(Excerpts from various famous and trustworthy authors)
THE SPIRITUAL LANDSCAPE OF RUSSIA HAS UNDERGONE A DRAMATIC TRANSFORMATION OVER THE LAST CENTURY. IT CAN BE DESCRIBED AS PHENOMENONAL SHIFT FROM THE ATHEISTIC COMMUNISM OF THE SOVIET UNION TO A HYBRID STATE OF "ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN" COMMUNISM TRADITION OF THE PRESENT DAY.
(Excerpts from various famous and trustworthy authors)
Feast of Pentecost
"And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all gathered together in one place. And suddenly a sound like a mighty wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and they sat on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…" (Acts 2:1-4)
Dear brothers and sisters!
Today we celebrate the great and radiant feast of Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, descended upon the apostles in the form of tongues of fire. This is not simply a historical event to be remembered; it is the birthday of the Church, which is the Body of Christ, and a continuation of the Incarnation of Christ, where Christ now acts in the Church through the Holy Spirit sent by the Father.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, having completed the entire economy of our salvation—His incarnation, His life of perfect obedience, His crucifixion, His life-giving resurrection, and His glorious ascension into heaven—He did not leave us orphans. Before His ascension, He promised: "It is good for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go away, I will send Him to you" (John 16:7). Having completed His earthly mission, Christ the Savior sends the Holy Spirit from the Father, the Spirit proceeding from the Father and sent by the Son, to continue and fulfill in us what Christ accomplished for us.
The Holy Spirit is not an abstract force or impersonal energy. He is the Third Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity, the Lord and Giver of Life. On this day, He descended not only on the Apostles but on all who will believe through their word. The Church was born not as a human organization, but as a divine-human reality, a living organism filled with the uncreated grace and power of God.
Why was the Holy Spirit sent? So that we might be sanctified and led to Theosis, that is, to union with God. This is the primary goal of the Christian life. Christ became man so that man, by grace, might become god. The Holy Spirit makes this possible. He purifies us, enlightens us, and perfects us. He transforms our weak and fallen human nature into the temple of the living God. As St. Athanasius the Great teaches, the Son of God became incarnate "so that we might become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4).
On the day of Pentecost, the apostles, who had feared and hidden, were transformed into bold witnesses. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now elevated them from spiritual cowardice to apostolic boldness. This same Spirit is given to each of us in the Sacraments of the Church, especially in Holy Baptism and Chrismation. Every time we partake of the Holy Eucharist, every time we pray attentively, every time we struggle with sin and practice virtues, the Holy Spirit works within us to conform us to the image of Christ.
The goal of our lives is not simply to be moral people or good parishioners. The goal is Theosis: to become by grace what God is by nature. This is possible only through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. As St. Seraphim of Sarov said, the true goal of Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit abides in us, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) become the natural fruits of our lives.
May the Holy Spirit, who descended on the day of Pentecost, descend into our hearts, sanctify our lives, unite us even more deeply with Christ and lead us all to the fullness of Theosis!
An analysis of the recent encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIV ''Magnifica Humanitas'' about the dangers of AI and protecting the dignity of man from it.
The full encyclical can be read here:
https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html
In Magnifica Humanitas, the Pope operates from a baseline of modern Western humanism. He views the human person as possessing an inherent, functional moral compass that is under threat from external forces namely: a technocratic elite, corporate greed, and the "perfect machine/AI." The underlying assumption is that if we can just "disarm AI" through rigorous international ethics and social justice, human goodness will prevail.
St. Justin Popovich fiercely critiqued this exact worldview. He argued that Western European culture committed a fatal error by substituting Papism and Humanism for Christ. In his view, Papism (the dogma of papal infallibility) was the ultimate expression of humanism because it elevated a human being to the status of a divine criterion of truth.
St. Justin wrote that humanism attempts to build a world around Homo-deus (the Man-god) rather than Theanthropos (the God-man, Christ). When you look at the AI problem through this lens, the AI is not an external monster invading an innocent humanity. Rather, AI is the ultimate mirror and amplification of fallen human pride which is man trying to create an idol in his own image to achieve immortality and omniscience without God.
The Pope opens his encyclical by stating that humanity faces a choice: either build a new Tower of Babel or construct "the city in which God and humanity dwell together." (Point 7 of the encyclical) While this sounds beautiful, from an Orthodox standpoint, it represents a secularized, moralistic millennialism. It implies that through human treaties, ethical codes, and proper technological stewardship, we can restore paradise.
Orthodoxy teaches that the world remains fractured by the Fall. True peace, justice, and brotherhood are eschatological realities, they belong to the Kingdom of Heaven and the transfiguration of creation at Christ’s second return. Expecting secular governments to implement a "moral ecosystem" to save humanity from AI is an illusion born of a Pelagian mindset (the heresy that human beings can achieve goodness through their own willpower without divine grace). It is also the heresy of chiliasm to build a paradise on Earth with the fallen man not cured from sin. Which is what the antichrist will build according to St Ignatius Brianchaninov (see this chapter called ''On miracles and signs'' http://orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/st-ignatius-brianchaninov-miracles-and-signs.aspx)
The Pope’s encyclical frames the human ideal through the lens of moralism by being a "good citizen," practicing solidarity, and respecting human rights. In this view, the ultimate goal of humanity is a harmonious, ethically regulated earthly existence where AI is safely kept in its place.
Orthodox theology rejects this flat, horizontal vision. The goal of human life is not merely to be "good" or "moral"; it is to be transfigured and filled with the uncreated energy of God. As the Church Fathers famously stated:
"God became man so that man might become god." — St. Athanasius the Great
We are called to achieve Theosis—to become gods by grace, acquiring the Holy Spirit and overcoming death itself.
By reducing the human calling to mere morality, the Papal view strips humanity of its supernatural destiny. If our only goal is to maintain a moral society free from AI enslavement, we are aiming tragically low. A perfectly ethical society that is not united to Christ is still a society heading to the grave and hell.
