Directly linked

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Nov 30 2015

We believe that the sole ray of hope and optimism concerning the doubtful quality of life of young people today can come only from heaven, from God. Because the Triune God, Who is revealed and lives in the Orthodox Church, is a personal God. God establishes personal relations with each believer, in such a way, that every movement, act and activity –even thought– is directly linked to Him. “Archimandrite Ephraim, Abbot of the Vatopaidi Monastery” Read more “Words of Life” at

A bit of a slap

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Nov 29 2015

Christ is close to us, even if we don’t see Him. Sometimes He even gives us a bit of a slap out of His great love. “Elder Amphilochios Makris of Patmos” Read more “Words of Life” at

There are two periods in man’s life

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Nov 28 2015

In the life of man, there are two periods which are of the greatest significance. The first is youth, during which he will lay solid foundations for all his life and redeem his time with the wealth of eternity. The second is old age, when his just and praiseworthy life will be sealed with the same crown of righteousness that the Lord, the eternal and righteous Judge, will give to all those who loved His coming to the earth and honoured His Gospel. Youth is distinguished by enthusiasm for the light of knowledge, zeal for good desires, the search for […]

The Church without Saints isn’t the Church

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Nov 27 2015

The Church exists to save souls. To make saints. If you take saints out of its life, its theology and its worship, it ceases to be the Church. You could call it what you like, but it wouldn’t be the Church. And Christ Himself indicates that the Orthodox Church is His Church, the one of which He is the Head, and it holds the treasure of the Grace of the Holy Spirit, Who leads it to ‘all the truth’. He does so, in accordance with His incontrovertible promise, by granting Grace, by manifesting and glorifying His saints in this Church […]

You don’t yet know Christ

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Nov 26 2015

You know Jesus’ words and deeds, but you don’t yet know Christ Himself. And until you find Him, you don’t know even yourself, nor your destination nor the purpose of the world. “Elder Arsenie Boca (of Romania)”

Our virtuous powers, given by God

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Vices and virtues

Nov 19 2015

Self-control, forbearance, mature restraint, endurance, patience and suchlike are the greatest and most virtuous powers we’ve been given by God. They oppose and resist, and help us in all those difficulties which come from our enemy, the devil. If we exercise these powers and have them to hand, then nothing will seem difficult for us, or painful or unbearable, because we’ll recall that everything’s human and can be conquered by the virtues we have within us. People who are spiritually senseless don’t think of that. Because they never even think that everything turns out well and as it should and […]

Perspectives on Sin

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Nov 03 2015

Analysing the understanding of sin, we should put some general remarks to the theoretical implications of it as a theological term in order to be aware of its theoretical structure. By doing so, differences and similarities between the understandings of Mantzarides, Schleiermacher and Kierkegaard can be analysed more specifically. Talking about sin means talking about the nature of human being. This includes the question about the opportunity of sin as a result of human freedom as a constant quality of men given by God as their Creator. By that, the theological term sin always includes statements about the relationship between […]

We must hunger and thirst to enter into this wondrous Kingdom

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Nov 02 2015

We may say that even today mankind as a whole has not grown up to Christianity and continues to drag out an almost brutish existence. In refusing to accept Christ as Eternal Man and, more importantly, as True God and our Saviour-whatever the form the refusal takes, and whatever the pretext-we lose the light of life eternal. ‘Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world’ (John 17.24). There, in the […]

The prayer of divine love becomes our very being, our body

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Love
Prayer

Nov 01 2015

The moment the Holy Spirit grants us to know the hypostatic form of prayer we can begin to break the fetters that shackle us. Emerging from the prison cell of selfish individualism into the wide expanse of life in the image of Christ, we perceive the nature of the personalism of the Gospel. Let us pause for a moment to examine the difference between these two theological concepts: the individual and the persona. It is a recognised fact that the ego is the weapon in the struggle for existence of the individual who refuses Christ’s call to open our hearts […]