Which Sins Do Not Obstruct Us From Divine Communion

“But let a man examine himself,
and so let him eat of that bread
and drink of that cup.”
(I Corinthians 2:28)

Those well-known advocates of frequent communion of the Immaculate Mysteries of Christ, Saints Macarios of Corinth and Nicodemos the Hagiorite, in their famous book on the subject deal with the objection and doubts of those Christians who are well-intentioned in other respects, but who remonstrate and say, regarding all those who partake frequently: “Perhaps they, as human beings, are not bothered by the passions of gluttony, vainglory, laughter, idle talk, and the like? How, then, can they desire to commune frequently?”

The Saints respond to this objection by citing a marvelous text of St. Anastasios of Antioch, which they first quote verbatim and then in simplified language.

Let us pay special attention to this position of St. Anastasios, which concisely expresses a profound aspect of Orthodox spirituality: the distinction between “pardonable” and “serious” sins, the existence of “various sacrifices” which purify us in order to approach the Holy Mysteries, and the experience in our lives of continual repentance as the indispensable preconditions for frequent communion.

Many are they who, communing rarely, collapse into sins; but others again, partaking more frequently, guard themselves often from much evil, since they fear Holy Communion (“the condemnation of the Eucharist”).

Thus, if, being human, we should err by certain small and forgivable sins—for instance, should we be carried away by our tongue, our hearing, or our eyes; or, being deceived, should we fall into vainglory, sorrow, or anger, or other such things—, let us reproach ourselves and let us confess our sinfulness before God, and so let us partake, believing that Holy Communion is for the remission of our sins and our purification.

If, on the other hand, we should commit heavy sins that are evil, carnal, and impure, and we are resentful of our brother, let us not dare approach the Divine Mysteries until we have repented of those sins.

Thus, because we are carnal and weak people, infected by many sins, God has given us various sacrifices for the remission of our sins, the which, if we offer them to Him, cleanse us and make us fit to partake.

For this reason, almsgiving is a “sacrifice” which purifies man from sins. There is another salvific “sacrifice” for the remission of sins, about which the Prophet David says: “A pleasing sacrifice unto God is a man’s humble disposition and spirit; a heart that is humble and broken by compunction, God never despises.”

If we offer those “sacrifices” unto God, even should we have small failings as humans, we will be made capable of approaching Holy Communion with fear and trembling, compunction, and the confession of our sinfulness, just as the woman with an issue of blood approached Christ with weeping and trembling.

For there are sins unto death ("deadly" sins), and there are sins unto repentance ("pardonable" sins). And there are sins unto healing. But genuine repentance is able to heal all things.

For one is the forgiveness which he receives who approaches the Mysteries with fear and trembling, confessing his sinfulness, and, with contrition, partakes; and another is the punishment which he receives who partakes without fear and with contempt.

Unto those who partake unworthily and disdainfully, not only is the remission of sins not given, but the Devil pounces on them even more.

And all those who partake with fear not only are sanctified and receive the remission of sins, but the Devil is expelled from them.

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Photos: Patriarch Bartholomew Venerating the Relics of St. Athanasios the Athonite

His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited the Holy Monastery of Great Lavra on Mount Athos on Saturday 8 October 2011. While there he veneratd the relics of the monasteries founder, St. Athanasios the Athonite.

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Elder Porphyrios and the Hippies

Elder Porphyrios once said:

One day a hippie visited me. He was dressed in something colorful, strange clothes, and wore an amulet and jewelery, and he asked to see me. The nuns were worried, so they came and asked me, and I told them to have him enter. As soon as he sat across from me, I could see his soul. He had a good soul, but was wounded which was why he was a revolutionary.

I spoke to him with love and he was moved. "Elder", he said, "nobody until today has ever spoken to me like this." I had told him his name, and he was confused as if I knew him. "Well," I told him, "God revealed your name and that you travelled as far as India where you met a guru and you followed him." He was in even greater wonder. I told him other things about himself, and he left pleased. The next week he arrived with a group of hippies.

They all gathered together within my cell and sat around me. A girl was also with them. I liked them very much. They were good souls, but wounded. I did not speak to them about Christ, because I saw they weren't ready to hear of it. I spoke their own language about topics that interested them. When we were finished and they got up to leave, they told me: "Elder, we would like a favor: allow us to kiss your feet." I was embarrassed, but what could I do, I allowed them. After they gave me a blanket as a gift. I will call for it to be brought, so you can see it. It's very nice. After a time the girl visited me, the hippie, by herself. They called her Maria.

I saw that Maria was more advanced in her soul than her friends and she was the first I spoke to about Christ. She received my words. She has come other times, and has taken a good path. Maria also told her friends: "Hey naughty children, I would never have imagined that I would come to know Christ through hippie friends."

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Photos: The Church Where the Relics of St. Kyranna Were Discovered

To see more photos of this church, as well as photos of the church dedicated to St. Kyranna where her relics will be translated, see here.

Read also: The Recent Discovery of the Relics of Saint Kyranna the New Martyr of Ossa

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First Lady Of Ukraine Makes Time For Church and Philanthropy

October 7, 2011
Interfax

The Ukrainian President's spouse, Lyudmila Yanukovych, is going to visit the church on her birthday, October 9.

