In English

‘The point is this: those who sow sparingly will also reap sparingly, and those who sow bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written, “He dispenses; he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever”. He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every ...

If you want to be governed by God, don’t want to sin. Because if you sin, how are you going to be governed by God?

John Locke believed that if a ruler used his authority against the people, then the latter had the right to oppose him with violence. John Dunn, a political theorist of the 20th century, makes a more general comment that revolution is opposition not to persons but to authority. He also emphasizes that a tyrant has no power. Tyrants are the real revolutionaries. Locke states that politics and paternal authority are so perfectly obvious and distinguishable, built on corresponding foundations and directed towards similar goals, that any subject who is a father has as much paternal authority over his children as a ruler has over his. Political power is ceded to rulers via a voluntary agreement for the good of the subjects. ...

Early Christianity was surely marked by practices: without them, there would have been no need of martyrdoms in the arenas of the Roman Empire. Early Christianity was not a set of beliefs – philosophies were cheap and plentiful in ancient Rome. It was the Christian refusal to offer worship to the Emperor and the gods of the Empire that brought them to the arena. They refused to engage in the practices of the pagan state. The radical generosity of Christians came under the abuse of the Platonist philosopher Celsus. He excoriated Christian acceptance of thieves, rogues, prostitutes, drunkards and the like while the Christian refusal to declare upstanding pagans (such as himself) as “just,” was a rejection of Roman society ...

Love is the spouse of the angels, the companion of the fathers, table companion of the prophets, and fellow athlete of the martyrs. Love confesses the Father, venerates the Son and glorifies the Holy Spirit. Love doesn’t divide the unanimity of the Trinity.

Orthodox Christian perspective Orthodox Christian theology teaches that human life begins from the very moment of conception. The respect on human life from this point does not allow us to accept: a. the manipulation on human embryos, b. the destruction of supernumerary embryos from In-Vitro Fertilization (I.V.F.), c. the destruction of blastocyst. The acceptance of the use of embryonic stem cells for research and therapeutic purposes is obviously in contrast with the teaching of Christian ethics, which respect the human foetus from the very moment of conception. The medical opinion that the use of foetuses up to the 14th day after insemination or conception, for research and experimental purposes is permitted and it is not immoral is also in opposition to Christian ...

Writing to someone on the subject of confession, Saint Nikolaj had this to say: You want to know if confession is so important. At one time you used to go more frequently for confession, but you stopped because somebody mocked you for it. You shouldn’t have stopped. Who haven’t people mocked? Do you know what the most perspicacious of all people said: ‘Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep’ (Luke 6, 25). You write that, apart from your trade, you’ve also got a vine which is very productive because you look after it well. If somebody else had a vine, abandoned it and then mocked you for taking care of yours, would you throw your ...

The Annual Spiritual Clergy Retreat of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto (Canada) took place from October 2 — 5, 2017, in Kingston, Ontario. The retreat was organized by Fr. P. Avgeropoulos, President of the Presbyters Council. There was an excellent program, which was flawlessly executed. Warmest congratulations to Fr. P. Avgeropoulos and the Executive of the Presbyters Council. Speakers and Presentations “Whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 10:32) — Fr. Α. Allain. Every Community as a microcosm of our Holy Metropolis — Metropolitan Sotirios. The Priest as liturgist and catechist: Teaching the Divine Liturgy and liturgical uniformity — Fr. Ν. Mostratos. Confession of Faith and Youth — Fr. C. Chatzis. Clergy Relations with ...

If people are to live, to become complete, they have to receive Grace. It’s our right to hold, to experience in our heart, the Holy Spirit, Who is, exists, lives, acts and functions in the Church. This is why, above all else,the Orthodox Church is the mother of Grace and gives her children everything the human soul requires. This is why, by living a proper life, being properly inducted into the Church, we can enjoy all that’s beautiful, pleasing and sweet. And there’s nothing sweeter than God’s Grace.

Anyone reading or hearing today’s Gospel (the raising of the son of the widow in Nain) can form their own thoughts and conclusions. One thing which people might think of and wonder about is why God doesn’t show the same compassion in all cases of the loss of a young person and also why there aren’t any such miracles and resurrections in our own day. Many people are confused by this and some find it a challenge to their faith. But the fact that young people are being lost today doesn’t mean that God is uncompassionate and harsh. It’s simply that, in these cases, human reason is unable to comprehend God’s compassion, which transcends our ways of thinking. We’re unable to ...