In conclusion if a human being is not actively moving toward God through repentance and the sacraments, he will inevitably create idols. AI is the ultimate idol of the West, a digital calf built from the gold of human intellect, worshipped because it promises to solve our problems without requiring us to crucify our egos.
Trying to fix the AI crisis with humanitarian ethics won't help much, as people are suffering from the sinful nature which is a much deeper problem that won't be fixed by just liberating them from AI influence, The only antidote to this is the salvation found in Christ through His Body the Church which makes us gods by grace and restores and trasfigures our fallen nature.
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P.S. While the pope is mostly wrong for analysing the AI issue from only a humanistic point of view, it can be still helpful to understand the dangers of AI on man's psychology overall, there is also another topic that the pope treats in this encyclical: the problems of war and calls for peace and love, this is important especially with the satanic rhetoric of KGB Russia and KGB Moscow Patriarchate that justifies this war by calling it ''holy'' so here the pope is more Christian than the satanic regime of Russia but still operates on a humanistic level without the need of repentance and trasformation in Christ, But the thing is that it is not the problem of this current Pope Leo XIV but of the Catholic Church as a whole that was founded on humanism and rationalism since it fell from the Orthodox Church in the XI century, to fix all their heresies the catholics inluding the Pope must repent and return to the Orthodox Church, the Only True Church-The Body of Christ!
But I still respect Pope Leo XIV for speaking out on all these issues while not agreeing with his theological interpretations.
Anniversary of the fall of Constantinople (29 May 1453)
Today is the anniversary of the fall of the Orthodox Roman Empire incorrectly labelled by the west as ''byzantium'', it fell because the emperor and most bishops except St Mark of Ephesus and his allies, betrayed the Orthodox faith, by signing the Union of Florence (1439) and capitulated to the Pope of Rome, it was later rejected of course.
The last emperor was Constantine XI
The Orthodox do not consider Constantine XI a saint, though there are some who incorrectly, personally consider him so because of their love of the Byzantine (Roman) Empire. However, the last Emperor has never been recognized as a Saint due to his heretical beliefs and his compromising of the Faith in order to gain material aid from Latin lands. When the Empire was in need, he sought Latin military aid by reaffirming the heretical statements of the Council of Florence.. And it is said that he defiled the Church of Agia Sophia the day/night before the Fall with a blended Divine Liturgy and Latin mass. In attempting to preserve an earthly Empire, he lost a Heavenly Kingdom. In contrast, there is Tsar Lazar of Serbia, who gave up an earthly Kingdom for the Heavenly. The Faith is always more important than earthly possessions.
Here is a brief info about St Tsar Lazar:
According to general and ancient folk tradition, an Angel of the Lord appeared to the saintly Prince Lazar before this battle and asked him which kingdom he wished to choose: would he choose the earthly kingdom or the Heavenly Kingdom. After prayerfully pondering the question, the Prince, who yearned for heaven, replied to the Angel of God: “If I should choose the earthly kingdom, it is only for a brief time, and is momentary and transitory; but the Heavenly Kingdom lasts always and forever.” Thus the God-loving Serbian ruler decided in favor of the Kingdom of Christ the king in the heavens.
By St. Justin Popovich, Life of St. Lazar quoted from:
(https://followthesaints.com/books/the-heresy-of-patriarch-kirill/the-heavenly-kingdom-st-lazars-choice)
Unbelief and its Causes (Archimandrite Athanasios Mytilinaios)
When, my beloved, the Lord descended from Mount Tabor with three of His disciples, James, John, and Peter, He came to where the other nine disciples were, surrounded by a large crowd of people and Pharisees. With them was an unfortunate father who had brought his possessed son to the apostles for healing, but they were unable to help him. And so he approached the Savior and addressed Him: "Lord, have mercy on my son... I brought him to Your disciples, and they were not able to heal him" (Matthew 17:15). Christ sighed and said: " O faithless and perverse generation! How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? " He asked that the child be brought closer to Him, and He freed him from the demon.
When He was alone with His disciples, the apostles asked: “Why could we not cast out the demon?” The Lord answered: “Because of your unbelief” (Matthew 17:20).
How to resist ecumenism without falling into extremes of compromise and zealotism (Chorbishop Maximus of Diocese of Rasko-Prizren in Exile)
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Ecumenism is inflicting a grave wound on the Church; we Orthodox must unite into a united Orthodox front, which will become a genuine “spiritual balm” and “cure” for this wound inflicted on the Church. However, for our zeal to truly become a spiritual balm and medicine, it must be balanced by humble obedience to the Holy Fathers. This entails condemning the heresy of ecumenism always and everywhere, fearing neither ecclesiastical nor secular authority, and separating ourselves from the church hierarchs who follow this heresy by the canonical barrier contained in the 15th canon of the First and Second Council of Constantinople. At the same time, we must maintain the position that we do not deny mystical grace to those in the Orthodox Church who do not spread the heresy of ecumenism, but who, through apathy, indifference, and lack of zeal, remain under the influence of the followers of this heresy. If we do not maintain such a balanced position, our zeal will become not a balm and medicine for the wound in the Church of Christ, but bitter salt, which will only widen that wound. Therefore, we should not despise those weak in faith (as the former schismatics and heretics, the Novatians, did, led by pride). We should not push them away from us with radical views and behavior, but, on the contrary, with the help of convincing arguments, kind words, as well as a brotherly, but confessional example and behavior, bring them into the flock of those who strive to preserve the Orthodox faith.
