Orthodoxy for all: 2026

Wherein Lies Life's Greatest Evil? (Archbishop Averky of Syracuse)

Homily of the Sunday of the Paralytic

"Behold, thou art made whole. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." John 5:14

Full book here: https://followthesaints.com/books/the-heresy-of-patriarch-kirill

The book is an Orthodox Christian apologetic study, authored by Silouan Wright and Panagiotis Makris, that compiles primary quotations and patristic responses to argue Patriarch Kirill’s public theology departs from historic Orthodox teaching.

The book presents arguments that (a) documents Kirill’s words and actions, (b) contrasts them with consensus patrum, and (c) argues for canonical remedies such as cessation of commemoration.

"Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him" (Mk. 16:1).

In today's Gospel reading there is talk about the visit of the Myrrhbearing women "when the Sabbath was past" to the tomb, the encounter with the Angel and the information that "He is risen, He is not here." The encounter of the Myrrhbearers with the Lord is not described here, but we know very well that the Myrrhbearing women not only were found worthy of the angelic apparition and were the first to be informed of the Resurrection of Christ, but also were found worthy to see the Risen Christ. This is an event of great importance and significance. That is why in the person of the Myrrhbearers, female nature and in general all human nature is honored.

"Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works" (James 2:18)

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord!

Today, in the radiance of Easter joy, the Church remembers those who remained with Christ when the world turned away from Him. We remember the Myrrh-Bearing Women – those whose faith was not loudly proclaimed, but was active; not confessed in words, but sealed with life, tears, love, and faithfulness.

These are not just pages of biblical history. This living, historical presence: Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Cleophas, Solome, Joanna, Susanna, and others—those who followed Christ along the dusty roads of Galilee, who served Him from their estates, who stood at the Cross when the apostles fled in fear, who were the first to arrive at the Tomb while it was still dark.

They stood at the Cross—not as heroines, but as grieving mothers, sisters, and disciples. Their hearts were pierced with pain when the Lord was lifted up onto the Tree. They saw everything they had hoped for crumble. And even after the Savior's death, when it seemed all was over, when only despair remained—they did not leave. They went to the Tomb. Without hope. Without a miracle. Only with Love. Only to anoint the body. To remain close, at least, to the Shadows of Christ.

But it was to them—not the apostles, not the high priests, not the philosophers—that the risen Lord first appeared. Why?

Because Love is beyond knowledge.

Because Love is the foundation of faith.

Because Love is beyond even hope.

They didn't believe they would see the Living One—but they didn't stop loving the Dead One. And so they met the Living One.

While Peter wept, Thomas doubted, and the other apostles hid behind doors, the myrrh-bearing women were already preaching the Resurrection.

And even if they weren't listened to. Even if the men brushed them off: "Their words seemed empty to them." But with God, there are no "empty" words, spoken with love and tears.

And so—victory. Christ comes into the upper room, closed by fear. He Himself confirms the message brought by the women. Their truth conquers male unbelief. Their faithfulness breaks down the walls of fear. Their love opens the doors of eternity.

Perhaps we are those apostles who hide in fear of the world? Or are we Thomas, who demands proof? Or perhaps we are myrrh-bearers? Not in strength, not in knowledge, not in loud confession, but in daily, patient, loving fidelity.

And so, even now, someone stands at the crucified Body—in the form of a ruined temple, a blasphemed priesthood, persecuted Orthodoxy. Someone goes to the Tomb—when faith seems dead and prayer unanswered. Someone carries myrrh—when the heart is exhausted, but love has not faded.

When the world rejects the truth, when even within the Church itself there is pain, division, scandal, weakness—you remain. Because Christ is not somewhere "above," but here—in the Mystery of the Church. And you do not leave. You stay—not for proof, not for a miracle, but because you love.

The myrrh-bearing women are an image of spiritual courage. They are the motherhood of faith. This is tenderness transformed into confession.

Today the Church says to every soul: be a myrrh-bearer. Do not be afraid to go to the Tomb. Do not be afraid to remain close when all have departed. Do not fear love, which is stronger than death.

Let each of us take one thing from this week:

When everything collapses, when there is nothing, Love remains. And this Love reveals the Resurrection.

Amen.

What is prelest (spiritual deception)? (Saint Theophan of Poltava)

An example of Monk Iliodor:

Among the students at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy was a monk named Iliodor. He was distinguished by his spiritual fervor and heightened zeal. The Holy Fathers warn of such students that they can easily fall into "spiritual delusion," into spiritual self-delusion. This occurs because, out of self-confidence and arrogance, they begin to struggle without due humility, trusting in their own strength rather than in the Lord. And the Lord allows this to happen to them, or rather to us, in order to teach us reason and humble us, for falling into this spiritual malady of self-importance and self-delusion is the beginning of all terrible troubles. For Scripture says: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" ( Proverbs 16:18 ). "Before a fall, the heart of a man is haughty" ( Proverbs 18:13 ). “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” ( Luke 18:14 ).

