SIDEBAR

The role of courage and of the conscience in the war against the passions

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Sep 06 2019
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There is among the passions an anger of the intellect (mind), and this anger is in accordance with nature – that is courage . Without this anger a person cannot attain purity: we have to feel angry with all that is sown in us by the enemy. When Job felt this anger he reviled his enemies, calling them ‘dishonorable men of no repute, lacking everything good, whom I would not consider fit to live with the dogs that guard my flocks’ (cf. Job 30:1, 4). If we wish to acquire the anger that is in accordance with nature we must […]

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There are two basic ways to cure our soul

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Sep 03 2019
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There are two basic ways of a cure. The first is for a person to abandon “wealth” of the mind. In speaking of poverty, Saint Niketas Stethatos maintains that poverty is not only the renunciation of material goods, but is also the denial of the “wealth” of the mind.

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Convertitis according to Father Seraphim Rose (about the beginners’ problems)

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Aug 24 2019
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Father Seraphim Rose of Platina, himself a convert to Orthodoxy, was once asked to compose a “Manual for Orthodox Converts”. In his notes for such a manual, he jotted down the following “convert pitfalls”, or what he called “obstacles in the Orthodox mission today” – or, shortly, “convertitis”. Based on these notes we have:

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666: What the Holy Fathers say about it?

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Aug 20 2019
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There is a lot of anxiety and distress about the famous 666 in some circles, which most of the time (if not always) distracts us from our main aim in life – the salvation of our eternal soul.

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The real victory comes through pain

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Aug 17 2019
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If you want to serve God, prepare your heart not for food, not for drink, not for rest, not for ease, but for suffering, so that you may endure all temptations, trouble and sorrow.

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Do not envy if the wicked are joyful

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Aug 06 2019
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Perhaps you are saying, “Why are the wicked joyful? Why do they live in luxury? Why do they not toil with me?”

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Transfiguration of Jesus: The feast of real knowledge

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Aug 05 2019
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We struggle to learn various things and slowly try to understand their meanings in order to gain knowledge.

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What means ‘He will reward every man according to his works’?

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May 06 2019
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When Scripture says ‘He will reward every man according to his works’ (Mt 16:27), do not imagine that works in themselves merit either hell or the kingdom. On the contrary, Christ rewards each man according to whether his works are done with faith or without faith in Him; and He is not a dealer bound by contract, but God our Creator and Redeemer.

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The Church without Saints isn’t the Church

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Nov 27 2015
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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 […]

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People as Liturgical Beings

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Sep 21 2015
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People who offer ‘your own from your own, in all things and for all things’ serve God truly and pleasingly. That is, people who recognize that whatever they have is a gift from God. They believe that they’ve got nothing of their own to offer. Everything’s from God and they take from that and offer it to God, together with themselves, their world and their relations with the world. They keep nothing selfishly for themselves. They offer themselves without reservation. They give everything in order to receive everything. They die in order to live. And they offer everything in Christ […]

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“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

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Jun 04 2015
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An the word of Lord came to Elijah: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied,…

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Skete of Saint Demetrios: a view of a typical monastic settlement on Mount Athos

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Mar 08 2015
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View of a typical monastic settlement on Mount Athos. It is hidden away in a dense forest, in a peaceful area conducive to prayer and spiritual development. A person must live like an exile from this world in order to…

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Why we perform the virtues?

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Feb 28 2015
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The self-controlled refrain from gluttony; those who have renounced possessions, from greed; the tranquil, from loquacity; the pure, from…

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World War III: why and when?

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Feb 26 2015
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World War III: why and when? A pilgrim asked a monk, “When will the Third World War happen, and why?” The monk replied,…

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Learn to Know and Deal with Your Masters

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Feb 21 2015
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For the whole array of passions: wrath, fear, cowardice, impudence, depression as well as pleasure, hatred, strife and merciless cruelty, envy as well as flattery, brutality together with brooding over injuries — they are all many despotic masters…

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Where Spiritual Progress is Found

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Jan 20 2015
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A person who strives for a long time but doesn’t see spiritual progress has pride and egotism. Spiritual progress is found where there is…

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St Isaac: How to behave at Christmas

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Dec 25 2014
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Please read on: This poem has more than 1300 years.   This Nativity night bestowed peace on the whole world; So let no one threaten; This is the night of the Most Gentle One – Let no one be cruel; This is the night of the Humble One – Let no one be proud. Now is the day of joy – Let us not revenge; Now is the day of Good Will – Let us not be mean. In this Day of Peace – Let us not be conquered by anger. Today the…

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