For more info on the Orthodox position on ecumenism please see:
https://orthodoxyforall.blogspot.com/2026/05/on-ecumenism-excerpts-from-writings-of.html
Who are true bishops (episkopoi) and false bishops (cataskopoi) and how to distinguish between them (Saint Andrew of Ufa)
(Be wary Christians)
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| Saint Andrew of Ufa (1872-1937) |
A suspicious reader, having read this title, may think that we, taking advantage of revolutionary freedom, abuse it and introduce into use the hitherto unheard of word "catascop"[*], completely unnecessarily and superfluously. Incidentally, this word had been introduced into Church language very long ago and not by us, but by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria who had to suffer much from false bishops throughout his long-suffering episcopal life - these did not give him rest even in exile. It is these prevaricating and false Bishops that the Saint Athanasius called “catascops”. The exact translation of this Greek word into Russian will be made further on: in the meantime, we remind the reader that the word “Bishop” means overseer - overseer of the sanctity and purity of Ecclesiastical life. One might assume, therefore, that the word "catascop," in the terminology of St. Athanasius, is the opposite of a bishop.
The Main Goal of Man is to Save his Soul for Eternity (Saint Philaret Voznesensky of New York)
Recently, brothers and sisters, we spoke of how people today often forget the main goal that stands before each person, the task of saving one's soul for eternity. This concern for salvation must be the main objective for every person of faith. The great teacher of Christian living--indeed in the best sense, the wise man Saint Theofan the Recluse, in his instructions and letters constantly repeated the same thing: that not only a person who assumed vows of a certain way of life--a monastic, a monk, a hermit--can be saved, but he who lives in the world, who lives a temporal life. He has the wherewithal for the salvation of his soul, to save his soul and achieve a lofty level of Christian perfection.
IF YOU PRAY IN YOUR OWN WORDS (Archimandrite Tikhon Nevidimov)
We all often pray in our own words—our soul demands it.
When the heart is full, it seeks the way to God on its own. Sometimes we can't find the right words—and that's no problem. In such moments, it's not how we speak that matters, but to whom we address them. God hears not grammar, but the heart. He is attentive to our every attempt to meet Him, even if our words are jumbled or interrupted by tears.
But when praying in our own words, we must remember that true prayer is born not from the agitation of the mind, but from the silence of the heart. Prayer is the soul's breathing before God. It's not a collection of words, but an encounter in which a person reveals themselves to Him, and in response, discovers God within themselves. Prayer doesn't require beautiful expressions—it demands only truth, simplicity, and depth.
Prayer begins with the invocation of God's name. When we say, "Lord!" let it not be just a word, but a cry from the soul, like the Apostle Peter, drowning in the water: "Lord, save me!" Only then does God's name come alive.
The language of prayer must be truthful. It doesn't have to be lofty, but it shouldn't be haphazard. It's important that the heart follows the words.
We address either God directly—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—or the saints, not as those possessing their own power, but as God's friends standing before Him. When we pray to a saint, we don't ask them for what only God can give; we ask them to be there, to pray with us, as brother for brother. We don't seek their mercy, but we ask them to help us accept the mercy that God is already ready to bestow. And by saying, "Lord, have mercy!" we appeal directly to the Source of life.
Any true prayer is born of humility. We don't command God, we don't demand—we trust. We speak like children who know their Father is wiser than they are. We can ask for peace, but not with the words, "Lord, stop the war," as if God is obligated to fulfill a command. It's better to say, "Lord, give us Your peace, make us peaceful." Because prayer doesn't change God—it changes us. When a person becomes a bearer of God's peace, the world around them begins to change.
To ask God is not to command. We reveal our need to Him, but we surrender ourselves to His will. Christ said in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." This is the image of true prayer: not to achieve one's own ends, but to unite with the Father's will.
Prayer is an icon in words. Each word is not just a sound, but an image through which the presence of God is revealed. When we say, "Enlighten us, O Lord," we don't utter a formula, but rather open our hearts to the rays of His light. Prayer should not describe God, but place us face to face before Him.
Prayer is not only words, but also a vision of the heart. We must not simply speak, but see: the Face of Christ, the maternal tenderness of the Mother of God, the light of the saints. If we pray without an inner image, without a living sense of presence, only sound remains.
Let prayer be musical—not in rhythm and meter, but in the harmony of meaning, when every word resounds in its place. In Scripture and in worship, we sense this breathing rhythm—prayer flows like breath, connecting thought, heart, and spirit. Church prayer flows like breath. It has a harmony and silence that restore inner order to the soul. Disorganized speech, on the contrary, disperses the spirit.
The words of prayer should uplift the soul. They must not be artificial, but must retain a sense of reverence. If we become accustomed to addressing God as a human being, we will lose the sense of holiness. That's why the language of the Church has a special resonance—it helps the soul remember before Whom it stands.
But the mystery of prayer is that it is born not only of us. It is also born in God. When we truly pray, it is no longer just our words, but the breath of the Holy Spirit within us. He Himself "intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Therefore, genuine prayer is always greater than what we can utter.
But most important is sincerity. It is better to say one word from the heart than to speak for long without attention. The publican's single cry: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" was more powerful than a thousand fine words. Not quantity, but truth makes prayer come alive.
Prayer is not a request to change God, but a path through which we are changed. We stand before Him so that our hearts may become like His. And if after prayer we remain the same, it means that we have not yet learned to pray truly.
On Sergianism (Fr Vladimir Krivolutsky)
Father Vladimir Krivolutsky, a confessor of the faith and a member of the True Orthodox Church (Catacomb Church), was born in 1888 in Oryol. He graduated from the law faculty of Moscow University in 1910. From 1915 to 1918, he served at the front. From 1918 to 1922, he was in military service. From 1921 to 1922, he was a student at the Orthodox People's Academy. On March 6, 1922, he was ordained a deacon. He served in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Peski in Moscow. On September 9, 1923, he was ordained a priest. From 1924 to 1930, he served in Moscow at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign." He was arrested in 1927 and released several months later. He did not recognize the "Declaration" of Metropolitan Sergius. From January 22, 1930, he served in the Church of St. Nicholas in Kotelniki. On December 28, 1930, he was arrested for the second time and exiled for three years to the Northern Territory (Pinezhsky District, Arkhangelsk Region). He served his sentence together with St. Nikon of Optina. He was released in 1933. He lived in the cities of Mozhaisk and Yegoryevsk. Being a member of the True Orthodox Church (Catacomb), he performed secret religious services at home. On April 21, 1946, he was arrested again. On November 30, 1946, he was sentenced to 10 years in a forced labor camp. He served his sentence in the cities of Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, and Karaganda (Kazakhstan). In 1955, he was released early due to serious illness. He died in Moscow on March 29, 1956.
