Uprightness is simplicity, innocence and untarnished purity of the soul. It’s virtue of the highest order, because it’s the fruit of Christian perfection. Upright people are interested day and night in learning about the will of God, what is good, pleasing and perfect, in order to conform to it. They examine their lives and investigate the depths of their hearts. They will not allow anything in there, they eject any evil desire and cast out every passion. “Saint Saint Nectarios of Pentapolis” Read more “Words of Life” at www.pemptousia.com
Get rid of two things about yourself: don’t think you’re somebody important and worthy; and don’t think that anybody else is of greater value than you.
As is obvious in just this quick study of abortion within our nation’s culture today, compared to the pure, clear and undiluted moral certainty of the Church, secular society in the Twentieth Century is a sink hole of ethical depravity that has lost all concept of moral absolutes — unless it be to embrace absolute evil. Utilitarianism, the philosophy of Atheistic Secular Humanism, preaches moral relativism and situational ethics saying in effect that there is nothing which is intrinsically good or evil, but rather that all things are dependent upon situation and circumstance. This errant nonsense has become the guiding light of all cultural reasoning and has caused the moral and ethical chaos rampant in Western society. The Ten Commandments have ...
Some people take the Body of the Lord without the fear of God. And they eat it. But they aren’t filled. Because as long as they take the sacrament only through the mouth, they’ll never be filled with its grace. From that point of view, they’ll still be hungry. Since, even before they come they felt full. *** If they take Holy Communion while they’re still in love with their sins, it doesn’t bring them the fruit of salvation. People aren’t satisfied with Holy Communion unless they really hunger for it. Unless they’re hungry. Those who’ve realized through their bad habits, that sin is poverty and hunger. These are the people who take the full energy and grace and efficacy. Not even the so-called ...
On the occasion of the convocation of the Holy and Great Synod of the Orthodox Church, we are publishing a text by George Mantzaridis, Emeritus Professor of Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, which deals with the manner in which Orthodox Theology is produced. This text is a contribution to the more general dialogue which is preceding the discussions of the Pan-Orthodox Synod. If the primary aim of theology is knowledge of God and if this occurs as a consequence of the loving communion between God and people, hesychasm with tranquillity, as a practical means to and also as fruit of knowledge of God, confirms the authenticity of this knowledge of God meta-theologically, that is empirically and ontologically. The dogmas ...
Spiritual vigilance and your struggle against demonic evil will last until the end of your life. This is because Satan is constantly vigilant and never rests. He’s like a wild lion prowling around, seeking to devour anyone who’s escaped him. Anyone he finds asleep is in trouble. “Saint Dimitry of Rostov” Read more “Words of Life” at www.pemptousia.com
I’m the LIGHT and you don’t see me. I’m the WAY and you don’t follow me. I am the TRUTH and you don’t believe me. I’m LIFE and you don’t seek me. I’m the TEACHER and you don’t listen to me. I’m the LORD and you don’t obey me. I’m your GOD and you don’t pray to me. I’m your best FRIEND and you don’t love me. If you’re unhappy, don’t blame me.
This is how Dionysius describes the divine names, in the fifth chapter of his treatise: ‘The divine name “Good” tells of all the processions of the universal Cause; it extends to beings and nonbeings and that Cause is superior to being and nonbeings. The name “Being” extends to all beings which are, and it is beyond them. The name of “Life” extends to all living things, and yet is beyond them. The name “Wisdom” reaches out to everything which has to do with understanding, reason, and sense perception, and surpasses them all.’ As we can see, Dionysius places hierarchically the above names with the following order: Good, Being, Life and finally Wisdom. This order is of high importance, since the name Good ...
Novices need more time in order to train themselves in prayer. It is impossible to reach this supreme virtue shortly after entering the monastery or following the first few steps in asceticism. Asceticism needs both time and gradual progress, so that the ascetic can mature for prayer in every respect. In order that a flower might bloom or the fruit grow on a tree, the tree must first be planted and left to develop; thus also does prayer grow out of the soil of other virtues and nowhere else. The monk will not quickly gain mastery of his mind, nor will he in a short time accustom it to abide in the words of the prayer as if enclosed in ...
If you call God your Father then you’ll trust Him as your only real Father, Who is merciful and all-wise, unalterable in His love and perfection
Jesus and the blind man, 6th century sarcophagus, L'abbaye Saint-Victor, France And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 1. ‘And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth’. Being full of love for us and caring for our salvation, and desiring to stop the mouths of the ungrateful, He overlooks nothing that is His to do, even if there’s no-one to pay attention. The Prophet knew this when he said: ‘that you might be justified in your words and prevail when you are judged’. So here, too, when they wouldn’t accept the sublime meaning of His words, but said that He had a devil, and attempted to kill Him, ...
Spiritual progress, brethren is, humility. There isn’t any other progress. In other words, the more you descend into humility, the more you ascend to spiritual heights. Book of the Elders
On the occasion of the convocation of the Holy and Great Synod of the Orthodox Church, we are publishing a text by George Mantzaridis, Emeritus Professor of Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, which deals with the manner in which Orthodox Theology is produced. This text is a contribution to the more general dialogue which is preceding the discussions of the Pan-Orthodox Synod. From the beginning, Orthodox monasticism was hesychast. The original monks, living far from the world and practicing unceasing prayer, were, in essence, hesychasts . They felt they had to have recourse to tranquillity ‘in order to speak to God clearly’ . This was and is, however, a self-evident requirement for every real believer. And so we have ...
Just as the shadow follows the body, so God’s mercy follows humble reflections. “Saint Isaac the Syrian” Read more “Words of Life” at www.pemptousia.com
Uprightness is simplicity, innocence and untarnished purity of the soul. It’s virtue of the highest order, because it’s the fruit of Christian perfection. Upright people are interested day and night in learning about the will of God, what is good, pleasing and perfect, in order to conform to it. They examine their lives and investigate the depths of their hearts. They will not allow anything in there, they eject any evil desire and cast out every passion.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. It is not only awesome, at times it is frightening to preach the Word of God, because the Lord said "By thy words thou shall be judged." Judged, because if you proclaim God's truth and remain idle and not the doer of what the Lord has commanded, and what you know well enough to proclaim to others - then, how shall you stand before the judgement of God? This does not apply only to the priest, but to every Christian who is called to be a witness, an apostle, one that brings God's word to the people who are in darkness or twilight, who need divine light, and truth ...