"Hardly anyone would dispute that the truth of Divine existence is the most central of all possible and actual truths of human knowledge, both in its theoretical and practical significance. It is equally close to the simple believing heart and to the mind rich in scientific knowledge. Philosophers dedicate their "works" to it, poets are inspired by it. Finally, it represents the ultimate support for every person in moments of life's difficult trials..."

But precisely because of this great significance, it has long evoked diametrically opposed attitudes. While for some it is clearer than daylight, for others it is a mere phantom of an undeveloped imagination.

Do not be deceived by the conceit and teachings of those deceived by conceit, who, disregarding the truth of the Church and Divine Revelation, assert that truth can speak within you without the sound of words, and instruct you by itself, through some vague and unclear action. This is the teaching of lies and their confidants .

The hallmarks of a false doctrine are obscurity, vagueness, opinion 21 , and the dreamy, bloody, and nervous pleasure it engenders. It is achieved through the subtle effects of vanity and lust.

Fallen humanity approaches holy truth by faith; there is no other way to it. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" ( Rom. 10:17 ), the Apostle teaches us.

The word of God is truth ( John 17:17 ); the commandments of the Gospel are truth ( Psalm 119:86 ); every man is a liar ( Psalm 116:2 ). All this is attested to by Divine Scripture. How then can you expect to hear the voice of holy truth from one who is a liar?

Saint Leo, the saint of God, the son of noble and pious parents, hailed from the region of Ravenna. For his pure life and intellect, he was honored with all the sacred orders in due order, and upon the death of Blessed Sabinus, Bishop of Catana, he was elevated to the episcopal throne by God's election. The city of Catana is located on the island of Sicily, not far from Mount Etna, which still spews fiery lava. Upon accepting the episcopal throne, Saint Leo also assumed all the labors befitting his new rank. He cared for orphans, the poor, widows, the sick, and the straitened, feeding and clothing them at the expense of church property, and healed their ailments with his prayers. He was a merciful father to his children and a faithful shepherd of his flock, but to demons and their servants he was as terrifying as a lion to wolves. In his days there was a certain sorcerer in Catania, named Heliodorus; he was the son of pious parents who believed in Christ, and had himself been enlightened by holy baptism, but later secretly renounced Christ and began to serve demons, having learned sorcery from a Jew. Thus he was considered a Christian, but in fact he was a pagan, a servant of demons and a great sorcerer, no better than that ancient sorcerer Simon, whom the holy chief apostles Peter and Paul put to death by their prayers. Heliodorus was like him in all things: performing astonishing magical miracles, he, through his suggestion, caused people to imagine that rivers were flowing on dry ground, on roads and in the streets, so that citizens of both sexes, naked, crossed through the middle of the city, as it seemed to them, a river; he turned stones into gold, but only for a short time; In the markets he caused great losses to the merchants with his sorcery; he so aroused noble maidens, the daughters of honest and dignified citizens, to carnal sin with his magic that, forgetting shame, they left their homes and parents and ran to various places for the sake of fornication. When the hegemon Lucius reported him to the kings Leo and his son Constantine Porphyrogenitus, the kings sent a command to arrest him; but Heliodorus himself gave himself up to the people who were looking for him; he boarded a ship with them in Catania and landed that same day at Constantinople, having sailed in one hour a distance that only people sailing from the West - from Sicily to the East - to Thrace can imagine. Appearing before the kings, he was condemned by them to death, but immediately before the kings' eyes he became invisible and again appeared in Catania; Having been summoned a second time to Constantinople and condemned to beheading by the sword, the sorcerer again became invisible at the very moment when the warrior, raising the sword above his head, swung it with such force that the sword struck only the air; and again this sorcerer found himself in Catania.

Dear brother in Christ,

I am glad to greet you in the Lord, and thank you for your letter. I understand how serious these questions are, and I will try to answer you with the same seriousness.

First of all, I must tell you this: judging by everything, there are no truly God-bearing elders in our day —like, for example, the Optina elders who once guided people by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and not by their own understanding or the interpretation of the Holy Fathers. This path of spiritual guidance is not given to our time—and, frankly, with our sins, weaknesses, and spiritual corruption, we do not deserve it .

On Zealotry (Saint Seraphim Rose)

Letter 218 (excerpt). Apodosis of Ascension, 1976 [May 29/June 11, 1976] Dear Daniel,

…Before going ahead, we must stop and find out where we are. We wish to be

zealots for true Orthodoxy, and our Church leaders have indicated clearly that we must have no contact with the Moscow Patriarchate and similarly enslaved Churches; must refrain from participating in ecumenist activities and must be aware that ecumenism is eating away the very Orthodox fiber of most of the Orthodox Churches, beginning with Constantinople; and must be zealously pursuing a path of true Orthodoxy ourselves, not only in outward acts but especially in spiritual life, but without falling into false zealotry “not according to knowledge”—a point that Vlad. Averky especially emphasized. About the latter danger we have been learning much of late from the situation of the Old Calendarists in Greece, which can help us to avoid some mistakes “on the right side.”

