Life of Saint Gregory the Theologian (+390)

The birthplace of Saint Gregory the Theologian was the Second, or Southern, Cappadocia, the city of Nazianzus , after which it is called Nazianzus. His parents were noble and honorable people: his father, also named Gregory, and his mother, Nonna. But his father was previously an unbeliever, descended from unbelieving parents: a pagan father and a Jewish mother. In his faith, he followed both, adhering to both pagan error and Jewish unbelief. This is the essence of the so-called Hypsistarian false teaching . Saint Gregory's mother, Blessed Nonna, was descended from Christian parents and was herself a devout Christian. From early childhood, she was raised in piety and perfectly instructed in the fear of God, which is the beginning of all wisdom. By God's design, she was united in marriage to her unbelieving husband, so that he too might be brought to the holy faith: "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified ," according to the Apostle, "by the believing wife" ( 1 Cor. 7:14 ). And so it happened. Nonna, constantly persuading her husband with divinely wise words and earnestly praying to God for him, brought him, with God's help, to the Christian faith. Her husband received a vision from God in a dream: it seemed to him that he was singing words from a psalm of David, words he had never uttered himself, but had only heard from his wife, who prayed often. He himself never prayed: he neither knew how to pray, nor did he want to. The words he sang in the dream were as follows: "I rejoiced when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord'" ( Psalm 122:1 ). While singing this, he felt a special sweetness in his heart, and upon awakening, he rejoiced, and then told his wife about it. She realized that God Himself was calling her husband to His Holy Church, and she began to instruct him even more fervently in the Christian faith and guided him on the path to salvation. At this time, Saint Leontius, Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, who was traveling to the First Ecumenical Council, convened in Nicaea in 959 , happened to stop in the city of Nazianzus. Blessed Nonna brought her husband to him, and Gregory was baptized by the saint's hands. After receiving holy baptism, he began a righteous and God-pleasing life, befitting a true and perfect Christian. Moreover, he succeeded so much in evangelism and good works that he was later elected to the episcopal throne in the same city of Nazianzus (which will be discussed below).

Deaconnesses

This Pandora's box has recently been opened as the feminist agenda tries to force itself into Orthodoxy. The call for the reinstitution of the ordination of women as deaconesses is making itself heard. Sadly, some clergy, even a few prominent bishops, are joining in favor of this "craze", perhaps because they are afraid of being labeled as misogynist by the vocal minority of women demanding "their place in the altar."

Throughout the history of the Church, monastics have always stood forward in warning of oncoming disaster and/or in defense of the purity of the faith; one only need to look at the iconoclastic controversy to see this clearly, for it was the monastics who were in the forefront in defense of icons. Although the circulation of The Veil is not as wide as publications by a number of modernist/"progressive"/radical/liberal Orthodox groups in this country, we still hope that this article will urge those who hold firm to the traditions of the Faith to come forward and join their voices to ours.

Life of Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg (+1803)

 

Blessed Xenia of Petersburg (c. 1720–1803), a young widow, chose the feat of foolishness for Christ's sake to pray for the soul of her husband, who had suddenly died. Having given away her property, she wore his clothes, claiming that "Xenia had died." She lived in poverty, praying at night in the fields, refusing alms (except for kopecks—"a tsar on horseback"). She became renowned for her clairvoyance, miracles (predictions, healings), and secret assistance in the construction of the Smolensk Church (she carried bricks at night). She carried out this feat for 45 years. She is buried in the Smolensk Cemetery, where her chapel is a place of veneration and healing. She was canonized in 1988.

Life of Saint Glicherie of Romania (+1985)

 

Link of the pdf of the full text:

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_7ksI4aE-muajhfSLUiu5oMn1RkUsj-B/view?usp=sharing

Life of Saint Yakov Arkatov (+1991)

Once at the end of a hot summer’s day a wanderer with a pack on his back and a staff in his hand appeared in the small village of Alexandrovka, Kurgan uyezd, in the Altai mountains of Siberia. He went up to the gates of the house of Theodore Arkatov and stopped, fixing his eyes on a three-year-old child who was playing in the sand. For a long time he looked at him, and then when the mistress of the house came out he asked for a bed for the night. It was the year 1906.