Liturgy as the center of a Christian's life (Priest Alexey Uminsky from his book: ''The Explanation of the Divine Liturgy'')
All church holidays would be meaningless if Pascha did not exist. For if Christ had not risen, all other Gospel events could be viewed only in a historical context and would have no value other than moral and cultural. We say that every Christian holiday belongs to eternity because Easter spiritually imbues it. Eternity is present in our time, and we become true participants in this celebration.
The same can be said of the Liturgy, which rises above all other services. If the Liturgy did not exist, there would be no point in celebrating any services at all, because without the Liturgy, the Church as such would not exist.
Therefore, the story about the Eucharist (from the Greek word “ευχαριστία” – thanksgiving) will go in parallel with the story about the Church, about what it represents and how the Church and the Eucharist are connected to each other.
A HOUSE ON A ROCK AND A HOUSE ON SAND (Matthew 7:24-8:4) Archimandrite Tikhon Nevidimov
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When the Lord concludes His teaching on the mountain, He leaves people with an image that seems simple, yet contains a profound mystery of spiritual life. "Everyone who hears My words and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock." This image reveals the destiny of the human soul.
Here, the house is a person's life, and the foundation is what sustains it. Each person builds their life: from thoughts, desires, decisions, and actions. But the question is not whether a person builds, but on what they build.
The rock Christ speaks of is not only His teaching, but also the living connection with Him. Hearing God's word and doing it means letting truth into the depths of the heart, making it the foundation of one's choices. Then a person's life acquires inner integrity. It does not become free from trials, but rather gains stability.
And so the Lord speaks of the storm: "The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat upon that house." This is an image of all the trials of human life—sorrows, temptations, inner doubts, even death itself. No one is exempt from these storms. They come to both the righteous and the wicked.
But the difference lies in the foundation. A house built on a rock does not fall. Trials may shake a person, they may cause pain, but they do not destroy their inner support. Because this support lies not in changing circumstances, but in God.
And next to this, Christ places another image: a man who hears His words but does not do them. Such a person builds a house on sand. Sand may seem convenient: it is easier to build on, requiring no deep work. So it is in spiritual life: it is easier for a person to hear the truth than to live by it. Words can inspire, they can touch the heart—but if they do not translate into life, the foundation remains fragile.
And when the storm comes, the house collapses. Not because the storm was too strong, but because the foundation proved weak. This happens when faith remains merely a thought or a feeling. While life is calm, a person believes. But when trials come, it becomes apparent that the heart has no support.
The Evangelist says that the people were amazed at Christ's teaching because He taught "as one having authority." This authority was not the authority of force or coercion. It was the authority of truth. His words touched the very depths of human existence, for they flowed from a living unity with the Father.
And immediately after these words, an event occurs that seems to demonstrate what this authority means in practice. A leper approaches Him. In the ancient world, leprosy signified not only illness but also complete exile from society. Such a person was considered unclean, outcast, almost deprived of human dignity.
But this man approaches Jesus and says, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." There's no demand or despair in these words; there's a wondrous combination of humility and faith. He doesn't doubt Christ's power, but trusts completely in His will.
And Christ does what many would have thought unthinkable: He reaches out and touches the leper. According to the law, touching a leper rendered one unclean. But here, the opposite occurs: it's not the uncleanness that's transferred to Christ, but the purity that's transferred to the sick person. "I want to be clean," says the Lord, and the disease disappears.
And this isn't just a physical healing, but a symbol of spiritual cleansing. Leprosy symbolizes the sin that isolates a person, making them alien to God and man. But Christ's touch is a touch of mercy that restores life.
And the Lord says to the healed man: "Tell no one, but go and show yourself to the priest and offer an offering." Here another aspect of God's wisdom is revealed: Christ does not destroy the law, but fulfills it. A miracle does not abolish order, but reveals its true meaning.
Thus, in this Gospel passage, two truths are united. The first concerns the foundation of life: God's word must become the foundation, otherwise everything collapses at the first storm. The second concerns God's mercy: even a person stricken with spiritual "leprosy" can be cleansed by the touch of Christ.
And when a person begins to build their life on this rock—on God's word, on trust in Christ, on fulfilling His will—then even amidst storms, they discover that their house stands firm. Because their foundation is no longer in themselves, but in God, Who remains a firm rock amid all the changes of the world.
"The Fierce Wolves" and the Unity of the Church - A message of hope from Metropolitan Philotheus of Thessalonica
The Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council reminds us that the Church goes through history, facing not only external persecutions, but also internal dangers.
In the poignant reading from the Acts of the Apostles (20:16-18, 28-36), the Apostle Paul warns the Ephesian elders: “I know that after my departure savage wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29). Of course, he is not only talking about enemies outside the Church, but also about people who will come “from among you,” that is, from within it.
"Fierce wolves" become all those who place their selfishness above God's truth and the unity of the Church. When someone considers their personal opinion to be higher than the experience and conscience of the Church, then they cease to serve, and seek to impose themselves.
A typical example is the case of Arius, whose pride led him to change his faith, causing schism and confusion. That is why the First Ecumenical Council was convened in Nicaea, where the Fathers defended not their personal opinions, but the divinely revealed truth of Christ.