The following is the complete, extracted text of the two chapters from Acquiring the Mind of Christ: Embracing the Vision of the Orthodox Church by Archimandrite Sergius (Bowyer). These chapters are presented together because they form a unified Orthodox presentation of atonement (salvation).

Criticism of the new disgusting Kremlin propaganda: April 19, the so-called "Day of Remembrance of the Genocide of the Soviet People."

Критика новой отвратительной кремлевской пропаганды: 19 апреля, так называемый «День памяти о геноциде советского народа».

(https://paodkb.org/events/19-aprelya-den-pamyati-o-genotside)

After completing the Forty Days of Great Lent, we have entered a new Forty Days, yet of a completely different nature. There, we mourned our sins, confessed our weaknesses, humbled ourselves through fasting and abstinence – we were in every respect as guilty ones seeking mercy and forgiveness of sins.

The new Forty Days, beginning with the glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ, has placed us in a new and radiant state as Christians, liberated from condemnation, resurrected for a new holy life, confident in the eternal blessedness of the immortality bestowed upon us.

There we saw an example for ourselves in our Lord, how He, entering into the work of saving humankind, spent forty days in the strictest fasting, in solitary prayer, and in struggle against the unseen enemy.

Here we see the same Lord, who for forty days appeared to His disciples, but we see Him glorified, victorious, triumphant over all His enemies. How comforting are these repeated appearances of the Lord to His disciples following His Resurrection. All of them testify to the greatest love of the Lord for those who believe in Him.

Here is the first assurance of the goodwill of the Lord, bestowed upon Christians: He, the risen one, appeared only to His own, only to His closest disciples, only to those who believed in Him. It seems, why would the Lord not appear again in Jerusalem before the faces of His treacherous enemies, the high priests, scribes, and Pharisees? What confusion, shame, and defeat He would have brought upon them before the people, before those whom they taught to oppose the Lord.

So it seems to us, brethren, due to our vanity and love for power: it is we who enjoy witnessing the humiliation of our enemies, it is we who boast of victory over our opponents. It is gratifying for us to trample upon those who intended to do us harm.

Our Lord is loving; He spares His enemies. He allows them to realize their guilt, to acknowledge their crimes, and to willingly come to the Lord.

Would there have been any benefit had He appeared in glory to His enemies? For a moment they might be struck down – but then what?

If the very disciples of the Lord did not suddenly meet Him with faith, but considered Him joyfully as a dream, a premonition, or merely an appearance of the spirit – then even more so would His adversaries, blinded by passions and malice, have encountered Him with doubt, disbelief, and an even greater surge of malice and hatred.

Yes, even if they were to convert – would it be for long?

We observe among ourselves how thoughtful individuals refuse to acknowledge the manifest truth, but stubbornly reject it, spurred by pride and the desire to glorify themselves.

It seemed that they had lost faith in His Resurrection; yet in an instant, when He was among them, when He still sat with them, spoke His wondrous familiar words, even ate and drank with them, showed them His wounds and scars – in that moment, this sorrow, this doubt transformed into joy, into certainty, into such devotion for which they were ready to go to the marketplace, endure suffering, and accept a painful death. And behold, how diverse were the manifestations of the Lord! He appears to women first, to reward them for the courage with which they stood by Him until His last breath; He appears to Peter, who had denied Him three times, to encourage him and restore his title as Apostle; He appears to two disciples on the way, so that two witnesses could more firmly assure the Apostles; and finally, when all the Apostles were prepared, in an eager expectation, already tormented by impatience – then He stood among them to bless them for the great task that awaited them after Him. He appeared to all the faithful to assure them of His Divinity.

The Lord has demonstrated a renewed assurance of love for Christians in that He has shown, through His appearances, His care for all the needs of His disciples. The Lord appears to all the disciples and also to one or two alone. This signifies that the Lord cares for both the entire Church and for each individual believer.

The Lord has appeared not once, nor twice, but many times. This means that regardless of our state or circumstances, He is always present with us. The Lord, through His manifestations, has always brought some joy, help, or consolation: here is Mary standing by the tomb of the Lord and weeping – and He is there to comfort the grieving. Here are two disciples on their way to Emmaus, expressing their emotional sorrows and shattered hopes – and the Lord is right there to dispel their doubts. The Apostles locked their doors, Thomas does not believe until he touches His wounds, and the Lord satisfies them all.

Is it not reassuring for us, Christians! Christ has promised to be with us forever: what, then, shall we fear?

