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Saints and Readings of the Day
April 28 — Read About Them | Today's Scripture Readings | Prolog from Ohrid Readings
THIRD SUNDAY OF PASCHA - HOLY MYRRHBEARERS SUNDAY. Apostles Jason and Sosipater of the Seventy, and their companions: Martyrs Saturninus, Jakischolus (Inischolus), Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius, Mammius, the Virgin Cercyra, and Christodulus the Ethiopian, at Corfu. Martyrs Dada, Maximus and Quinctilian at Dorostolum. Martyrs Zeno, Eusebius, Neon and Vitalis who were converted by Apostles Jason and Sosipater. St. Cyril, Bishop of Turov. St. Auxibius, Bishop of Soli in Cyprus. St. Cyriacus, Abbot of Kargopol (Vologda). (Greek Calendar: Martyr John of Rumania.) Repose of Blessed Elder Basil Kishkin (1831).
May 11 — Read About Them | Today's Scripture Readings | Prolog from Ohrid Readings
THIRD SUNDAY OF PASCHA - HOLY MYRRHBEARERS SUNDAY. Holy Equals-to-the-Apostles Methodius and Cyril, first teachers of the Slavs. Hieromartyr Mocius (Mucius), presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia. Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople. St. Nicodemus, Archbishop of Serbia. St. Sophronius, recluse of the Kiev Caves. St. Joseph, Metropolitan of Astrakhan. New-Martyrs Diosorus and Argyrus. St. Bessarion, Archbishop of Larissa. Martyr Acacius of Lower Moesia.
Recent Additions
April 16/29, BRIGHT TUESDAY. Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene of Lesvos.
Announcing another important new book: Patristic Theology - The University Lectures of Father John Romanides. Read the following excerpts:
On "Scientific" Theologians, by Photios Kontoglou. An excerpt from Meetings with Kontoglou, by Constantine Cavarnos.
Against Materialism. An Excerpt from Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene, by Constantine Cavarnos.
April 9/22, GREAT AND HOLY TUESDAY. Martyr Eupsychius of Caesarea in Cappadocia.
The Paschal Canon, by St John of Damascus. Translated, with extensive notes, by Archimandrite Ephrem.
March 10/23, Second Sunday of Great Lent (St. Gregory Palamas). Martyrs Codratus (Quadratus) and with those with him.
Announcing an important new book: The Boundless Garden: Selected Short Stories, Volume I, by Alexandros Papadiamandis. Read the
Introduction and one of the stories entitled "A Village Easter: Memories of Childhood".
Another noteworthy new book is The Life and Teachings of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. With thirty-one short chapters on a variety of topics, such as peace of soul,
the light of Christ, tears, repentance, fasting, guarding the mind, etc., this book is sure to have a little something for everyone. Here is an excerpt:
13. On feats.
It is not advisable to undertake excessive feats but to do one's best to make our friend – our flesh – loyal and capable of performing virtues.
It is necessary to follow the middle path, 'turn not to the right hand, nor to the left.' (Prv., 4, 27): to give the spirit the spiritual nourishment, and the body – the bodily nourishment, which is needed for the maintenance of this temporary life. One should not reject the lawful demands of the public life, following the words of the Scripture: 'Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.' (Math. 22, 21)
One should be lenient towards the weaknesses and imperfections of one's own soul and endure one's own shortcomings as we tolerate the shortcomings of our neighbours, and at the same time not become lazy but impel oneself to work on one's improvement incessantly.
Whether you have eaten too much or you have done something else of this kind, because of the weakness of human nature, do not become indignant, do not add another harm to the harm which has already happened, but impel yourself manly to correct it and at the same time to preserve peace of soul, following the words of the Apostle: 'blessed is he that condemneth not himself ….' (Rom. 14, 22). These words of the Saviour have the same meaning: 'Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.' (Math. 18, 3)
A body which is exhausted by labour or illness should be fortified by moderate sleep, food and drink, without even taking into account what time of the day it is. Jesus Christ, immediately after He raised Jairus' daughter from the dead, ' he commanded to give her to eat.' (Lk., 8, 55)
We should refer any success in anything to God and say with the Prophet: 'Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory' (Ps. 115, 1).
Before the age of 35, that is, the middle of his life, man needs to undertake heroic efforts in order to preserve himself, but many at this age stray off the path of virtues, and become corrupted and follow their own wishes. Saint Basil the Great attests this (Homilies): many have collected a lot in their youth, but when they reached the middle of their life and the cunning spirits attacked them, they could not stand the tumult and lost everything they had collected.
In order not to experience such a transformation, one should examine oneself as one measured by ordeals and pay heed to oneself during one's entire life, following the words of Saint Isaac the Syrian: 'Everyone should weigh his life as if on the scale.' (Homily 40)
A Guide to Confession. A set of questions to help one prepare for the Mystery of Confession.
The Lord's Prayer: A Homily by Archimandrite George, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. Gregoriou, Mount Athos. Available in four Languages!
Thoughts on Fasting and Temperance, by Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich.
The Condition of Society, by Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich.
Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich: Honoring an American Apostle, by Hieromonk Damascene.
Metropolitan Laurus, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia: May his memory be eternal!
Extensive coverage of his repose and life can be found on the Ora Et Labora blog.
The Monk's Mission, by Elder Paisios the Athonite.