My mind has been returning lately to this article as I think about issues between Christianity and the State. It has become an increasingly common legal opinion in the Western world that religion is an inward belief, aprivate matter. At the same time it has used this understanding to restrict various expressions of belief. In some nations the hijab (scarf) is being forbidden in schools. Personal crosses have been banned from the work place. Roman Catholic institutions are being required to provide birth control for employees in the US. There is growing concern among some that the same development of thought might seek to punish religious groups who do not recognize same-sex unions. The essential problem is the failure to acknowledge that religion is a ...

Three things are necessary. We should have our mind in heaven; our heart should be the throne of God; and our mouth should be a church.

Stem Cell Research: Aspects from the Orthodox Christian Perspective Abstract In this short paper I want to throw a little light on Stem Cell Research from an Orthodox Christian ethical point of view. Those who are in favour of embryonic stem cell research recognize that they balance in the moral dilemma between the destruction of human embryos and the treatment of already living patients. But, the destruction of human embryos is not acceptable in any kind of research, treatment and therapy from an ethical point of view. In contrary the use of somatic (adult) stem cells in research and therapies would be a welcome alternative choice and ethically acceptable practice. Introduction Many scientists, coming from human and law sciences mainly, ask often why theologians are ...

Foucault considers the view which examines authority as something which arises from social institutions to be wrong. Authority extends far beyond institutions. The existence of centralized mechanisms of power is the result of a series of relations of authority/impositions which differentiate children from adults, students from teachers or families and subjects or citizens from the administration. Relationships of authority enter into all mechanisms and institutions, with the result that their existence is not restricted to these. For Foucault, the notion of the political is the sum total of the power relations in a society which are equivalent to relations of authority. Authority is not a form of merchandise; it is not something which can be acquired and then transferred. According to ...

Justice redeems souls from death, it’s the guide to what is good, because the start of the good path is to act justly. Those who pursue justice love God. Justice fortifies those who practice it and is the rule by which we should measure every action in our lives.

The new heresies which led to the Second Ecumenical Council After the end of the First Ecumenical Council, some other heresies appeared. which misunderstood not only the Trinitarian doctrine, but also Christological and Pneumatological one. The fathers of these heresies were Macedonius, Marcellus, Eunomius and Apollinarius. Macedonius I was the bishop of Constantinople during the mid-fourth century. He was an Arian, and with the support of Emperor Constantius II, the Semi-Arian party was able to install him as the bishop of Constantinople. Macedonius had been appointed Bishop of Constantinople after the deposition and subsequent murder of Paul (a Nicene), but was himself in turn deposed by the Synod of Constantinople in 360 A.D.. Macedonius had the temerity to teach blasphemously of the ...

How is it possible for your children to become good people when you yourselves often become angry in front of them and swear by the holy things? When you take what’s not yours and cheat other people? When you steal and lie, when you slander and commit perjury? When the whole of your mind and your efforts are on material things? When you take no care of your soul, don’t even go to confession, take communion, don’t pray or study improving or religious literature? Put all that sort of thing out of your mind. It’s impossible for your children to become good people unless you, as parents, set them a good example. And if it ever happens that you get ...

Shortly before He was taken away to be put to death, Christ turned to His heavenly Father and addressed Him in fervent prayer. The prayer is so important for the spiritual formation of the Church that it’s known in Greek as the “Archiepiscopal Prayer”. In it, Jesus prays for the disciples He’s leaving and, at the same time, reveals the Person of the Divine Father and His relationship with the Son. Today, the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Synod in Nicea, we shall recall this prayer in the Gospel reading (Jn. 17, 1-13)   If we look carefully at the content of this prayer, we can see immediately the concern of Christ, the Chief Shepherd, for his flock. ...

It was a pleasure to see how Elders Paisios and Elder Porfyrios thought about each other. One of the monks said to Elder Paisios: ‘I’d like to talk to you about something I’ve discussed with Elder Porfyrios’. ‘If you’ve talked to Elder Porfyrios, you don’t need to talk to me as well, because he’s a coloured satellite television and I’m only a black and white set’. That was the humble view of the Elder. On the other hand, Elder Porfyrios told us: ‘The Grace that Elder Paisios has is worth more than mine, because he’s acquired it through great efforts and ascetic sweat, whereas God gave me mine completely for free, when I was still very young, simply so that I could be of help ...

Those who belong to the Church of Christ belong to the truth, and those who don’t belong to the truth don’t belong to the Church of Christ. People who are very tall and those who are very short are both just as far away from the stars.