Orthodoxy for all

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 L...

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 t...

  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 . ”

St John Climacus is venerated by the Holy Church as one of the outstanding co-founders of monasticism. The estimated period of his life is estimated to be between the sixth and seventh centuries. Despite the widespread veneration of this ascetic among believers, and especially among monastics, biographical details of his life have not reached us. He is known to a wide circle of Christians, first and foremost, as the author of the authoritative and highly popular work of ascetic literature, "The Ladder of Asceticism." It would not be an exaggeration to say that this work was a reference book for many renowned ascetics.

Bishop Theophan (the Recluse): Note: The word ''mental'' refers to noetic, from nous that is the psychosomatic center of the human that receives the revelation from God. "Performing mental prayer to the Lord Savior consists of the following: become mentally and attentively present in your heart, and, having established the conviction that the Lord is near and attentive, cry out to Him tenderly: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. And do this unceasingly—in church, at home, on the road, at work, at table, and in bed—in a word, from the moment you open your eyes until the moment you close them . " What is mental prayer? It is the constant turning of the mind to the Lord in the heart, or the constant standing before the Lord, with or without appeals to Him, with only feelings of devotion and a contrite prostration before Him in the heart. To develop skill in this self-compulsive labor, experienced prayer warriors have chosen one prayer to t...

  Two forces in the world There are two categories of forces in the world: positive, creative, and negative, destructive. Destructive forces are characterized by a turbulent, spectacular nature, and therefore their effects are particularly noticeable, creating a strong impression of elemental power and irresistibility. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms, typhoons, and tornadoes—all these formidable natural phenomena strike the viewer's imagination with their magical force. But in reality, this impression is usually exaggerated, and when the storm passes, it almost always turns out that the results of its destructive action are not as great as one might expect from its noisy effect. Moreover, all destructive forces act briefly, and the balance of nature they disrupt is quickly restored. Alongside these destructive forces, there are positive, creative forces. They are quiet, silent, almost unnoticeable, yet irresistible in their action. All the greatest forces of nature—gravity,...

Honorable friend! Have you noticed what's happening in the world right now? The ministers of all the world's nations are currently doing nothing but talking about world peace. The ministers of France and its allied powers, moreover, are insistently talking about security guarantees as the most essential condition of this "peace." One can't help but recall the words of the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Thessalonians: "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For while they shall say, Peace and safety (!), then shall sudden destruction come upon them (that is, upon those who have no love for the truth— 2 Thessalonians 2:10 ) , as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape" ( 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 ). All who love the truth must not only observe the signs of the times, but also draw appropriate conclusions from these observations. Regarding church life, the Savior's words indicate to us, as one of the most astounding ph...

1. Grace and peace to you from the Lord Jesus Christ, and may He sanctify your hearts, so that, without caring for earthly things, you may seek first the Kingdom of Heaven. 2. I urge you, brothers, to look at this world and not be deceived by its vanity, for everything in the world is vanity. Do not set your hearts on perishable things, but rather pursue God, who is your true joy. 3. Anyone who cares about temporal things and forgets about eternal things is lost in empty vanity. Know that true satisfaction lies not in riches, pleasures, or the glory of this world, but in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Saint Chrysostom proclaims: "If anyone asks me what wondrous thing Christ did, I will omit the heavens, the earth, the sea, the resurrection of many dead, and the other miracles He performed... and I will point only to the Cross, which is more glorious than all." And Saint Damascene, as if supplementing this good news, says: "Every deed and miracle of Christ is great, divine, and wondrous, but most wondrous of all is His precious Cross." The New Testament is entirely rooted in the sacred and ineffable mystery of the Cross of Christ. All New Testament truths and all New Testament blessings are rooted in the mystery of the Cross of the God-Man, drawing from it their saving and life-giving power and their divine mystery. One thing is clear: the all-saving power of Christ's Cross extends beyond all human depths, passions, vices, sins, and infirmities; it encompasses all of man, saving, redeeming, cleansing, sanctifying, deifying, and clothing him in Christ. With his...

  St John of Shanghai: I. Veneration of the Mother of God during the days of Her earthly life From Apostolic times to the present day, all who truly love Christ have paid homage to the One who gave birth to Him, raised Him, and protected Him in His childhood. If God the Father chose Her, the Holy Spirit descended upon Her, God the Son dwelt within Her, obeyed Her in His childhood, and cared for Her while hanging on the cross, then should not everyone who confesses the Holy Trinity bow down to Her?

With this commandment, Christ completes the chain of beatitudes, and it no longer speaks of the inner work of the heart, but of a confrontation with the world. While the first commandments concerned the hidden life of the soul—poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness, mercy, purity, and peacemaking—here resistance arises. The world does not always accept a person who lives by righteousness.

A widespread, “current” opinion these days is that Orthodoxy is just one of many varieties of Christianity, along with others that have every right to exist and are even, to one degree or another, equal in value. But to think so is either extreme naivety based on ignorance, or a definitely malicious distortion of the truth.