"On this day there's a great church feast - the passing away of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. So I want to go to church in the morning to confess and to take communion. After the church, if we have time, we'll have a family meal," Yanukovich said in her interview with the Ukrainian edition of the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily.

She said she had 17 godchildren, not taking orphans in the account.

When asked if she has a charitable organization, Yanukovych said she preferred to help people directly.

"My mail box is always full, almost all ask for help. I answer all the letters myself - I can spend the night writing responses. If there are telephone numbers, I call and speak with people," she said.

"We have to find time for help. Father Zosima from Nikolskoye, I respect him so much, said: 'Be in a hurry to do good deeds.' I'm in a hurry. I afraid to be late," Yanukovych said.

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A Greek Orthodox Church Designed By Frank Lloyd Wright

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956, and completed in 1962. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church is one of Wright's last works; construction was completed after his death and had a building cost of $1.5 million dollars. Its shallow scalloped dome echoes his Marin County Civic Center.

In the last few years of his life he completed almost seventy works, several of which illustrate his interest in the circular form. (See, for example his Guggenheim Museum in New York City.) Wright's circular design uses two important elements from Greek Orthodox churches, the dome and the Greek cross. The shallow concrete dome (106 feet in diameter) is superimposed on a floor plan in the shape of a Greek cross; the Greek cross inscribed within a circle is a key design element in the details of the church as well.


See video here.

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Chef Gordon Ramsay Makes Halloumi For Greek Cypriots at St. Eleutherios Church in N. London

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Are You A Fly Or A Honeybee?

By Elder Paisios the Athonite

Some people tell me that they are scandalized because they see many things wrong in the Church. I tell them that if they ask a fly: "Are there any flowers in this area?" it will say: "I don't know about flowers, but over there in the heap of rubbish you can find all the filth you want." And it will go on to list all the unclean things it has been to. Now, if you ask a honeybee: "Have you seen any unclean things in this area?" it will reply: "Unclean things? No, I have not seen any; the place here is full of the most fragrant flowers." And it will go on to name all the flowers of the garden or the meadow. You see, the fly only knows where the unclean things are, while the honeybee knows where the beautiful iris or the hyacinth is.

As I have come to understand, some people resemble the honeybee and some resemble the fly. Those who resemble the fly seek to find evil in every circumstance and are preoccupied with it; they see no good anywhere. But those who resemble the honeybee only see the good in everything they see. The stupid person thinks stupidly and takes everything in the wrong way, whereas the person who has good thoughts, no matter what he sees, no matter what you tell him, maintains a positive and good thought.

Once a high school student came to my Kalyvi and knocked on the metal knocker on the door. Even though I was reading a stack of letters at the time, I decided to go and see what he wanted. "What is it you want, my son?" I asked. "Is this the Kalyvi of Father Paisios?" he asked me, adding, "I want to see Father Paisios." "This is his Kalyvi, but he's not here; he went to buy cigarettes," I told him. "It looks like he must have gone to help someone," he responded with a good thought. "He went to buy the cigarettes for himself," I told him. "He smoked them all and was desperate for a cigarette. He left me here alone, and I don't know when he'll be back. If he takes too long, I'll just leave." The student's watery eyes gave away his emotion and again he said with a good thought: "We torment Father Paisios." "Why do you want to see him?" I asked. "I just want to receive his blessing," he said. "What blessing do you expect to receive from him, you fool! He's deluded; I know him well. There's no grace in him. Don't waste your time waiting for him to return. He'll be grouchy; he may even be drunk, because he drinks too." In spite of all this, the young man was still having good thoughts. Finally, I told him: "I will wait for him a little longer, what do you want me to tell him?" "I have a letter to give him," he said, "but I will wait so I can receive his blessing." You see? No matter what negative things I related, he took them all with a good thought. When I told him about the need for cigarettes, his eyes began to well up with tears. "Who knows," he thought, "he must have gone to help someone." Other people are well-educated and read a great deal, but they still don't have the good thoughts of that young student! You demolish his thought, and he immediately creates a better thought and draws an even better conclusion. I marvelled at him! It was the first time I saw such a thing!

From Spiritual Counsels III: Spiritual Struggle, pp. 29-31.

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The Miraculous Discovery of the Relics of St. Teodosie of Brazi

Holy Hieromartyr Teodosie of Brazi was born in the first half of the seventeenth century, somewhere near Brazi Monastery. His parents were descendents of free peasants since the time of Saint Stephen the Great. They took him to the divine services celebrated there. At the age of 18, he entered as a novice in this monastery, but he became a monk in Bogdana Monastery. Being a pious and quite intelligent monk, and knowing the Holy Bible and some of the writings of the Holy Fathers of the Church, he was ordained, in 1669, Bishop of Radauti. He often went to Putna Monastery to St. Stephen’s tomb, where a permanent candle was lit.

În 1671 he was sent to shepard the Roman Diocese, where he remained until 1674, when he was elected as Metropolitan of Moldavia (Metropolitan Dosoftei had left the country for Poland, as a refugee), as a recognition of his pastoral activity and his high spirituality. The historian Ion Neculce (1672–1745) wrote in The Chronicles of the Land of Moldavia that the ruler of Moldavia, Dumitrascu Voda Cantacuzino, was one of the worst personalities in our history. He brought the Tatars in Moldavia to maintain the throne, paying a huge sum of money, which he collected from the poor people and from the income of the monasteries. The Metropolitan Teodosie went to the ruler and said: “What is this, your highness? Are you the Antichrist?” Dumitraşcu got angry and sent him to seclusion at Saint Sava Monastery in Iasi. Coming back from Poland, Metropolitan Dosoftei let him free, and Metropolitan Teodosie retired to Brazi Monastery, which he loved very much from his youth.. There he built a beautiful church dedicated to Saint George (sfântului Gheorghe). He took care of Bogdana Monastery too. He gave to these monasteries lands, vineyards, orchards, forests and mills.