The Lord warned: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are robbers” (Matt. 7:15). The greatest wound in the Church is not always caused by weakness, but by selfishness disguised as jealousy, vigilance, or “defending the truth.” When a person does not seek God’s will, but rather personal justification, he becomes a cause of scandal and division.
St. John Chrysostom points out: “Nothing angers God so much as the division of the Church” (Homily to the Ephesians 11). In the same spirit, Basil the Great emphasizes: “The love of power and arrogance become the cause of heresies” (Epistle 210). The Fathers knew that heresy is not born only from erroneous thinking, but mainly from incurable ambition.
When a person completely trusts his own judgment and rejects the general opinion of the church, he easily turns his personal opinion into absolute truth. Pride blinds the mind and leads not only away from the Truth, but also away from love, which is the foundation of church life. Thus, instead of building up the body of believers, it becomes a cause of scandal, division, and spiritual confusion.
Even today, members of the Church—both clergy and laity—can become opponents of her work when they forget that the Church does not belong to them. The pastor who seeks power, fame, and imposition instead of sacrifice and service ceases to be an image of Christ, the “good shepherd” (John 10:11). Accordingly, the believer who considers his opinion superior to the conscience of the Church risks turning faith into a personal ideology.
The cure for all this lies in humility and in the church conscience. The Apostle Paul does not promote power, but tears, work and sacrificial love. True service is born of self-giving. Only when a person learns to say “not my will, but God’s will be done,” does he cease to be a wolf in the flock and become a true member of the Body of Christ.
Sunday, May 24, 2026
Source: https://www.emakedonia.gr/oi-vareis-lykoi-kai-i-enotita-tis-ekklisias-810487
A review of the book ''Heresies of Patriarch Kirill'' by Lera Furman editor of the Russian newspaper ''Novaya Gazeta'' (New Newspaper)
The Complete Collection of Heresies
American Orthodox activists Silouan Wright and Panagiotis Makris have published a book analyzing (and deconstructing) the religious teachings of Patriarch Kirill.
Putin's reign in Russia coincides with the most scandalous patriarchate in Russian history, embodied by Kirill (Gundyaev). Perhaps the most comprehensive analysis to date of his specific teachings and views has become publicly available —a book by Silouan Wright and Panagiotis Makris, "The Heresy of Patriarch Kirill." It is also available in Russian translation.
Link to the book: https://followthesaints.com/books/the-heresy-of-patriarch-kirill
The hero and the authors
"The Heresy of Patriarch Kirill" is one of those books that would be a thankless task to retell. With astonishing meticulousness, the authors have compiled all available evidence of the incompatibility of Patriarch Kirill's teachings with Orthodoxy and Christianity in general, using the official resources of the Russian Orthodox Church itself. And as a response, they use the Bible, the canons, the sayings of saints, and other authorities on the subject.
Mr. Gundyaev's ideology has been subjected to theological and philosophical criticism before, but perhaps no one has yet taken the trouble to bring all his ideas together and present them as a system of views. And, it must be said, the resulting picture is both compelling and frightening. After reading the book, Patriarch Kirill's admission that we live in apocalyptic times and that he himself is a herald of the Apocalypse becomes more serious.
Kirill lacks any formal education; in 1970, he earned a diploma from the Leningrad Theological Academy almost automatically, thanks to the patronage of his mentor, Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov). However, history decreed that Kirill would become the chief prophet of the religion that plunged Russia into the abyss of militarism, xenophobia, chauvinism, and mass psychosis. While daily calling for an escalation of military conflict with the Orthodox Ukrainian people and the entire "satanic" West, Kirill continues to lead the world's largest Orthodox Church, uniting millions of believers, tens of thousands of clergy and parishes, proclaiming its monopoly on truth, and backed by the full might of the repressive apparatus of Putin's dictatorship.
The book's authors, Silouan Wright and Panagiotis Makris, are not professional theologians, which only enhances the value of their research. Their perspective is sincere and direct, devoid of the professional cynicism of specialists who have experienced the contradictions of Christian history. Wright, 38, comes from an African-American family and lives in a small town in Missouri. He converted to Orthodoxy seven years ago, cherishes Russian saints, and corresponds with Russian political prisoners.
Silouan Wright was the driving force behind the book's creation: he quit his day job for six months to write it, spending 70 hours a week researching the material. His co-author, 32-year-old Panagiotis Makris, was born into a traditional Orthodox family and remains a parishioner of the Greek Church, critical of its leadership's compromising stance. The authors saw their goal as presenting the reader with a contrast between the "patristic consensus"—traditional Orthodoxy—and the new teaching constructed by Kirill to satisfy the Kremlin's demands. "We made absolutely no profit from this; we offer this book as a burnt offering to our God," Silouan and Panagiotis admit.
On Ecumenism (excerpts from the writings of Saint Seraphim Rose, Saint Philaret of New York and Archimandrite Lazar Abashidze)
"Dialogue with Non-Christian Religions" By Saint Seraphim Rose:
Ours is an age of spiritual instability, when many Orthodox Christians feel themselves “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” ( Eph. 4:14 ). It seems that the time has truly come when people “will not endure sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they shall heap up for themselves teachers according to their own lusts; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” ( 2 Tim. 4:3-4 ).
One reads with bewilderment about the latest actions and statements of the ecumenical movement. At the highest academic level, Orthodox theologians representing the Standing American Council of Orthodox Bishops and other official Orthodox organizations are conducting scholarly dialogues with Catholics and Protestants and issuing "joint statements" on issues such as the Eucharist, spirituality, and the like, without even pointing out to those of other faiths that the Orthodox Church is the Church of Christ, to which all must be called, that only its sacraments bring grace, that Orthodox spirituality can be attained through personal experience only within the bosom of the Orthodox Church, and that all these "dialogues" and "joint statements" are merely an academic parody of a truly Christian debate—a debate whose goal is the salvation of souls.
