Waging war against the flesh Since the eyes and the ears are the doors of the soul, an Orthodox Christian must not leave the body without attention. Unlike the religion of Gnosticism, which teaches the separation of soul and body, with the physical world being evil and something to be
Wednesday January 28, 2015 / January 15, 2015 34th Week after Pentecost. Tone eight. Fast. Fish Allowed St. Paul of Thebes, Egypt (341), and St. John Calabytes (“Hut-dweller”) of Constantinople, monks (450). New Hieromartyr Michael, priest (1942). New Hieromartyr Benjamin, bishop of Romanov (1930). Monk-martyr Pansophius of Alexandria (249-251). St.
Good deeds and vainglory If the performance of good deeds are done in order to attain personal benefit for oneself, or to receive the praise of others, it falls under the sin of avarice, vanity, and greed. Anyone who performs good deeds for such purposes is guilty of sinful pride,
The saints serve as our guides in serving the poor Our Orthodox Church is very clear in her teaching regarding the poor. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us by His example as the great philanthropos, and we can do nothing less than follow His example. Christ commanded us to love
Putting aside all hypocrisy and living for Christ How easy it is to worship with all piety and correctness while standing in a service within an Orthodox temple, yet make no effort to live Orthodoxy during the rest of our week. If we are abusive towards our spouse, abrasive with
The saints are alive in Christ Jesus Vigil lights are placed before the icons of the saints, according to Saint Symeon the New Theologian, as a way of showing that without the Light, Who is Christ, the saints are nothing. It is only as the light of Christ shines on
Let us be an Angel Unaware There is not one of us who does not meet someone in a given week who is not in need of encouragement, love, and mercy. There is the mother whose children are going to bed hungry for lack of food money. The elderly neighbor
Properly preparing for the reception of the Holy Mysteries Anyone who desires to receive the Holy Mysteries in the Russian Orthodox Church must prepare themselves with confession, the Precommunion Prayers, and have abstained from all food or drink from midnight on. In fact, most of the world’s Local Orthodox Churches
Let us not shroud the Light of Christ in darkness The importance of presenting the gospel message in a loving, inviting way, and the Church as a hospital of the soul where everyone can be made whole, must not be minimized. When we make our Orthodox faith the focus of
Important for both confessor and penitent The Seal of Confession is a hard and fast rule throughout the history of the Orthodox Church. Since the priest, in Orthodox theology, is but a witness to the confession, since the confession is given to Christ Himself, confidentiality is an absolute must. The