Source: https://www.mystagogyresourcecenter.com/2025/04/homily-on-sunday-of-thomas-righteous.html

The Fundamental Difference Between the "East" and "West" (Professor John Romanides)

What follows is a heavily excerpted and slightly edited transcript of three lectures given by the great Orthodox scholar John S. Romanides in 1981 at Holy Cross Seminary in the Patriarch Athenagoras Memorial Lecture series. This article deals with the fundamental difference between Orthodoxy and Western Christianity, mainly Roman Catholicism. Readers will be surprised to learn that the division between "East" and "West" was actually more of a political division, caused by the ambitions of the Franks and other Germanic tribes, than a "Theological" question. Professor John Romanides of the University of Thessalonike challenges the common views regarding the causes for the Schism of the Church in the "Roman world," and offers his own provocative interpretation of the historical background of this tragedy in the history of the Christian Church. Far from seeing basic differences in the "Roman world," which led to alienation between the East and West, Romanides argues for the existence of "national, cultural and even linguistic unity between East (Byzantine) and West Romans"; that is, until the intrusion and takeover of the West Romans (the Roman Catholics) by the Franks (German tribes).

Works of Fr John Romanides are available here:

1. Patristic Theology

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UnmLj3DSpkIK_n-M2_pjHLgDpHhVhfwT/view?usp=drive_link

2. In Thy Light Shall We See Light: A Defense of the Theology of Father John Romanides

https://phospublications.com/2024/10/02/in-thy-light-shall-we-see-light-a-defense-of-the-theology-of-father-john-romanides/

3. FRANKS, ROMANS, FEUDALISM, AND DOCTRINE

https://www.romanity.org/htm/rom.03.en.franks_romans_feudalism_and_doctrine.01.htm

A truth-seeker," Fr. Herman used to say, "when he finds the truth in Orthodoxy, must then stop his searching. His path to Orthodoxy, which is on a horizontal plane, has ended, and now he must go 'vertically,' deeper into Orthodoxy. If he continues to progress on the horizontal level, perpetually seeking how to be externally right, it is often the case that he will keep progressing right out of the Church."

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"After Easter, be doubly careful: demons do not sleep, and they easily seize those celebrating."
St. Paisios the Athonite
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Christ is Risen!
When someone asks about relaxation—about laziness, idle words, the sudden heaviness that overtakes them after the great strain of Lent—I want to answer not in a bookish way, without reproaching, but rather by standing beside them, as a fellow Christian in the same struggle, in the same fatigue.

In essence, relaxation after Lent is not a betrayal of the path, not a fall into the abyss. It is a moment of truth, when external supports are removed and it becomes clear what our hearts truly rest upon. While a strict regimen is in effect—services, prayers, ascetic labors—we seem to walk, supported by the rhythm of the Church's common prayer. But when Easter arrives and external austerity gives way to joy, it becomes clear: where do we stand? By grace—or by habit?

One of the most famous shrines of Constantinople, the Zoodochos Pege, is located outside the land walls to the west of the city, at the site now known as Balikli. Two versions of a very old tradition provide information on the origins of this ancient shrine.

According to the first, related by the historian Procopius, Justinian (527-565), while hunting in a beautiful verdant part of the land with many trees and much water, had the vision of a small chapel with a large crowd of people and a priest in front of a spring. "It is the spring of miracles", he was told, whereupon the Emperor built a monastery at the site using surplus materials from the church of Hagia Sophia. Cedrenus records that the monastery was built in 560.

The second version, narrated by the chronicler Nikephoros Kallistos, says that the Emperor Leo I (457-474), when still a simple soldier, met at the Golden Gate a blind man who asked him for a drink of water. As he looked around for water, a voice directed him to the spring and enjoined him to build a church on the site when he would become emperor. Kallistos describes this great church in detail ("Description of the Holy Church of the Pege Erected by Leo", P.G. Migne, vol. 147, 73-77), but the description agrees more with the church built by Justinian. It is historically confirmed that Zenon, Hegumen "of the house of the most holy and glorious Virgin Mary and Mother of God at Pege", participated in the Council of Constantinople, convened by the Patriarch Menas (536-552) in 536.

Let him who is pious and God-loving enjoy this beautiful and bright celebration.

Whoever is a wise servant, let him enter rejoicing into the joy of his Lord.

Whoever has labored by fasting, let him take a denarius today.

Whoever has worked from the first hour, let him receive his due pay today.

Whoever comes after the third hour, let him celebrate with gratitude.

Whoever managed to come after the sixth hour, let him not worry at all, for he will not lose anything.

Whoever has delayed until the ninth hour, let him approach without any doubt, without fearing anything.

He who managed to arrive only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid of his delay.