In truth, many of the Orthodox participants in these “dialogues” know or suspect that there is no place for an Orthodox there, that the very atmosphere of ecumenical “liberalism” rejects any true word spoken there; but they remain silent, because in our day the “spirit of the times” is often stronger than the voice of the conscience of an Orthodox Christian (See: “Diakonia” No. 1, 1970, p. 72; “Theological Almanac of St. Vladimir” No. 4, 1969, p. 225).
At a more public level, ecumenical "conferences" and "discussions" are organized, often featuring an "Orthodox speaker" or even the celebration of an "Orthodox liturgy." The statements at such conferences are often so ignorant, and the overall atmosphere so lacking in seriousness, that not only do they fail to foster the "unity" their organizers crave, but they even serve as proof that an impassable chasm lies between true Orthodoxy and the "ecumenical" worldview (See: "Sobornost" - Winter, pp. 494-498, etc.).
In their actions, active ecumenists take advantage of the fact that intellectuals and theologians are unsteady in their convictions and divorced from Orthodox tradition, using their own pronouncements on fundamental agreement on a number of points concerning sacraments and dogmas to justify provocative ecumenical demonstrations, not excluding the distribution of Holy Communion to heretics. This state of conceptual confusion, in turn, gives ecumenical ideologists pretext for empty statements aimed at the broadest possible audience, which reduce fundamental theological themes to the level of cheap farce, such as what Patriarch Athenagoras allows himself to say: “Does your wife ask you how much salt to put in her soup? Of course not. She is infallible. So let the Pope have it, too, if he so desires” (Hellenic Chronicle, April 9, 1970).
An enlightened and conscious Orthodox Christian may well ask: How will all this end? Are there really no limits to the betrayal, perversion, and self-destruction of Orthodoxy?
Until now, no one has fully understood where all this is leading, but logically the path is perfectly clear. The ideology that underlies ecumenism, which inspires the actions and statements cited above, is itself a certain heresy: the Church of Christ does not exist, no one possesses the Truth, the Church is still only being formed. But without further ado, it is clear that the self-liquidation of Orthodoxy, the "Church of Christ," is simultaneously the self-destruction of Christianity as such: for if no single church is "that Church of Christ," then the combination of all sects will not be "that Church" either, at least not in the sense intended by its founder, Christ. And if all "Christian" groups are related to one another, then all of them taken together are akin to other "religious" groups, and Christian ecumenism can only lead to a syncretic world religion.
This is the truly undisguised goal of the Masonic ideology that inspires the ecumenical movement, and this ideology has now so completely taken hold of the movement's participants that "dialogue" and subsequent reunification with non-Christian religions are becoming the logical next step in today's perversion of Christianity. Here are some examples from the many recent events that may confirm the direction of the "ecumenical" future beyond Christianity.
Lives of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Apostles to the Slavs (IX century)
Saints Cyril and Methodius were natives of Thessaloniki, Macedonia. Their father, Leo, and mother, Maria, were wealthy; their father served in the army of the Greek emperor and held the rank of assistant to the military commander. He was of Bulgarian Slavic descent, but while serving in the Greek army, he was completely reborn, becoming completely Greek himself and raising his children in Greek. Leo's eldest son, Methodius, grew up and entered military service, served very successfully, attained high rank, and was made governor of a significant Slavic region in the northeastern reaches of Macedonia. While Methodius served honorably in the military, his younger brother, Constantine (the name given to Cyril at baptism), led a completely different life. Even in swaddling clothes, he showed something special about himself. Thus, when his mother gave him over to a wet nurse, he refused to suckle, so his mother was forced to nurse him at her own breast. And when he was seven years old and had already begun to learn to read and write, he once had a wondrous dream, which he described to his parents the following morning: "A certain commander appeared to me in a dream and, gathering the maidens from all over our city, said, 'Choose yourself a companion.' I looked and chose one, distinguished by her beauty and adorned with various precious garments; her name was Sophia." The parents realized that this Sophia was the Wisdom of God and that God, through this vision, was foretelling their son's great intellect, and they began to devote particular attention to their son's education. And, indeed, Constantine's intellectual abilities proved to be most brilliant; he quickly and easily understood and assimilated everything his teachers taught him, and he especially loved reading the works of St. Gregory the Theologian .
On Consensus Patrum (From the book The Heresy of Patriarch Kirill)
By what standard do we identify heresy, and who has the authority to do so?
Many readers, particularly those formed in Western academic or institutional frameworks, assume that “consensus” means a majority vote, that “authority” means academic credentials or hierarchical position, and that “tradition” means whatever the institutional Church currently teaches. These assumptions are false. Understanding the Orthodox concept of consensus patrum (the agreement of the fathers) is essential to understanding why the arguments in this book carry weight, and why the defenses offered by academic theologians do not.
What is Consensus Patrum?
St. John of Damascus, that pillar of Orthodox theology, articulated the principle with characteristic precision:
The rare cannot become law in the Church, nor does one swallow bring the spring, just as Gregory the Theologian accepts, and the truth is that not even a single word is capable of overturning the tradition of the entire Church, from the ends of the earth to its farthest reaches. So accept, then, the multitude of Scriptural and patristic sayings.