The historian Ion Neculce also wrote that the Tatars came, at this time, like locusts and robbed the Moldavians, taking away all their fortunes. În 1694 a band of Tatars entered the Monastery of Brazi and tortured Metopolitan Teodosie to give them the money and the ecclesiastical objects and, as he refused, they killed him, cutting off his head. It was after the Feast of the Holy Cross.

The monks and Christians nearby the monastery buried him in the Church of Saint George, built by him. This church fell into ruins because of the frequent earthquakes of Vrancea County. But the abbot of Brazi Monastery discovered by a miracle the remains of Metropolitan Teodosie and buried them again in a cave, where the first hermits of Brazi Monastery, Teofilact and Sava, lived.

So during a period of the turbulent history of Moldavia the holy relics of Metropolitan Teodosie were discovered in a miraculous manner, they were then lost, then were rediscovered again in our days.

The first discovery of the relics occurred, as we said, in 1842, as witnessed by St. Antipa of Calapodesti, who was a novice at the time. This is what he tells us of the discovery:

"Before Archimandrite Demetrios became abbot of the Monastery of Brazi he lived a hard ascetic life in a large forest, where in a miraculous manner he found buried a container with gold coins. In the container he also found a note which said that this money belongs to Teodosie, who hid this foreseeing his martyric end at the hands of the Tatars. It further said that whoever finds them is obligated to build a monastery and three sketes, and when the third skete is finished his relics will be found.

He informed Metropolitan Demetrios of Iasi of this miraculous event and received the blessing to fulfill the last wish of the blessed Metropolitan. He built a large church, and having completed the third skete he decided to have dug in the garden a pit to prepare his own grave. But because the pit he ordered to be dug was destroyed, he decided to be present when they dug it. While digging they found the coffin with the holy relics. I was found worthy to see them with my own eyes and to venerate them, though they exuded an exquisite fragrance."

On 6 May 1842 the relics of the Saint were buried in the basement of the chapel. The skull of the Saint was kept in the Holy Altar of the monastery until its closure by the communists. Locals recalled that on the east side they would see at night a blue light and they all thought that something valuable was hidden there.

After 1989 when the skete was reopened, while digging in the basement of the chapel on 30 March 2000, the relics of the Holy Hieromartyr Teodosie were rediscovered. He was declared a saint by the Romanian Orthodox Church in October of 2003 and his feast is celebrated on September 22.

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Saint Boukolos Church In Izmir (Smyrna) To Become Museum

October 5, 2011
Anatolian News Agency

The historic Greek Orthodox Church Ayavukla (Saint Boukolos) in the western province of İzmir (Smyrna) has been under restoration for some time. A press museum will be constructed in an outbuilding when the restoration is complete.

The press museum is said to be the third biggest in Turkey after the press museums in Istanbul and Bursa. Additional outbuildings may be assigned various uses as the restoration continues.

A press museum will be housed in a restored outbuilding located in the western part of the garden of the Ayavukla Church, which is undergoing restorations under the direction of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality.

The restoration work is one of many projects continuing in an area of 270 hectares between Kadifekale and Konak Square, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality officials told Anatolia news agency. The figure of Christ, which was painted over, as well as frescoes depicting St. John and angels Michael and Gabriel, were restored, and the building is now in a condition that will allow it to host social and cultural events organized by the municipality.

The press museum is said to be the third biggest in Turkey after the press museums in Istanbul and Bursa. Additional outbuildings may be assigned various uses as the restoration continues.

İzmir Journalists Association Executive Board Chairman Atilla Sertel said they had talks with Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay and added that they would receive support from the ministry after signing the long-term reservation protocol.

“Minister Günay promised us to give support for necessary regulations,” Sertel said. “There will be private objects of some journalists in the museum such as copies of the first newspapers, cameras used in the past, typewriters, telexes and printing machines. Information about the members of the İzmir Journalists Association from the past will be shown in an electronic environment in the museum. It will be a very different museum.”

Restoration work

The Greek Orthodox Ayavukla Church was built in the second half of the 19th century in the Basmane area. It was the only Greek Orthodox church to survive the fire of 1922, a major event in İzmir’s history.

The building served as the Asar-I Atika Museum under orders from Turkish republican founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1924. The museum was later relocated and the building was abandoned. It was registered as a “cultural item under preservation” and allocated to the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality by General Directorate of National Estate.

Modern methods are being applied during the restoration of the historic church. The walls and columns were painted one by one by restorers. The relief, restitution and restoration projects were coordinated by the İzmir Institute of Technology Architecture Department.

More photos of this church can be seen here.

More about St. Boukolos can be read here.

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On "Science" and "Anti-Science" in the Media

Eugenics and the Firewall: Book Review

Is science always a good thing? Anti-science always a bad one? A walk into a century ago might shed some light.

