windblown lake, that St. John the Theologian – [...]
Saint Thekla, Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles
Saint Thekla, Protomartyr and Equal of the Apostles September 24 Thekla was born in the city of Iconium. The daughter of wealthy and highly respected parents, she was known for her extraordinary beauty. When she was 18 years old, her parents made plans for her to be engaged to a young man named [...]
Book Review
Book Review A Cloud of Witnesses: Saints and Martyrs From the Holy Land by Bishop Demetri (Matta) Khoury Authorhouse, 2008 (700 pages, $15.40, paperback) reviewed by Patrick Henry Reardon Unlike the very structured way in which the Roman Catholic Church canonizes its saints, the corresponding Eastern Orthodox method tends to be somewhat informal and “popular,” [...]