— St. John of Damascus, “Against Those Who Attack the Holy Images,” in Greek Fathers of the Church, vol. 3, pars. 25-26[1]
Life of Apostle Simon the Zealot
Christ spent His childhood and youth in the insignificant Galilean town of Nazareth. But the time had come for His open ministry to humanity, and He went to Judea, where in the Judean Desert, on the banks of the Jordan, John the Baptist preached repentance. Here, after being baptized by John, the Lord observed a forty-day fast, during which He was tempted by the devil, and called the first disciples. After this, the Lord returned to Galilee. On the third day, a wedding took place in the city of Cana, a small town about eight miles from Nazareth. By kinship or acquaintance, the Mother of God was present at the wedding. Jesus and His disciples were also invited. The newlyweds were likely not wealthy, and a shortage of wine soon became apparent. Compassionate to the newlyweds in their need and unwilling to allow the revelation of their shortage to disrupt the guests' festivities or worry the groom on his joyous day, the Mother of God conceived the idea of helping the groom secretly. Knowing that Her Son's heart was always drawn to the poor and needy, and that He could help even now, She turned to Him: "They have no wine." "My hour has not yet come," Christ replied to His Mother. With these words, the Lord meant to convey that miraculous aid is sent from above not according to the calculations of human prudence or the demands of timid impatience, but at a time when the glory of God is most clearly revealed. And the Mother of Christ saw in His words not a refusal of Her request; She understood that Her Son desired to assist the newlyweds and was merely awaiting the opportune moment. She immediately warned the servants to carry out precisely whatever Her Son commanded them. And soon the wine ran out. Then Jesus approached the servants and commanded them to fill six stone vessels standing there with water. The servants filled them to the brim. "Now draw some out," said the Lord, "and take it to the master of the feast." They carried it. The master of the feast tasted the water, which had already become wine, and was amazed that such excellent wine had been saved for so long. He called the bridegroom and said to him, "It is customary to serve the best wine first, and when people have drunk enough, then the inferior wine. But you have been saving the best wine until now." Now the miracle Christ had performed was revealed to everyone. This was His first miracle. The disciples saw the divine power of their Teacher and believed in Him as a messenger of God ( John 2:1-11 ).
In the homily for the Ascension, Patriarch Kirill preached a Christological heresy publicly which was condemned by the 4th Ecumenical Council
ACCORDING TO CANONICAL AND ORTHODOX CHURCH TRADITION, A FORMAL COUNCIL CAN BE CONVENED TO INVESTIGATE AND ANATHEMATIZE PATRIARCH KIRILL FOR PUBLICLY PREACHING HERESY, THE CRITERIA FOR THIS ARE MET
Deacon Andrei Kuraev published
(https://www.facebook.com/reel/4571120646444198) a video of statements (https://t.me/shaltnotkill/12992) by Moscow Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev), which are heretical to the Orthodox Church, claiming that Jesus Christ will appear outside the flesh at the Second Coming. The Patriarch preached them in his homily on the Ascension of the Lord on 21 May 2026.
"The Church of God is that through which the Lord is present in people's lives from the very times when He came in the flesh to serve the salvation of the human race, until the time when He will appear outside all flesh, in glory," said the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.
As a reminder, the Orthodox Church teaches (https://pravoslavie.kg/answers/2982) that Jesus Christ will come at the Second Coming in the flesh.
"The canons require that the patriarch, who publicly professed heresy, be brought before a council, and until a council decision is made, all ecclesiastical communion with him be severed," he emphasized.
The deacon also noted that the heretical words of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church were ignored by Bishop Kirill (Zinkovsky) of Sergiev Posad and Dmitrov, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, and Bishop Nikolai (Pogrebnyak) of Balashikha and Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, who were present at the service.
**********************************************
From the book ''Heresy of Patriarch Kirill''
https://followthesaints.com/books/the-heresy-of-patriarch-kirill
Canon XV of the First-Second Council states that those who separate from communion with their primate because of some heresy condemned by the Holy Councils or Fathers (if he publicly preaches heresy and openly teaches it in churches) are not only not subject to the penances prescribed by the canons for having separated themselves from communion with the said bishop before the Council's decision, but are also worthy of the honor due to Orthodox Christians. Indeed, they condemned not bishops, but false bishops and false teachers, and did not sever the unity of the Church through schism, but rather sought to free the Church from schisms and divisions.
Each of these categories below, standing alone, constitutes public preaching of heresy in the sense Canon 15 requires. They are not one accusation but seven independent grounds:
1. Communion with Rome and recognition of papal authority (Chapters 1–4, 6): Meeting with Pope Francis in Havana (2016), signing a joint declaration treating Catholic heresies as “wounds,” exchanging the Kiss of Peace, calling the Pope “brother” and “Your Holiness,” offering “Memory Eternal” for Pope Francis upon his death, and formally recognizing Roman Catholic sacred spaces.
2. “Muslims and Orthodox pray to the same God” (Chapter 5): Publicly teaching that Islam and Orthodoxy worship the same God, contradicting the Trinitarian dogma of the faith.
3. The World Council of Churches (Chapter 7): Defending the WCC as “our common home” and “the cradle of a united church,” an organization whose foundational documents presuppose that the Church of Christ is divided and must be reunited through ecumenical dialogue.
4. Joint prayer with Monophysites (Chapter 8): Presiding at joint prayer services with Armenian Apostolic clergy, whose Christology was condemned at the Fourth Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon, 451 AD).
5. Gloryfying Sergianism and the KGB church, sings Eternal memory for soldiers who served the anathematized regime (1918 St Tikhon's anathema of Soviet Power), He has offered the Holy Cross at eternal flames that a martyred priest rightly called idolatrous. He has performed a full memorial prayer service inside a Soviet war memorial complex. And his clergy have inserted “for faith” into the commemoration of those who served a regime that murdered the faithful. Worked for KGB under code name ''Mikhailov'', He preached Darwinism (theory of evolution) (Chapters 9-14) .
6. Russian World ethnophyletism (Chapters 15–16): Teaching that Orthodox unity is grounded in ethnic and civilizational identity rather than the apostolic faith, a teaching condemned as heresy by an international assembly of Orthodox hierarchs in 2022.
7. War theology: a soteriological heresy (Chapters 17–20): Publicly teaching that soldiers dying in Ukraine have their sins “washed away” by death in battle and that the war is a “holy struggle,” contradicting the Orthodox teaching on repentance, baptism, and the remission of sins.