A grassroots movement to establish a unified and autocephalous Orthodox Church in North America seems to be gaining momentum. I was awakened to this by the outstanding series of interviews that Kevin Allen conducted on his engaging and informative "Illumined Heart" podcast on Ancient Faith Radio. I have gathered the key resources I could find in order to learn more about this challenging problem. Find them in the new section on the "Orthodoxy in America" page.
In the last update I neglected to add a link to this article by Fr. Theodore Zissis, which he wrote after the Letter from Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus (Church of Greece) was published.
February 22/March 6, Opening of the Relics of Holy Martyrs at the gate of Eugenius at Constantinople.
Feasts and Holidays. An Excerpt from With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man, by Blessed Elder Paisios the Athonite (+1994).
Liturgy and Spirituality, by Hieromonk [now Bishop] Athanasije JEVTIĆ. Chapter 8 from Christ: The Alpha and Omega.
Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life, by Archimandrite George, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. Gregorios of Mount Athos. Available in nine Languages!
The Rule of Fasting in the Orthodox Church, by Father Seraphim (Rose) of Platina.
A Study of English Orthodox Theological Terms Compared to the Original Greek, by the Holy Monastery of St. Gregoriou, Mount Athos.
Saint Seraphim of Viritsa's Spiritual Testament: "This Was From Me", by Metropolitan Manuel Lemeshevsky. An edifying message for handling trials and temptations.
Photos from My Recent Pilgrimage to Greece and Romania, by Patrick Barnes. Enjoy hundreds of new photos from Greece and Romania in the newly overhauled OrthodoxInfo Photo Albums on Picasa. Prints of select photos are available for sale. Please inquire if interested.
Lenten Resources, a superb collection from Monachos.net.
Letter from Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus (Church of Greece) to the Papist Bishop of Syros Island. Translated from the Greek newspaper Orthodox Press, November, 2007. In these confusing times of "ecumenical dialog," thank God for Orthodox Hierarchs who clearly state the Church's position viz-a-viz Roman Catholicism. This Bishop knows and acts upon what another Bishop recently and so eloquently stated: "True love for a Christian is to secure eternal life for one's neighbor, which means you straightforwardly say he is in error, and try to return him to the truth, directing him onto the path of salvation."
Postcards from Greece, a podcast by Fr. Peter Heers. I highly recommend this superb new podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.
Ora et Labora. This is the best blog I've seen on Orthodox Christianity. The blogger, a Russian Orthodox clergyman who wishes to remain anonymous, posts frequently and with considerable insight and erudition.
October 31/November 13, Apostles Stachys, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus, Apelles and Aristobulus of the Seventy.
On Miracles and Signs. From the Essays of Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov).
Visions Outside the Church, by Monk Gorazd.
A Private Letter Concerning Ecumenism, by Blessed Elder Paisios the Athonite.
Introduction to The Oecumenical Synods of the Orthodox Church, by Fr. James Thornton.
Is There Spiritual Life and Sanctity Today? A talk given by the Very Reverend Archimandrite Kyrillos, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Essex.
On Television: Comments by Various Saints and Holy Elders.
September 28/October 11, St. Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine.
Marriage: The Great Sacrament, by Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra, Mount Athos. This is an excerpt from The Church at Prayer: The Mystical Liturgy of the Heart. Many consider this to be the best statement on Orthodox marriage they've ever read.
Excerpts from Family Life, by Elder Paisios the Athonite. This is a selection of passages translated by Fr. Luke Hartung, never before seen in English. It is a work-in-progress.
Confession and Repentance: A Talk Given by Fr. Josiah Trenham at the 2006 Antiochian Clergy Conference (Diocese of the West).
Interpretation of the Prayer - Lord, have Mercy!. An excerpt from the fifth volume of the Philokalia (not yet published).
Homily for the Sunday of Orthodoxy, Given in the Cathedral of Trebinje, 2007, by the Most Reverend Atanasije, Retired Bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina.
Deaconnesses. From The Veil, Pascha 1998.
Holy Monastery of the Pantokrator, Thessaloniki, Greece. A wealth of traditional articles and books!
The Papacy and Its Unholy State: A Worldwide Wake-up Call to Orthodox Leaders, By Raphael Masterjohn, from "The Light of Orthodoxy," Vol. 1, No. 1 (07/15/2007).
Ecumenism and the Orthodox Church, by Protopresbyter Theodore Zissis. This article by one of the foremost theologians and professors in Greece rightly criticizes the 2006 meeting in Constantinople of Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Benedict XVI.
Ostrov (The Island), (DVD) NTSC version with English subtitles (2006) . I keep running into people that have never heard of this movie, let alone seen it. This is a must-see Orthodox movie! Ecumenical News International wrote: "Patriarch Alexei II, and other senior clerics, praised Ostrov for its profound depiction of faith and monastic life. Addressing a church conference on 29 January, the Patriarch called Ostrov a 'vivid example of an effort to take a Christian approach to culture'." Here's a good review of the movie by Fr. Stephen Freeman.
Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West (DVD) . This movie was released September 11, 2007. Buy a copy or two and share with friends. Help the West wake up to the reality of Islam. Yes, there are moderate Muslims; but there is no moderate Islam! Learn more about why we are not at "war with (nebulous) terror," but rather at war with an imperialist political ideology that is Islam.
Days Made of Fear (DVD), Ninoslav Randjelovic. This is an important collection of short documentary films on war-torn Kosovo. Buy this video and help spread the word about the tragic things that have happened, and are still happening, to the suffering Orthodox people in this Serbian Holy Land. To order contact Most Holy Theotokos Church, 2148 Michelson Dr., Irvine, CA 92612.
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