The most important weapon to use against the devil is the Holy Cross, of which he is terrified. But make the sign of the Cross correctly: with the three fingers of the right hand joined together, touch your forehead, your abdomen, your right shoulder and finally your left shoulder. The sign of the Cross may… Continue reading Words Of Wisdom!
Fasting is not very alive and well in the Christian world. Much of that world has long lost any living connection with the historical memory of Christian fasting. It is as though they were Jews who heard there was such a thing as kosher and decided to make up the rules for what to eat… Continue reading Hesychasm!
To have a powerful effect on your spiritual life during Advent, you need to follow certain exercises. These exercises, when you apply them to life’s situations, will help you benefit from your fast: To exercise giving up a specific sin, from the sins that prevail upon you, and which is repeated in many of… Continue reading Spiritual Exercises While Fasting!
In the Christian tradition of both east and west, the twelve days of Christmas refer to the period from Christmas Day to Theophany. The days leading up to Christmas were for preparation; a practice affirmed in the Orthodox tradition by the Christmas fast that runs from November 25 to Christmas day. The celebration of Christmas… Continue reading Commercialisation Of Christmas!
The late Pope Kyrillos VI of triple blessedness, wrote this moving message to his children that had emigrated to other countries on the occasion of holy Lent. It was written shortly before his departure. Peace to you from the Lord and grace and blessing. Our Good and Compassionate God, Who preserves His children everywhere and… Continue reading Pope Cyril VI On Fasting!
How you begin and conduct your fast will largely determine your success.You have to plan to make your time with the Lord more meaningful and spiritually rewarding. Set Your Objective Why are you fasting?Is it just as a tradition of the church or Is it for spiritual renewal, for guidance, for healing, for the resolution… Continue reading Benefiting From The Nativity Fast!
Have you heard about Moses and the burning bush? That is a story in the Bible from the Book of Exodus. Moses had grown up in Egypt in the palace of the Pharaoh. When he was about 40 years old, he ran away from Egypt because he killed an Egyptian that was beating up a… Continue reading The Burning Bush!
We started out with this wonderful experience, this intimate knowledge, this almost chummy companionship with God—and then the magic was gone. It was as if God had fallen asleep or left us beside the road in pursuit of some other, newer convert. I don’t know if this is any consolation for you, but this experience… Continue reading The Magic Is Gone!
Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy while imprisoned in Rome. His life was nearly at an end, but more importantly, he knew that his work was done: For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have… Continue reading The Masters Vessel!
One of the most difficult things to deal with as a Christian, or as human beings in general, is that of the hurt that others inflict upon us. There might be nothing like it. The reason such becomes so difficult is that, normally, our emotions and the deepest parts of us get involved. That’s because… Continue reading The Hurt Heart!
Weep over your sin: it is a spiritual ailment; it is death to your immortal soul; it deserves ceaseless, unending weeping and crying; let all tears flow for it, and sighing come forth without ceasing from the depths of your heart. In profound humility I weep for all my sins, voluntary and involuntary, conscious and unconscious, covert… Continue reading Lamenting Over My Sin!
Through the advice of the serpent which he advised to Eve, Adam went out from Paradise. Its punishment was hard and grievous. God took from it its food and gave to it the dust. It was thrown on the earth and moved on its belly. He made it without feet, because by them it had… Continue reading Are You Like The Serpent?
“Honour the physician with the honor due him, and also according to your need of him, for the Lord created him. Healing comes from the Most High, and he will receive a gift from the king. The physician’s skill will lift up his head, and he shall be admired in the presence of the great.… Continue reading Honour The Physician!
“Finally let us say why we cannot possibly avoid the narrow way into the Kingdom of Heaven” a) Because in every man there is sin, and sin is a wound that does not heal by itself, without medicines; and in the case of some people this wound is so deep and dangerous that it can… Continue reading The Great Physician!
“For the message of the cross is foolishness for those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18) Whenever the shining sunbeams gather in the focal point of a lens, it can ignite a piece of paper (a cigarette paper for example). This also… Continue reading The Inflaming Lens Of The Cross!
1. Ambassadors for Christ – St. Paul calls on us to be “ambassadors for Christ.” In 2 Corinthians 5:20, we read, “Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” This ambassadorship is a very important part of being a good… Continue reading How To Be A Good Role Model!
Envy, Have you felt it? Do you look at someone with a bigger house, a great job, or the perfect family and wish you were as fortunate? In Genesis 37 there is a story of envy that caused pain and suffering for everyone concerned. The story is of how Jacob loved Joseph more than any… Continue reading Dealing With Envy!
The most important factor in the struggle against any passion is spiritual concentration directed to God. When our heart burns with love to God then carnal pleasures seem insignificant and boring to us. Therefore it is necessary to warm up our soul with love to God in every way. This can be done through the… Continue reading 7 Keys To Overcome Sexual Lust!
The Holy Bible teaches that there are different reasons or conditions for answered prayers, based on the variability and changeability of every soul. These conditions are: First: The agreement of two people in asking for the same thing will blossom into fruitful prayers. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on… Continue reading 6 Conditions For Answered Prayer!
Resentment and reaction are deeply interrelated. Resentment is an impassioned reaction, based on a judgment of a person (or the self), where our passions are ignited. Resentment is a reaction which we hold within ourselves, and allow ourselves to nurture. It comes from and feeds off our passions, from judgment of others. Resentment is judgment… Continue reading Dealing With Resentment!
Another thing that comes up is images, which play on our mind and imagination. There are two main levels here: first, the memory images we have seen that are connected with our passions; the second, images from our imagination. All the images we have ever seen are stored in our brain. They range from the… Continue reading The Imagination!
We must learn to not react. This is just a corollary of “turn the other cheek.” When somebody says something hurtful, or somebody does something hurtful, what is it that’s being hurt? It’s our ego. Nobody can truly hurt us. They might cause some physical pain, or emotional pain. They might even kill our body.… Continue reading Do Not React!
I have long hesitated to undertake the task of approaching the intimate problem of human sexuality from an Orthodox point of view. In normal circumstances, this subject is personal, a matter of confessional guidance, and something not to be addressed in mixed company or in a public forum. But the circumstances of the society in… Continue reading Sexual Purity!
The following passage comes from the book “Jesus: A Dialogue With the Saviour” written by a monk of the Eastern Church: “Blood flows from your forehead, from your hands, and from your scourged body (O Lord). It flows slowly in long streams. It is going to flow from your open side as though your heart… Continue reading Scared Of The Love Of God!
The world will do its best to ignite passions, anger or disgust within you in relation to worldly matters. Your peace will be robbed of you and your mind will tire and become weary from the exhaust of the day – allowing you no energy to learn and seek God’s word, or to read the… Continue reading Useless Thoughts!
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