For the generous Lord receives the last as well as the first; he gives rest to him who comes at the eleventh hour, just as he gives rest to him who has worked from the first hour; he has mercy on the last, and cares for the first; he gives to this one, and bestows favor on that one; he accepts deeds, and welcomes intentions; he honors activity and praises disposition.

Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven: and grant us on earth to glorify Thee with a pure heart.

Christ has risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life upon those in the tombs.

The women who came with Mary before dawn and found the stone rolled away from the tomb heard an angel say, "Why do you seek Him who dwells in eternal light among the dead as a man? Look upon the graveclothes, flee, and proclaim to the world that the Lord has risen, having put death to death, for He is the Son of God, who saves the human race!"

Though You descended into the tomb, O Immortal One, You destroyed the power of hell and arose as victor, O Christ our God, crying out to the myrrh-bearing women, "Rejoice!" and granting peace to Your apostles, You who grant resurrection to the fallen.

The angel proclaimed to the Blessed Virgin: "Rejoice, O Pure Virgin!" And again I say: "Rejoice!" Your Son rose from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. People, rejoice!

Shine, shine, New Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Rejoice now and be rejoiced, O Zion! And you, rejoice, O Pure Theotokos, for the resurrection of Your Son.

Let God arise and His enemies be scattered (Psalm 68:2).

The sacred Pascha has appeared to us on this day—the new Pascha, the holy Pascha, the mystical Pascha, the Pascha honored by all. Pascha is Christ the Redeemer; the immaculate Pascha, the great Pascha, the Pascha of the faithful, the Pascha that opened the gates of paradise for us, the Pascha that sanctifies all the faithful.

As smoke vanishes, let them vanish (Psalm 68:3).

Go forth after the vision, O women who bring good news, and proclaim to Zion: "Receive from us the joy of the good news of Christ's resurrection!" Rejoice, be glad, and be glad, Jerusalem, having beheld Christ the King, like a bridegroom, coming forth from the tomb.

So let sinners perish before the face of God, but let the righteous be glad (Psalm 68:3-4).

Late in the morning, the myrrh-bearing women, standing before the tomb of the Giver of Life, found an angel seated on a stone. He turned to them and cried out: "Why do you seek the Living One among the dead? Why do you mourn for the Incorruptible One, as one subject to corruption? Return and tell His disciples!

This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!" (Psalm 118:24).

Joyful Pascha, Pascha, the Lord's Pascha, the all-holy Pascha has dawned upon us. Pascha! Let us joyfully embrace one another. O Pascha—deliverance from sorrow! For from the tomb on this day, as from a bridal chamber, Christ, shining forth, filled the women with joy with the words: "Let the Apostles Know!"

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Resurrection Day! Let us shine with triumph and embrace one another; let us say, "Brothers!" and forgive all who hate us for the sake of the resurrection, and thus proclaim: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and to those in the tombs He bestowed life!"

The First Known American Convert to Orthodox Christianity - Philip Ludwell III

Philip Ludwell III is the first known convert to Eastern Orthodox Christianity in the Americas. He was a prominent figure in pre-revolutionary Virginia and a relative by blood or marriage of many great early figures in American history from George Washington to Richard Henry Lee of the great Lee family of Virginia. The scion of one of the largest landholding and politically prominent families in early Virginia, he was born at Green Spring near Williamsburg on December 28, 1716, making him a contemporary of Benjamin Franklin, with whom he shared a friendship.

Dear brothers and sisters!

Christ is Risen!

On this radiant night of Pascha, the whole creation rejoices, for the Lord of Glory has shattered the bonds of death. What the first Adam lost through disobedience, the Second Adam our Lord Jesus Christ has restored by His obedience to the Father. By His Resurrection, Christ has not merely revived His Body; He has healed our very nature. Where sin had wounded us, where corruption had made us mortal and captive to the passions, where the devil had held us in the fear of death, there the Risen Christ has entered as a Victor. He took upon Himself our flesh, suffered in it, died in it, and then, by the power of His divinity, raised it incorruptible.
By Adam's transgression our nature got subject to death and corruption, we inherited his fallen nature while The Lord healed our nature by His resurrection and by joining and becoming members of His Body the Church, we partake of His resurrection and become members not of the fallen first Adam but of the Resurrected Christ the second Adam. The Lord descended into Hades not as a victim but as a Victor, He trampled death down by death. Now even though we still die, and our souls separate from our bodies, Christ initiated the process of the ressurection which will take effect at the general resurrection during His Second Coming:

Reading the Gospel of Matthew during the First Passion confronts the mind with a paradox that is both surprising and terrifying. We find ourselves faced with a picture in which everything is turned upside down from the perspective of human logic.