Denyse O’Leary
October 4, 2011
Mercatornet

The pop science media today strenuously market the idea that “science” is threatened by “anti-science.”

But “science” has a restricted meaning in the view of many journalists. It means, for example, the truth of human-caused global warming, the necessity of human embryonic stem cell research, and the view that human mind is indistinguishable from the chimpanzee mind. “Anti-science” means, by contrast, doubt about human influence on global warming compared with the Sun’s cycles, confidence that adult stem cells (especially the patient’s own cells) work well, and doubt that chimpanzees really think like people.

Something is obviously wrong with the pop picture. For one thing, real sciences don’t work that way. In real science, reasoned doubt is always legitimate. Even in mathematics. Yes, even in mathematics. Recently a mathematician offered evidence that the natural numbers were inconsistent. He turned out to be mistaken, but no one blamed him for wondering. Physics has been convulsed recently as well, by neutrinos that apparently move faster than light, which is generally held to be impossible. That may turn out to be a mistake too, but reporting the data was okay. Because, contrary to the pop science media, real science happens when evidence matters.

To see how that works, let’s take a quick walk by one popular science certainty from a century ago. In the early 1900s, when Einstein and Bohr were reshaping physics, their work wasn’t considered nearly as important as this incontrovertible truth: The wrong people were having all the children.

And what was the evidence? Mostly, beliefs about human evolution accompanied by anecdotes about bad immigrant or underclass families. Before Hollywood was in full swing, there weren’t many anecdotes of bad wealthy celebrity families to balance the picture. And bad upper class families found it easier then than now to just squash bad publicity. So all other families were sitting ducks for focused intervention.

As Jane Harris Zsovan, author of Eugenics and the Firewall, explains,

"Eugenics was widely accepted by the business, academic, medical and political establishment. Preachers – in evangelical and mainline churches – even preached it from the pulpit."

So much so that Helen Keller and Clarence Darrow, who are remembered today for very different things, sprang to the defense of a prominent Chicago surgeon who

"electrified the nation by allowing the deaths of at least six infants he diagnosed as 'defectives'. He displayed the dying infants to journalists, wrote about them for the Hearst newspapers, and starred in a feature film about his crusade."

Yes, the entertainment industry got right into the act. The synopsis of the popular silent eugenics film, The Black Stork (1917), gives some sense of this:

"A young man and woman are considering marriage; eugenicist Harry J. Haiselden warns that they are ill-matched and will produce defective offspring. He is right; their baby is born defective, dies quickly and floats into heaven."

Scientific American did its bit. In 1911, it editorialized about “The Science of Breeding Better Men”:

"The proper attitude to be taken toward the perpetuation of poor types is that which has been attributed to [Thomas] Huxley. 'We are sorry for you,' he is reported to have said; 'we will do our best for you (and in so doing we elevate ourselves, since mercy blesses him that gives and him that takes), but we deny you the right to parentage. You may live, but you must not propagate.'"

The only really big institution that did not endorse eugenics was the Roman Catholic Church, and that fact was widely cited as incontrovertible evidence of the Church’s “anti-science” backwardness.

So what happened in the end? Across North America, tens of thousands of people -- disproportionately those held in low esteem anyway, were forcibly sterilized under newly passed laws. In Harris Zsovan’s Canadian province of Alberta, district nurses would order sterilization for women who had given birth out of wedlock, and had then made an adoption arrangement. Presumably, the fact that they wanted a better life for their babies more than they wanted the emotional comfort they might provide demonstrated that they were unfit parents. Many people slated for sterilization by courts, social workers, or bureaucrats were not even told that, during a routine operation, they had also been sterilized. Often, they found out the truth late in life, all hope of adoption past.

And what was the outcome of this huge outbreak of “science”? Apart from shame and disgrace, huge reparations costs. Scientific American’s current editors now say, for example,

"Although our editors of a century ago pondered some lofty aspirations for the orderly future of humans, it was only three decades later that the brutal reality of a Nazi social order suffused with a eugenicist ideal brought home the practical shortcomings of the philosophy."

Perhaps the take-home point here is that “science” as understood in pop media is not necessarily a good thing, and “anti-science” is not necessarily a bad one. We are all answerable to a higher order than current popular conceptions of science.

Denyse O'Leary is co-author of The Spiritual Brain.

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50 Portions of Food A Day Distributed by St. Photini Church in Ilissos

George Ferdis
October 4, 2011
Romfea.gr

During these difficult times that Greece is going through at the moment, there are a lot of people who have turned anxiously to the Church seeking help.

The Church, as the mother of all believers who always helped in difficult moments continues the practice, and helps even during a crisis.

Today the work of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens is remarkable.

When unfortunately everyday people, even Greek citizens, take refuge by the multitude at soup kitchens, the Church is there to support them.

The clergy in the parishes, faithful soldiers in the service of man, help in any way to alleviate the suffering of believers by doing important philanthropic work.

They come many times to these to contribute, and even some believers from those who can and want to assist in such an important operation.

One example is the parish of Saint Photini in Ilissos and the head priest Archimandrite Maximos Kappas, who in an effort to provide social work began a loving plan in cooperation with the owner of the Hotel ROYAL OLYMPIC, Mr. I. Papadimitriou, in downtown Athens.

The result is that from July 21, 2011 they have distributed to families in the parish of St. Photini 50 daily servings of food prepared by the kitchen of a luxury hotel.