Glory to God! (St Ignatius Brianchaninov)
"Glory to God!" Powerful words! In times of sorrow, when thoughts of doubt, faintheartedness, discontent, and grumbling surround and encircle the heart, one must force oneself to frequently, slowly, and attentively repeat the words: "Glory to God!" Whoever with simplicity of heart believes the advice offered here and, when faced with need, tests it in action, will see the wondrous power of praising God; he will rejoice at the acquisition of such useful, new knowledge, will rejoice at the acquisition of a weapon against mental enemies, so strong and convenient. From the mere sound of these words, uttered amidst an accumulation of dark thoughts of sadness and despondency, from the mere sound of these words, uttered with compulsion, as if with the lips alone, as if only into the air, the princes of the air tremble and flee; all dark thoughts are scattered like dust before a strong wind; heaviness and boredom retreat from the soul; lightness, calm, peace, consolation, joy come to it and settle in it. Glory to God!
Homily on the Ascension of Christ (Father John Pavlov)
All great church feasts, in addition to their festal nature, also have enormous doctrinal significance. They are the cornerstones of our faith, upon which the majestic and holy temple of Christian theology and Christian worldview is founded. One such cornerstone is the event of today's feast—the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven.
Prophecies on the antichrist and the fate of Russia
My child, know that in the last days, as the Apostle says, perilous times will come (2 Tim. 3:1-7). And so, due to the decline of piety, heresies and schisms will spread within the Church, and then, as the Holy Fathers predicted, there will be no experienced and skilled in spiritual warfare on the thrones of the bishops or in the monasteries. Therefore, heresies will spread everywhere and deceive many. The enemy of mankind will act cunningly to tempt even the elect to heresy (Matt. 24:24). He will not blatantly reject the dogmas of the Holy Trinity, the Divinity of Jesus Christ, or the Theotokos, but will quietly distort the teachings of the Church, its very spirit and statutes, as transmitted by the Holy Fathers and the Holy Spirit. These enemy's wiles will be noticed only by a few, the most skilled in the spiritual life.
Books on Orthodox Ecclesiology (Teaching on the Church)
The Church is the Body of Christ which is ontologically bound to Him, It is not an organization but an Organism, We are the members of His body, heretics simply fall away from this Body, In Church history there were many times where the organization persecuted the Organism, like during the persecution of St John Chrysostom, during St Maximus the Confessor, St Theodore the Studiite, St Mark of Ephesus and in the 20th century Russia during sergianism and also presently during the heresies of ecumenism and sergianism. The Church is based not on bishops who sin and are fallible but on Christ, His Apostles, The Ecumenical Councils, The Consensus of Saints.
The main error of papism is its identification of the Church with the pope, instead of Christ the head of the Church became a fallible human which they claim infallible. That is why all our Saints called catholics papists and the pope as the precursor of the antichrist. St Justin Popovich called papism the proto-protestantism the first major rebellion against the Church of Christ.
Protestantism is no different because instead of the pope now everyone becomes a pope, hence all their 10000+ denominations and rejection of the Tradition of the Church. They both replaced Christ and His grace with humanism and falled human reason.
Only the Orthodox Church preserves the nature of Church as it was established by Christ.
For further reading, please consult these books (To translate them, use google translate):
1. There is no Christianity without the Church (St Hilarion Troitsky)
https://azbyka-ru.translate.goog/otechnik/Ilarion_Troitskij/khristianstva-net-bez-tserkvi/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp
2. Orthodox Ecclesiology (St Justin Popovich)
https://azbyka-ru.translate.goog/otechnik/Iustin_Popovich/sobranija-tvorenij-tom3/2?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp
3. Letters to friends (St Michael Novoselov)
https://azbyka-ru.translate.goog/otechnik/Mihail_Novoselov/pisma-k-druzjam/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp
4. The Church is One (Philosopher Alexei Khomyakov)
https://azbyka-ru.translate.goog/otechnik/Aleksej_Homyakov/tserkov-odna/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp
A PRAYER FOR THE HOLY CHURCH
Written by a follower of St. Joseph of Petrograd who did not recognize Metropolitan Sergius's 1927 declaration of submission to Soviet power.
O! Most Merciful, All-Powerful, and Most Humane Lord, Jesus Christ, our God, Builder and Preserver of the Church! Look with Your compassionate eye upon this Church, fiercely tormented by the storm of misfortunes! For You have said, O Lord: "I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!" Remember Your true promise: "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age!" Be with us constantly, be merciful to us; Your long-suffering Church prays to You! Strengthen us in the true faith and love for You by Your grace and love.
Convert the erring, enlighten the apostate, soften the hardened. Correct all corruption and life inconsistent with Christian piety. Grant that we may all live holy and blameless lives, and thus the saving faith will take root and remain fruitful in our hearts. Do not turn Your face away from us, O Lord, who is never forever angry! Restore to us the joy of Your salvation! Allay every need and sorrow of your people, protect us with your almighty power from all misfortunes, persecutions, and hardships, so that, saved by you, we may reach your heavenly haven, and there, with the faces of the purest heavenly powers, we will glorify you, our LORD and SAVIOR, with the FATHER and the HOLY SPIRIT, forever and ever. <Amen>
Life of Saint Jacob (James) the Apostle, brother of St John the Theologian
Life of Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov (+1867)
Saint Ignatius (born Dmitry Alexandrovich Brianchaninov) was born on February 5, 1807, in the village of Pokrovskoye, Gryazovetsky District, Vologda Governorate. His father, Alexander Semenovich, belonged to the ancient noble family of Brianchaninov. Its founder was the boyar Mikhail Brenko, squire to the Grand Duke of Moscow, Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. Chronicles report that Mikhail Brenko was the very warrior who, dressed in the garb of the Grand Duke and under the prince's banner, heroically died in battle with the Tatars on Kulikovo Field. Alexander Semenovich Brianchaninov maintained the good old customs in his family. He was a faithful son of the Orthodox Church and a zealous parishioner of the church he built in the village of Pokrovskoye.
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