Christ was not rejected by hostile pagans, by indifferent pseudo-believers, by convinced atheists, or even by those who had never heard of God. He was put to death by those who should have recognized Him first. The scribes and Pharisees were professional theologians, men who devoted their lives to the study of the Law and the Prophets. Their entire lifestyle, all their work, was a preparation for the encounter with the Messiah. But instead of the joy of recognition, envy and hatred arose; instead of gratitude, the cry, "Crucify Him!" They were absolutely certain they would expose and punish a blasphemer and an impostor.

This brings to mind the apostle's stern warning: "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Cor 8:1). Even knowledge of divine truths, if it becomes a sterile burden to the intellect, a source of pride rather than life to the heart, can blind a person. It creates the illusion of possessing God, blocking the path to the living God. Only one thing can protect us from this terrible spiritual blindness: a humble and contrite heart, of which the psalmist speaks: "A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 50:18). It was precisely a heart similar to that possessed by simple fishermen, tax collectors, and prostitutes who, without further ado, were drawn to the Source of Life, having perceived His Love.

But the Gospel drama doesn't end here. The depths of human degradation are revealed in their fullest expression when even these simple-hearted disciples, witnesses of all the great miracles, all the sermons and promises, in their hour of danger "abandoned him and fled." "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered" (Matthew 26:31): the words of Zechariah, repeated by Christ, resonate prophetically. Even personal experience with God does not guarantee faithfulness when this God reveals himself not as triumphant, but as a prisoner and victim. And here, in this impenetrable darkness of spiritual blindness, betrayal, and apostasy, the incredible happens. A miracle occurs, greater than the healing of the paralytic or the raising of Lazarus. On the cross, at the moment of his radical humiliation and degradation (kenosis), when the Son of God breathes his last amid the jeers of the crowd, when He dies and is seemingly defeated forever, it is then that the eyes of those who were far from him are opened. The Roman centurion, a pagan, responsible for the execution, suddenly confesses: "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54). And the thief, also dying in agony, manages to glimpse the King in the pitiful, wounded, and disfigured man beside him.

Why did they, ignorant of Scripture and unaware of miracles, perceive what was hidden from the wise teachers and even their closest disciples? Because they saw Christ not through logic or external impressions. The Savior hung on the cross, and the terrible signs—the darkness and the earthquake—were more frightening than convincing. Only those touched by the Holy Spirit could see God in a humiliated and disfigured Man. It is easy to believe in Christ as miracle-worker, healer, teacher and prophet, king, conqueror, transfigured and resurrected. Our "Euclidean" logic, as Dostoevsky called it, understands the language of strength and success. But to believe in Christ crucified, humiliated, and powerless is contrary to human understanding.

“For Jews require signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23).

This is the greatest paradox of the Gospel and the greatest miracle in the life of every person: to know God in his humility, to love him in his humiliation, to confess him in his suffering and death. All the miracles performed by the Lord in his earthly life led to a single purpose: that we, having seen his power, might one day see his love, displayed on the Cross. For the strength of Christ "is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12:9).

Even the glorious miracle of the Resurrection will remain for us only a distant historical fact, a vain message, if in the silence of our hearts we do not turn to Him, the Crucified, with the same bold, repentant and simple plea of the thief: "Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom!" (Luke 23:42).

Source: https://luceortodossamarcomannino.blogspot.com/2026/04/meditazioni-ai-piedi-del-golgota.html

Homily on Holy Friday (Saint Justin Popovich)

Never before, dear brothers, has there been so little of God in man as today; never before has man been so ungodly as today. Today the devil has incarnated himself in man in order to disincarnate the God-man. Today all evil has entered the body of man in order to drive God out of the body. Today all of hell has moved onto earth; does anyone remember that the earth was once paradise? The present fall of man is immeasurably more terrible than the first fall of man; then man fell away from God, but today he has crucified God, he has killed God. Man, what can one call you if not the devil? But what am I saying? This is an insult to the devil. The devil has never been so evil, so cunningly evil, as man. The Lord Christ descended into hell, and they did not crucify Him there! Are not men worse than the devil; has not the earth become more of a hell than hell itself? They did not cast Christ out of hell; and people even today drive Him from the earth, expel Him from their body, from their soul, from their city...

Brothers, a sinister question has pierced the apple of my soul like a serpent, gleefully asking: was man ever good if he could crucify Christ? Do you believe in man, do you boast of him, are you an optimist? Ah, look at man, look at humanity from the heights of Good Friday, look at man as he murders the God-man, and tell me, will you still remain an optimist? Are you not ashamed to be man? Do you not see that man is worse than the devil?

Homily for Holy Thursday (Igumen Tikhon)

HOLY THURSDAY

(John 13:4-17)

Homily by Igumen Tikhon

When the supper was over and the shadow of betrayal had already fallen upon hearts, Christ stood up. This movement is like a shattering of the world. He rises from peace, from equality, from love understood in a human sense, to reveal love that is incomprehensible. He takes off His garments—as if stripping Himself of any claim to external glory. He girds Himself—and becomes what no one wants to be: a servant.