The distribution is done by the parish council every day to those families in need.

We hope there will be other such offerings, which will enable the contribution of the Church and strengthen the work of its parishes.


Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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A Theologian Is One Who Converses With God

"My good children, a theologian is one who converses with God and not one who studies theology."

- Elder Ephraim of Katounakia

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When We Cross the Threshold of a Church

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Be Angry And Sin Not

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"Be angry and sin not" (Psalm 4:4).

Be angry with yourself, brethren, and sin no more. Be angry at your sins of thoughts and deeds, and sin no more. Be angry with Satan the father of lies (John 8:44), and no longer do his will. Be angry at sin in the world and the trampling of God's holy Church by godless men, but beware that you do not cure sin by sin. Be angry with your friends when they sin; but be angry with the intention to correct them, and not to embitter them even more. The anger of a friend toward a friend, and the anger of parents toward their children - and of God toward men - is not a storm that uproots the tree but a wind that strengthens the tree, and rids it of rotten fruit so that the healthy fruit will increase in number and beauty. But let your anger have measure, so that it may be healing and not poisonous. In order to have this kind of control, keep God before you in your anger. There is no stronger containment for anger than God. All anger that is not in the name of God and God's righteousness is a sin. Do not become angry for the sake of idleness, but become angry for that at which God is angered. If your will is firmly set in God's law, you will always know when it is necessary to be angry, and how much is needed. This cannot be expressed entirely in words, nor can it even be explained to the uneducated. Anger, in its place, acts as mercy does in its place.

O my brethren, do you see how various powers are placed in our souls, and man, by his free will, can utilize them for life or death? Anger toward oneself can never be recommended enough. Here is a wonderful example: the more a man learns to be angry with himself, the less he is angry with others. Carried away with anger at his own weaknesses, he either does not see the weaknesses of others, or when he does see them, he judges them kindly.

O Lord God, Thou only righteous One, implant in us the remembrance of the Day of Thy righteous anger, so that we may protect ourselves from spiritual sin. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.

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The Passport To Paradise

"For anyone to enter sweet Paradise they must eat many bitter things here, in order to have the passport of trials in their hands."

- Elder Paisios the Athonite

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On Preserving Peace Within Our Soul

By St. Silouan the Athonite

It is impossible for us to preserve peace of soul if we do not guard our mind. If someone wishes to have peace of soul, he must be abstemious, because peace is also expelled on account of our body. You must not be curious; avoid reading newspapers and worldly books, which desolate the soul and bring about listlessness and disturbance. Do not judge others, because it is often the case that people condemn a person without knowing him, while he is similar to the Angels in mind. Do not desire to know other people’s affairs, but only your own. Take care only to entrust yourself in the Elders, and then, on account of your obedience, the Lord will help you by His Grace.

The Grace of God in the coenobium primarily withdraws because we have not learned to love our brother according to the Lord’s commandment. If a brother affronts you, and at that moment you accept thoughts of anger and hatred against him, then you will feel that Grace has left you and your peace has been lost. For the sake of peace of soul, the soul should learn to love the person that has affronted it, and to pray immediately for him. It is not possible for the soul to have peace, if it does not ask the Lord with all its strength for the gift of loving all people. The Lord said: “Love your enemies,” and if we do not love our enemies, we will not have peace in our souls.

It is necessary to acquire obedience, humility, and love, or else all of our great ascetic feats and vigils will prove to be in vain. A certain Elder saw this vision: A person was pouring water into a basin with a perforated bottom. The man went to great efforts, but the water continuously ran out, and the basin remained empty. In a like manner, we live ascetically, but neglecting a certain virtue, the soul remains empty.

Source: Archimandrite Sophrony, St. Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938), The Writings of St. Silouan, 6th edition (Essex: Monastery of the Venerable Forerunner, 1995), pp. 518-519.

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The Spiritual Life Is Something That Someone Else Gives To Us

By Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra

A basic condition for the spiritual life is that we should understand that, on our own, we can do absolutely nothing. No matter how hard we try, the spiritual life is something that someone else gives to us.

And the “someone else” is the Spirit of God, the Comforter, the “treasury of good things and the giver of life”, the treasury from which all the riches of spirituality come forth, the source from which the spiritual life emerges and overflows.

Of course, sometimes we get confused, and think that to be spiritual means to be a “good person”: not to steal, not to kill, not to go to bad places or with bad friends, to go to Church on Sunday, to read spiritual books, and so on. But no, this is not the spiritual life.

A spiritual person, a true Christian, is someone whose entire life is sworn to God.

Initially by means of his baptism, and later, in his heart, such a person swears an oath to God, to live for God, and to remain with God forever.

A spiritual person is an athlete who has burst into life, who stands out from the crowds of human beings, and runs with all the speed of his soul to heaven.

A spiritual person is one who with shining eyes and chest thrust forward, has set his course and races to heaven. He is not a “good man”.

A spiritual person knows that, in order to succeed, he needs strong wings: the wings of the Holy Spirit.

A spiritual person must therefore do everything possible to attract, to win over, the Spirit of God, because only the Holy Spirit, God himself, has the gifts of the spiritual life. According to St Gregory of Nyssa, the “distribution of the royal gifts” of the Holy Spirit takes place in the Church through the Sacraments.