On the Antichrist (Archpriest Boris Molchanov)

"You know the signs of the Antichrist;

remember them not only yourself, but also generously share them with everyone."

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

 Lord Jesus Christ said, “I will build My Church , and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” ( Matthew 16:18 ). What does “the gates of hell” mean?

“The Jews had a custom of gathering under the chairmanship of the elders at the city gates to discuss political, judicial, and social matters. These assemblies were the highest authority in all matters; all of God’s commands were also proclaimed here. They enjoyed a certain authority among the people. References to this Jewish custom of holding meetings at the city gates can be found in the book of Ruth ( Ruth 4:1, 11 ). In the description of an active wife in the book of Proverbs ( Proverbs 31:23 ), it is said that “her husband is always well dressed” and that “he is well known in the gates,” i.e., he is invested with public trust and he takes an active part in important meetings (Prof. V.V. Bolotov ).

Therefore, the "gates of hell" signify not simply the forces of hell, but the "general headquarters" of the forces of hell—their most important meeting, dedicated to developing a plan for a decisive battle with the Church. The Church and hell are presented as two warring forces. And in this war with hell, the Church, according to Christ, will remain unconquered.

The hellish plan to fight the Church in Holy Scripture is called “the mystery of lawlessness” ( 2 Thessalonians 2:7 ), which has been in effect for centuries and will end with the appearance of the Antichrist ( 2 Thessalonians 2:8 ).

The Antichrist can only come as a result of a worldwide apostasy, i.e., the people's apostasy from God and from His ways, when God's grace departs from people. "When the apostates have fulfilled the measure of their iniquities, then shall a king arise, bold and skillful in deceit" ( Daniel 8:23 ). "His coming is after the work of Satan" ( 2 Thessalonians 2:9 ).

Orthodoxy and Extremism (Riassophore-nun Paisia Reid)

 History offers many lessons, and the nearly 2,000 year existence of the Church is replete with illustrations of what and whom to emulate and what to avoid. The following essay concentrates on two celebrated hierarchs who, although widely separated in time and culture, were both faced with periods of severe ecclesiastical unrest which threatened to tear the very fabric of the Church. The fourth-century Cappadocian Father, Saint Basil the Great, and Patriarch Nikon of Moscow from the 17th century, are an unlikely pair. But the similarity of their respective situations allows for an interesting comparison of the effects they had on their times, and the divergent legacies they have left the Church. Patriarch Nikon's character and attitudes foreshadowed in many ways the temperament often found in Orthodoxy today, and his effect on the Church in Russia offers a timely warning whose importance cannot be minimized. St. Basil, on the other hand, provides a sobering and inspiring counter balance, to the trend of much current Orthodox inclination.

Orthodox view on various topics

 

https://orthodoxyforall.blogspot.com/p/orthodox-view-on-various-topics.html

Life of Saint Maximus the Greek (+1556)

A zealot for truth and piety, the Venerable Maximus , a monk of the Athonite Vatopedi Monastery, was a Greek by birth, but by his great deeds he fully belongs to the Holy Russian Church, for which he was a luminary during his life and remained a luminary after his death in his writings.

Saint Maximus's hometown was the city of Arto in Albania, near Epirus. He was born around 1480 to pious and wealthy parents, Manuel and Irene, of Greek descent, which is why he is always referred to as "Greek."

Life of Saint Maximus the Confessor (+662)

 

Great not only by name (827 ) but also by life, Saint Maximus was born in the great imperial city of Constantinople. Descended from high-ranking and pious parents, he received a rigorous scholarly education. He thoroughly studied philosophy and theology, achieved the highest glory for his wisdom, and was respected even in the royal palace. Emperor Heraclius (828) , seeing his intelligence and righteous life, honored him, against his will, with the title of first secretary and included him among his advisers. Saint Maximus enjoyed the love and respect of the courtiers and was of great service to the entire royal city.