His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, in the world Basil Ivanovich Bellavin, was born on January 19, 1865 in Toropets, Pskov province, the son of a priest, Fr. John of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky church. His mother was called Anna. Once his father dreamed that he spoke with his dead mother. She warned him of his imminent death and went on to say that of his three sons, one would be a protector, one would die a youth and be brought back to Toropets, and Basil would become very great. Just after he had had been made Bishopof Alaska, Basil accompanied the body of his youngest brother back to Toropets, in fulfilment of this prophecy. Basil was a very cheerful, good-humoured and kind boy. He was also very intelligent, and used to help his schoolmates with their work.

Homily by Holy Martyr Daniel Sysoev☦️

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

Today is the joy of the Annunciation. Today heaven and earth are united. Today the ancient curse disappears, Adam’s transgression is erased, and sorrow is turned into joy. Today is the day when God became man so that man might become god. Today the heavens have broken through the barrier set by human sin, through the humble consent of the Virgin and her creative word: “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

God became man so that man might ascend to heavenly heights. God took on weak, sinful, mortal human nature in order to grant it sinlessness, incorruption, and purity. God receives flesh from the most pure Virgin in order to teach us divine purity. And today is the day of the Gospel, the day of the Good News, when we hear of the hope for which we live. This is the hope of deification, because we are called to become gods by grace.

On Palm Sunday, the Church calls all of us to stand with attention and reverence before a great event: the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. A king is coming, but not as the world knows kings. He is not accompanied or guarded by chariots, guards, noise and pomp. He rides a humble animal, a colt, and even accepts the applause of the people with silence and meekness.

According to anti-Christian Jewish tradition and based on rabbinic interpretations of biblical prophecies, the so-called Third Temple – Hamikdosh – should be built on the Temple Mount (Mount Moriah) in the Old City of Jerusalem at the location they consider to be the site of the first (Solomon's, 10th century BC ) and second (Zerubbabel's, 6th century BC ) temples.

According to most Orthodox holy fathers such as Saint Ephrem the Syrian, Saint John Chrysostom , and Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, the Third Temple will never be rebuilt, and if by any chance the anti-Christian Jews do build it, it will certainly not be a lawful temple erected to God, but a synagogue of Satan dedicated to the Antichrist - the Man of Lawlessness.

1. We must always be firmly convinced that we cannot attain perfection through our own labors and efforts, even though we tirelessly practice every virtue. Human efforts alone cannot have the value and power to elevate us to the heights of holiness and blessedness unless the Lord Himself cooperates with us and directs our hearts to what is beneficial for us. Therefore, at every moment we must cry out to God with David: "Make my steps in Your paths; let not my steps slip" ( Ps. 17:5 ), so that this invisible ruler of the human spirit will turn our will toward virtue, since it is more inclined to vice, either through ignorance of goodness or through the seduction of passions. This is very clearly expressed by the Prophet in one verse of the song: "I was turned aside to the fold, and the Lord received me" ( Ps. 118:13 ). The first hemistich signifies the fragility of our will; and the second signifies the ever-ready help of the Lord, Who, whenever we begin to waver, extends His hands to us, supports and strengthens us, lest we fall completely through our own will alone. – Thus, no righteous person possesses sufficient strength to attain righteousness; he constantly wavers and is ready to fall at any moment. Therefore, the mercy of the Lord strengthens him with His hand, lest, otherwise, subjected to a fall through the weakness of his will, he utterly perish in his fall. And who would be so presumptuous and blind as to think that he has no need of God's constant assistance, when the Lord Himself clearly teaches in the Gospel: "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. Without Me you can do nothing" ( John 15:4, 5 )? How unreasonable, even sacrilegious, is it to attribute any good deeds to one's own efforts, and not to the grace and assistance of God, when the Lord's utterance testifies that without His assistance no one can bear spiritual fruit (John 3:16)?

In Rome during the reign of Arcadius and Honorius, there lived a pious man named Euphemianus. He was a very noble and wealthy nobleman, so much so that even his servants, numbering three thousand, wore silk garments. Yet, despite all this, he was not entirely happy, for, due to the barrenness of his wife, he had no children. Euphemianus strictly observed the commandments of God and was distinguished by his kindness: daily in his home he prepared three meals for widows, orphans, the poor, the stranger, and the sick; he himself ate only after the ninth hour , sharing it with wandering monks, and until then he always fasted. If it happened that on a certain day few beggars gathered to him, and therefore he had to distribute alms less than usual, then Euphemianus would fall to the ground in grief and say:

“I am not worthy to live on the land of my God.