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Video: Fr. Pavlos of Sinai Lecture at Holy Cross School of Theology

Fr. Pavlos is a monk from St. Katherine's Monastery in Sinai. He visited the United States recently and visited many cities and churches and spread the message of our Lord's selfless love. In this video he gives his message at Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts.

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Synaxis of All Saints of Cyprus

Cyprus is known as the "Island of Saints". From apostolic times till our present day we know of 240 Saints from Cyprus. Many many more are unknown to us. There are also many which are only known to the Cypriot people but are not annually commemorated. For this reason, on the first Sunday of October is commemorated all the Saints of the island of Cyprus, both known and unknown. In fact, Archbishop Makarios III counted 369 Saints of Cyprus up until St. Philoumenos who was martyred in 1979.

A list of the 240 Saints of Cyprus can be read at the following blog dedicated to the Saints and Shrines of Cyprus, here.

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A Soul-Profiting Story From St. John Chrysostom

By St. John Chrysostom

A certain monk, after much perspiration shed in asceticism while dwelling in the desert with only one fellow-ascetic and living an Angelic life, in his approaching old age, I know not how, but by some Satanic occurrence and slothfulness of soul, allowed a small opening to the Evil One and fell into the desire to have relations with a woman—he who had never seen a woman since devoting himself to the monastic life.

At first, he demanded that his companion give him meat and wine, threatening to go down to the market-place should he not receive them. He said these things, not because he desired to eat meat, but rather because he wished to find some occasion and pretext to go down to the city. Perplexed, his companion satisfied his desire by giving him what he asked, fearing lest a refusal drive him to a greater evil.

When, however, the Elder saw that his ploy had failed, he then openly demonstrated his shamelessness and revealed his sham, saying that he must without fail go down to the city. Since the other could not restrain him, he finally let him go, following him from a distance and observing the reason for which he was going down to the city.

Seeing him going into a house of ill repute and understanding that he had entered into relations with a prostitute, he waited outside. And when the Elder had gratified his improper desire and exited the place, his fellow-ascetic greeted him with open arms, throwing himself on his neck. Having warmly embraced him, without condemning him in any way for what he had done, he only besought him, now that he had fully gratified his desire, to return to his hermitage.

Ashamed by the great clemency of his brother, the Elder was wounded to the heart and, brought to contrition over his reckless act, followed him back to the mountain. When they arrived, he asked his brother to enclose him in a small cell and, when the doors had been shut, to give him bread and water at daily intervals. He also begged him to tell whoever sought him that he had died.

When he had told his companion these things and persuaded him to lock him in, he remained there permanently, with fasting, prayer, and tears cleansing his soul of the stain of his sin.

A short while later, when the neighboring country was being scourged by drought and all of its inhabitants were grieving, someone was exhorted in a dream to go beseech the recluse to pray and bring an end to the drought.

When this man arrived at that place, however, accompanied by others, he found only the recluse’s companion. Upon questioning him, they learned that the recluse had died.

Perceiving that they had been deceived, they began again to pray; and, by the same dream, they heard the same thing as before. And then, encircling the one who had, indeed, misled them, they begged him to reveal the man to him; for they firmly insisted that he had not died, but was alive. Hearing these things, and seeing that the secret had been revealed, he led them to the holy man.

After demolishing the wall—for he had blocked up this entrance as well—and all had entered, they fell at the Elder’s feet; and, recounting the events to him, they begged him to help them in the face of the famine.

He, however, at first resisted, claiming that he had no such boldness before God, since his sin was always in his mind’s eye as vividly as when he had committed it.
When they had told him everything that had come to pass, he was persuaded; and, after he prayed, he brought the drought to an end.

From "To Theodore After His Fall", Patrologia Græca, Vol . XLVII, col s. 304-305.

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Whatever Is Born of God Overcomes the World

By Archpriest Valentin Sventsitsky (+1931).

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, says the Holy Apostle John. When we think about it, these are powerful words indeed. They are not easy for us to digest for we hardly resemble victors over our lives! Look at the state of the Church today! There are many sins on the consciences of pastors; the faith is poorly presented; how to pray or even how to live our lives are poorly taught.

Today more than ever we feel our lack of spiritual education in Church life (Tserkovnost). Today there is an even greater attack by the enemy of our salvation. And how can someone who is unprepared not lose hope, for he has to make spiritual decisions for himself, based on his own conscience.

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world". These words, in the first instance, pertain to the inner disposition of a person. A person must at the outset conquer the world. He must overcome those secular influences that have penetrated his soul and which he constantly encounters as he pursues the spiritual life. He must overcome within himself those things that are foreign and harmful to his inner spiritual disposition. He has to conquer the secular within.

What can he rely on in this struggle? He cannot rely on his own strength. He cannot rely on his own will since it is inclined to the pleasures of this life. He has to turn to the Church.

The Church is the only place that remains free from the principles of secular society. But it is not only in his inner life that someone should overcome the world. He should be vic­torious in everything; in all the conditions and circumstances that surround him. He needs to maintain literally every step on his spiritual path which leads to perfection. In this respect the secular world does not provide a single step in this direc­tion. On the contrary, it obstructs him.

Mockery of Christ, disbelief and a thirst for secular power — all these impede the path to salvation. But nevertheless, the believer must overcome the world. He must not concede to the enemy of our salvation. He must have a firm resolve. And furthermore he must accept the consequences, which are unavoidable when one makes the true decision to lead a spiritual life.