These words resonate especially powerfully now, in a world accustomed to tension. We're accustomed to arguments, to fighting for our own position, to constantly defending our position. Peace is often understood as a temporary truce, a pause between conflicts. But Christ speaks of something different—peacemaking as an inner calling. A peacemaker is not simply someone who avoids quarrels. They are not indifferent observers or someone who seeks silence at any cost. A peacemaker is someone who has first made peace within themselves. Someone who has restored peace with God and then brings this peace to others. Without inner reconciliation, it is impossible to become a true peacemaker. Peace begins in the heart. As long as a person struggles within—pride, anger, envy—then they unwittingly spread this tension around them. He may speak the right words, but his inner state will be transmitted. Peacemaking begins when a person has learned self-control, when they have stopped responding to ir...

From the teachings of our holy father Abba Ammon There are four things, even if a person possesses one of them, he cannot repent, and God will not accept his prayers. 1. The first is pride: when a person thinks that he lives correctly, that his life is pleasing to God, that in his conversations he edifies many and that [some people], having retired to the desert, [thanks to him] were delivered from many sins; if a person thinks so, then God does not dwell in him 150 . On the contrary, a monk should judge himself with a more severe judgment than that of foolish people, and not consider his deeds pleasing to God. For it is said by the prophet: "All the righteous acts of man are as filthy rags before Him" ​​( Isaiah 64:6 ) . 151 And if the soul is not truly convinced that it is more impure than foolish creatures, such as birds or dogs, then God will not accept its prayer. For foolish creatures, such as dogs or birds, never sin before God and will not be judged by Him. From this ...

  Do you want to have glory from people? It is easy: do them favors! Agree with everyone. Say “no” to no one. To the one who tells you what is right, say “yes”; and to the one who tells you what is wrong, say “yes.” And then you become important to everyone and pleasing to all… But then you are no longer a person. You have lost yourself. You are a chameleon that takes on the color of its surroundings. This is diabolical glory. And today, you see—and always, but especially in our days—this kind of person is successful. The politician. The one who is involved in everything. He accommodates everyone. He manipulates everyone. He is a hypocrite.

  The Sunday of Orthodoxy was established in order for the Church to celebrate the restoration of the Icons and the victory of true religion over the Iconoclasts. The Iconoclasts were the modernists of that time, who began with the abolition of iconography, so that they might proceed gradually, as all such people are wont to do, to other destructive reforms, the end result being to leave nothing in Orthodoxy intact. The Icon was the symbol of Orthodoxy, and Byzantium was in turmoil over the Icons, in civil war, for 116 years. In 787 A.D., the Seventh Ecumenical Synod took place in Nicaea. This Synod proclaimed the restoration of the Icons, and put an end to the Iconoclasm which had started in 726, in the reign of Leo the Isaurian. But even after the Seventh Ecumenical Synod, Iconoclasm was revived, and so another Synod took place in Constantinople in 842, and this Synod confirmed the Seventh Ecumenical Synod. Thus did that madness of Iconoclasm cease.

The “Synodikon of Orthodoxy” is a text contained in the “Triodion” and read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the first Sunday of Lent. It is well known that through the ages various heresies have appeared which deny the experience of revelation and in fact make use of philosophy and conjecture, doubting the Church’s truth on various dogmatic topics. The Fathers who formed the Synods opposed these errors. The decisions of the Synods on dogmatic topics are called “provisions”. More generally speaking, each decision of the Synods is called a “Synodikon”. Thus we have the synodical tome and the synodical provision, and moreover, each synod has its own synodikon. The “Synodikon of Orthodoxy” is the decisions of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which refer to the veneration of holy icons. The reading of them on the Sunday of Orthodoxy gave the title “Synodikon of Orthodoxy”. Of course it must be said that later there was also added to the “Synodikon of Orthodoxy” the definition of faith of the hes...

Whosoever, therefore, shall confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I deny before My Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33). The term synodikon is applied to an official definition promulgated by a synod or council, or to a statement which has synodical origin or conciliar authority. The present synodikon was approved and issued by the Synod of 843 which restored the veneration of icons, i.e., it upheld and re-imposed the authority of the Seventh Ecumenical Synod which had fallen into abeyance during the intervening second period of Iconoclasm (815-842). In the manuscripts, the titles are various: The Synodikon of Orthodoxy, The Synodikon Confirming Orthodoxy Read on the First Sunday of Great Lent, The Synodikon Confirming Orthodoxy, The Synodikon Against All Heresy, and different combinations of all the above. In the printed Triodion, the synodikon is titled The Synodikon of the Holy and Ecume...

Beloved brethren! The beginning of our sermon on Orthodox Sunday is most naturally the question: What is Orthodoxy? Orthodoxy is true knowledge of God and worship of God; Orthodoxy is the worship of God in spirit and truth; Orthodoxy is the glorification of God through true knowledge of Him and worship of Him; Orthodoxy is the glorification by God of man, the true servant of God, by the gift of the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the glory of Christians ( John 7:39 ). Where there is no Spirit, there is no Orthodoxy.

THE HISTORY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE SUNDAY OF THE TRIUMPH OF ORTHODOXY. The very first mention of the Triumph of Orthodoxy as such was made only in 899 (in the Clitorology of Philotheus), and it is certain that this celebration became an integral part of the life of Byzantium from 843 onwards. It was in March of this year that Saint Methodius was ordained as patriarch and the veneration of holy icons was restored.