1. I am Patrick, a sinner, a man of great ignorance, the last of the faithful, utterly despised by many. My father was Calpurnius, a deacon, son of the priest Potitus, from the village of Bonavem Tabernica. Not far from there, my father had a small villa, where I was captured. I was then about sixteen years old and did not yet know the true God. I was carried off into captivity to Ireland with many thousands of people—and quite deservedly so, for we had turned away from God, did not keep His commandments, and were disobedient to our priests, who constantly reminded us of salvation. And the Lord brought upon us the flames of His wrath and scattered us among the nations, even to the ends of the earth, where I now dwell, in my nothingness, as a stranger.

Thy Bridal Chamber Orthodox Chant (Appalachian version)

A heavenly beautiful chant, I highly recommend you to listen to it dear brothers and sisters!

Link to the chant:

Description of the chant:

I see Your bridal chamber adorned, O my Saviour, and I have no wedding garment that I may enter there within. Make the robe of my soul to shine, O Giver of Light, and save me".

This is the Exaposteilarion (hymn of light) sung during Bridegroom Matins on Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

The hymn is a reflection on the Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22), where a guest is cast out for not wearing a wedding garment. It signifies a humble prayer to God to make the soul worthy of entering the Kingdom.

It emphasizes that while the "bridal chamber" (heaven/the Church) is ready, the individual lacks the spiritual preparation ("garment of righteousness") and needs God’s grace to be saved.

"To keep the royal secret is good, but to reveal and proclaim the works of God is glorious" ( Tob. 12:7 ), so said the Archangel Raphael to Tobit when his blindness was miraculously healed. Indeed, not to keep the royal secret is terrible and disastrous, and to remain silent about the glorious deeds of God is a great loss for the soul. "And I," says Saint Sophronius , who wrote the life of the Venerable Mary of Egypt, "fear concealing Divine deeds with silence, and, recalling the impending misfortune of the servant ( Matthew 25:18, 25 ), who buried the talent given by God in the ground, I cannot help but relate the holy story that has come down to me. And let no one think," continues Saint Sophronius, "that I have dared to write an untruth when someone doubts this wondrous event: it is not fitting for me to lie about sacred things. If there are those who, having read this scripture and, astonished by this glorious event, do not believe, then may the Lord have mercy on them, for they, reflecting on the frailty of human nature, consider the miraculous deeds performed by holy people impossible. However, it is time to begin the story of the glorious event that occurred in our race.

Blessed 1400 Anniversary of the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos to all brothers and sisters!

On Saturday of the fifth week of Great Lent, the Holy Church solemnly proclaims the Akathist , or thanksgiving praise to the Most Holy Theotokos. Consequently, the feast itself is called "Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos"

The Akathist to the Theotokos is believed to have originated after 626, when Constantinople was besieged by the Persians. During the siege, the people sought refuge in the churches of God, day and night imploring the fervent Intercessor to save their city, and Patriarch Sergius carried an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos [1] in his arms along the city walls. After the city's miraculous deliverance, this hymn glorifying the Theotokos was composed.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit speaks through the Prophet Jeremiah, saying:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from the Lord” (Jer. 17:5).

For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ ( 1 Cor. 3:11 )

The Jews say, "Moses is the foundation." The Muslims say, "Mohammed is the foundation." Short-sighted naturalists say, "Nature is the foundation." But we ask, "Did Moses rise from the grave? Did Mohammed ascend to heaven? Does nature provide the Holy Spirit, the Comforter?" Moses did not rise; Mohammed did not ascend to heaven; and nature not only does not provide the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to man, but breathes malice toward him, growls at him, and shows its claws.

Peace comes from humility and meekness

When you want to find true peace of mind, listen to the Lord, who commanded us: "Learn from Me , for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" ( Matt. 11:29 ). You see what the Lord commands us to learn most—humility and meekness, which alone can bring us peace. But this knowledge is not acquired once, or in a single day or year, but over time, through self-forcing and the help of God (V, 363, 491).

…When you humble yourself, you will receive peace and tranquility… (III, 18, 70).

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head, as he sat at meat. But when His disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, "To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor." When Jesus understood it, He said unto them, "Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon Me. For ye have the poor always with you; but Me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall be also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, "What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you." And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

Matthew 26:6-16

CONVERSATION ONE

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

The Lord said to His disciples: “Enter ye through the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are there that go in through it: because narrow is the gate, and hard is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few are there that find it” ( Matthew 7:13–14 ).

When the disciples were horrified by the difficulty of the path to salvation and asked the Lord, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but not with God: for all things are possible with God” ( Mark 10:26–27 ).

I am afraid that reading St. John's Ladder will cause this fear, this confusion, "Who can climb this Ladder?" - my spiritual children will think.

“For men this is impossible, but not for God, for all things are possible for God . ”

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The following is the complete, extracted text of the two chapters from Acquiring the Mind of Christ: Embracing the Vision of the Orthodox Church by Archimandrite Sergius (Bowyer). These chapters are presented together because they form a unified Orthodox presentation of atonement (salvation).