Not peace, but a sword. The Lord brought division. Not division between believers but between the world of believ­ers and that of non-believers. And we feel this division, this strife, as we journey along the spiritual path of life. We feel it everywhere. We must, however, unremittingly overcome obstacles and emerge as victors!

If this applies to our personal lives, it equally applies to the life of the Church. Here we have the repository of grace, the very source of a higher existence, which is able to overcome the world.

The victory of the Church over the world is conclusive to the degree that the Church is indeed the Church and never conforms or adapts to secular life. The Church lives according to different laws. It sees other goals before it; it has in its life another source. It contains the source of grace of the life-giving power of God and does not need to adapt to the whims of the world. It proceeds victoriously to a higher goal.

For the Church to be victorious over the world means for it to journey along its own path, neither at any time or any place adapting to this world. This is how we understand the victory which is spoken of by the Apostle John.

In these times each one of us should consciously be immersed in Church life. This should be the measure of what we do and what we are. We should be 'church-minded' and 'church-ac­tive'. Only by following such a firm resolve to lead a 'churched' life and hoping in God can we avoid being driven from the true path of the Church in these godless days.

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Elder Porphyrios On St. Romanos the Melodist

"Romanos was entirely within the grace of Christ and whatever he wrote was perfect." - Elder Porphyrios

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The Relics of Saint Gregory the Illuminator of Armenia

On July 9th, the Armenian Church (Monophysites and Uniates) commemorates one of the three feast days dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator: the discovery of his relics. His principle feast by all Christians is celebrated on September 30th.

St. Gregory is considered to be the “Apostle of Armenia.” After years of evangelizing, St. Gregory sought solitude and an ascetic life. He chose a cave on Mount Sebouh as his dwelling place. It was here that Gregory died alone around 328 AD, some say after seven years of solitude. Shepherds found his body and without realizing who he was buried him under a pile of stones. Later a hermit, Garnik of Basen, who had been a disciple of St. Gregory, saw a vision and went to Mount Sebouh where he found the site of Gregory’s burial. He took the remains to the village of Thortan for burial, where King Drtad was buried. The discovery by Garnik is placed in the reign of Emperor Zeno (474-491), though this is contested by some scholars.


Moses of Khoren writes of the discovery:

"[Saint Gregory's relics] were hidden for many years by divine providence you might say, like Moses of old [cf. Deut. 34:6], lest they become the object of a cult to the halfconverted barbarian nations. But when the faith had become firmly established in these regions, after a long time Saint Gregory's relics were revealed to a certain ascetic called Garnik, who took them and buried them in the village of T'ordan."

A monastery was built near St. Gregory's grave. His relics were afterwards taken to Constantinople, but apparently brought back again to Armenia. Part of these relics are said to have been taken to Naples during the Iconoclast persecution.


The greatest relic of the Armenian Church is the Right Hand of St. Gregory the Illuminator. The relic is housed in a gold artwork depicting the sufferings of the saint. Relics from the right hand of St. Gregory are at the Holy Mother See of Etchmiadzin and the Holy See of Cilicia. It is brought out once every seven years by the Catholicos for the Blessing of the Holy Chrism (Muronorhnek), the anointing oil that Armenian Churches around the world use for the rites of baptism and other consecrations. The Armenian Church remembers the discovery of the relics of St. Gregory on July 9th (the videos below are from this feast).

For more on the right hand of St. Gregory and his relics, read here.





Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan is the symbol of the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as a State Religion in Armenia and house for relics of Saint Gregory the Illuminator (Surp Grigor). The Holy Remains of St. Gregory were brought from Naples, Italy. Shortly after the consecration of the Cathedral Pope John Paul II paid a visit to the Cathedral. The Skull of St. Gregory remains in Naples.

For more on this Cathedral, read here.


For a bibliography on the relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator, see footnote here.

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Persecution Sees 100,000 Christians Flee Egypt

Katherine Weber
September 29, 2011
Christian Post

Increased tension between Islam and Christianity has resulted in the emigration of 100,000 Christians from Egypt since March 2011, which commentators are saying will detrimentally affect Egypt’s demographic diversity and economic stability.

The report documenting the emigration, compiled by the Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organizations, contends that the main vein of conflict is between the Egyptian’s Muslim sect, the Salafists, and Egypt’s Christian sect, the Copts.

Christians are also fleeing other areas of the Middle East, including Iraq and Palestine. Lebanon’s Christian population has fallen from 75 percent to 32 percent.

Critics argue that such immense emigration is in large due to the Arab Spring uprisings beginning in December 2010. These protests gave the predominately Islamic nations a confidence boost.

Islam and Christianity have always had a frictional relationship. Politicos contend that because the Islamic world achieved so much political sway in the uprising, they now have more confidence to drive out a religion that they consider a foreign invader in a predominately Muslim land.

Also, many Salafists who were active in the uprising are now holding powerful political office.

According to director of the EUHRO, Naguib Gabriel, the Copts are not leaving voluntarily, but are rather being forced out by Salafist aggressive tactics.

In the report sent to the Egyptian Cabinet and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the EUHRO contended that, “Copts constitute a strong pillar in the economy. Copts who are leaving their homeland are not prompted by their need for work, as they are from the professional and business class, but from fear of the hard line Salafists."

Another force driving Christians out of these Middle Eastern countries is fear instilled by the Salafistas. According to the EUHRO press release, there have been multiple attacks since the January Spring which have contributed greatly to the emigration.

Recent attacks include the killing of nine Christians in the Mokatam Hills in early September, a Coptic church bombing in Alexandria on New Year’s Day, and cutting off the ear of an older Copt in Qena.

Copts have spoken out against the unfair, violent treatment. In May, Copts gathered in Martin Place, shouting “enough is enough,” to rebel the violence.

Many Copts attribute the removal of President Hosni Mubarak as the reason Christian intolerance has escalated.

The predominant area of new settlement is the United States, where the majority of Americans are Christian and the president himself is a Christian. California alone has seen 160,000 Copts settle there since March.

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Serbia Bans Gay Pride Parade

September 30, 2011
Hispanic Business

Serbia on Friday banned a gay pride parade planned to take place in central Belgrade on Sunday, saying that security in the capital had been jeopardized, state television station RTS reported.

The decision was made by the national security agency in an emergency meeting, amid concerns that extremist groups could spread violence across broad swaths of the capital.

TV B92 quoted security sources as saying that extremist groups had planned to attack foreign businesses and diplomatic offices.

It would have been the second such parade to take place in Belgrade. In 2010 the parade was marred by violence, while in 2009 it was scrapped amid an oppressive atmosphere similar to the present.

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) had earlier on Friday called on authorities to ban the parade, branding it a "shame parade" and linking it to violence in Kosovo.

"Our city and our public have been shaken by the question over ... the so-called 'pride parade'," SPC Patriarch Irinej said. "With full justification I call this plague a 'shame parade' that smears human dignity and tramples the shrines of life and family."

"The planned parade in Belgrade, it is our impression, aims to overshadow and hide the plight of the Serbian people in Kosovo," Irinej continued in a statement published on the SPC website.

The organizers of the parade had come under pressure after threats of violence from extremist groups as well as a lack of support from authorities.

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic on Friday said earlier Friday that police would ban the parade if the organizers themselves did not abandon it.

He and Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas had urged the organizers to cancel the parade because of the likely violence.

Before the ban was announced on Friday one of the parade's organizers, Goran Miletic, said the calls from officials to cancel the event shocked him because they were giving equal credibility to the attackers and their target.

A year ago, thousands of extremists clashed for hours with police securing the gays and their supporters. This year, extremist organizations had scheduled anti-gay rallies throughout the weekend, raising tensions and the prospect of violence.

According to local newspapers, police had planned to deploy more than 5,000 uniformed and plainclothes officers and riot police on Sunday.

"Whom will police shield and protect?" the SPC patriarch asked. "A minority group ... that wants to impose its fundamentally unnatural view upon the massive majority."

At the same time he urged those planning to "oppose the parade" to do so without violence. "You cannot defeat evil with evil, but with good," he said.

Politicians from President Boris Tadic's pro-European camp have been reluctant to support gay rights -- not a vote winner in traditionalist Serbia -- particularly since the European Union told Belgrade to stop meddling in Kosovo and Serbs clashed with NATO this week in their enclave in the former province.

Politicians have toned down their pro-European rhetoric as their hope for the recognition of Serbia as a EU membership candidate and the date for the start of accession talks continued to fade.

At the same, time, nationalist and conservative rhetoric, including anti-gay rhetoric has been on the rise.

The government itself "never considered this question, nor the question of those who want to protest," Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said Thursday, referring to the parade and the protests against it.

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Elder Adrian Fageteanu Has Reposed (+ 09/27/2011)

Father Adrian Fageteanu (known as Alexander in the world) was born on 16 November 1912 in the community of Deleni in Czernowitz. His father Michael was a priest. Alexander however followed another path. When he finished high school in 1931 he enrolled at the University of Czernowitz where he graduated with success, being actively involved in the political and social turmoils of the day. Upon completion of his studies he worked at the Interior Ministry until 1941, and for two years was director of national insurance. He was criticized by dictator Antonescu for "suspected rebellious activity" and was imprisoned. In June of 1941 Antonescu freed political prisoners on condition that they would fight in the front lines of the army. Alexander chose to fight and was seriously injured in Stalingrad. Having nearly escaped death, he returned to the path of faith and after his release he enrolled in the Theological School of Czernowitz and was tonsured a monk at Putna Monastery. From the summer of 1945 until the summer of 1946 he was imprisoned for his activities as a former officer of Interior Ministry.


In 1947 Fr. Adrian was in Bucharest where he attended the famous meeting of "The Burning Bush" (a spiritual movement which involved the elite of the theological intelligentsia, most of whom were hideously tortured and died in communist prisons). There he met the later martyr Sandu Tudor (later known as Fr. Daniil) who had a major influence on him. From 1952 to 1964 he passed through the harshest communist prisons.

After his release Fr. Adrian was received in Lainici Monastery by the great spiritual father Kalinik Karavan, though for years he was a monk at Antim Monastery in Bucharest. In 2003, at 91 years of age, he decided to live as an ascetic at Locurele Skete near Lainici Monastery, where he lived until 2011.

Elder Adrian Fageteanu reposed on September 27th of 2011 in a hospital in Bucharest. On November 16th he would have been 99 years old.

Read also: π.Αντριάν Φαγκατσεάνου-Ο γέροντας με τις επτά ζωές!

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