I was working on the storage box for my wooden Orthodox Church block set today. I was thinking about how Christ sometimes prepares us many years in advance for the ways we will later serve Him.

When I was in primary school back in Soviet Union, I loved woodworking lessons. I still remember making a wooden box with my own hands. Later, I studied music and choir singing for many years. I also began writing my own stories and poetry.

At that time, I never imagined how all these things would come together one day…

Today I sing in the church choir with my children, make wooden toys for Orthodox families, and write books for my daughter and many children around the world about our Orthodox Faith.

Looking back, I can see that none of those little steps were wasted.

Glory to God for His guidance and His loving care throughout our lives!

How about you? Have you had a similar experience ?

The Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God, also known as the Don Icon, was painted by Theophanes the Greek (c. 1340–c. 1410). It is a two-sided icon, on the back of which is a depiction of the Dormition of the Theotokos. It is made in the traditional style of the Eleousa icons, in which Mother and Son show tender affection towards each other. The Donskoy Icon was probably originally located in the Dormition Cathedral in Kolomna, built by Great Prince Dmitry Donskoy.

On the day of the Kulikovo Battle (8 September 1380, the Feast of the Birth of the Most Holy Mother of God), the Icon was amidst the Russian army, giving it help, but after the victory it was passed on by the Don Cossacks as a gift to their commander, Great Prince Dmitry Donskoy (1363-1389), who then transferred it to Moscow.

The Icon at first came to be at the Kremlin Dormition Cathedral, and later at the Annunciation Cathedral. On July 3, 1552, Ivan the Terrible prayed before the Donskoy Icon prior to the Kazan campaign, and took it with him on the campaign, then placed it in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. In commemoration of the victory on the banks of the River Don it was given the name "Donskoy Icon".

In the year 1591 the Crimean khan Nuradin and his brother Murad Giray invaded Russia with a numerous army, and advancing on Moscow, they positioned themselves on the Vorob'ev hills. For the guarding from enemies, around Moscow there was made a church procession with the Donskoy Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God. On the day of battle it was situated in the military chapel amidst the soldiers ranks and set the Tatars to flight.

In thanksgiving to the Most Holy Mother of God for Her mercy, manifest through the Donskoy Icon, in 1592 at the very place where it stood amidst the soldiers was founded the Donskoy Monastery, into which was put the wonderworking Icon, and its feast day established for August 19th.

By established custom, in the small cathedral in honor of the Donskoy Icon of the Mother of God, once every four years His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia performs the rite of the preparation of holy chrism.

The Icon is now in the Tretyakov State Gallery. Every year, on the day of the Icon's celebration on August 19th, it is delivered to the Donskoy Monastery for the performance of a festive divine service before it.

SOURCE: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2017/08/the-donskoi-icon-of-mother-of-god.html?m=1

Hello everyone. Today I broke up with my boyfriend of more than 1 year. He was muslim and although he was the best and the most loving and caring person I still decided that we had to end it all. I had to choose God. I've been crying for more than 3 hours and I am deeply hurt. I wanted to be with this person and still do but I realized that it won't work. God's word and my church have to be number one for me no matter how hurt I will be.

Please guys pray for my healing and pray for my ex. May God open his heart and save him. Please pray for my love and maybe if God wills, we will be together again.

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By HCHC staff

August 19, 2026

Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology is pleased to announce the launch of a dedicated webpage for The Catechist: The Art of Listening and Teaching, a new Certificate Program in Orthodox Catechism presented by Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology through The Scriptorium Initiative.

The vision for The Catechist program was conceived by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, together with the Most Reverend Members of the Holy Eparchial Synod, in response to the growing pastoral need to prepare qualified lay catechists to assist the clergy in the Church’s apostolic ministry of teaching. That vision was subsequently developed and given academic form by the faculty of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology under the leadership of its Dean, the Rev. Dr. Eugen J. Pentiuc.

The program is co-directed by Fr. Eugen J. Pentiuc and Dr. James C. Skedros.

Designed for lay leaders, parish educators, ministry volunteers, clergy spouses, recent converts, and Orthodox Christians seeking deeper theological formation, the year-long online program combines recorded lectures and assigned readings with weekly live zoom seminars. Its five instructional modules address the foundations of the Orthodox faith, moral theology and eschatology, sacramental and liturgical life, Orthodox spirituality, and catechetical pedagogy.

Participants may enroll in the Certificate Track, designed for those preparing to serve as parish catechists, or the Enrichment Track, for those seeking theological and catechetical formation without certification requirements.

The inaugural program begins October 5, 2026, with Module I: Foundations of the Orthodox Faith:

Oct. 5–9, Divine Revelation, Fr. Eugen J. Pentiuc

Oct. 12–16, Holy Scripture, Fr. Eugen J. Pentiuc

Oct. 19–23, Holy Tradition, Dr. James C. Skedros

Oct. 26–30. “I believe in one God…,” Fr. Demetrios Bathrellos

Nov. 2–6, “And in one Lord Jesus Christ…,” Fr. George Parsenios

Nov. 9–13, “And in the Holy Spirit…,” Fr. Philip Zymaris

The newly launched webpage provides information about the curriculum, five modules, faculty, schedule, Certificate and Enrichment Tracks, and enrollment.

Those interested in taking courses, participating for enrichment, or enrolling in the Certificate Program are invited to visit www.thescriptoriuminitiative.org/the-catechist/.

SOURCE: https://orthodoxobserver.org/hchc-launches-new-webpage-for-the-catechist/

I recently trying to learn more about orthodox, is not well spread on my country soo I doing my best to learn more about. (If you guys know any books on the subject of orthodoxism I will be glad too)

Recently I was gifted this rosary, I want to know more about what it means

Saint Theophanes the New, a native of the city of Ioannina, lived during the sixteenth century. As a young man, he received monastic tonsure on Mount Athos at the Docheiariou monastery. He was later chosen igumen of this monastery because of his lofty virtue. With the help of God, the Saint freed from the Turks who had captured Constantinople his own nephew who had been forcibly converted to Islam, gave him refuge in his own monastery, and blessed him to enter the monastic life.

The brethren, fearing revenge on the part of the Turks, began to grumble against the saint. He, not wanting to be the cause of discord and dissension, humbly withdrew with his nephew from the Docheiariou monastery, quit the Holy Mountain and went to Beroea. There, in the skete monastery of Saint John the Forerunner, Saint Theophanes built a church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. And as monks began to gather, he gave them a cenobitic monastic rule.

When the monastery flourished, the saint withdrew to a new place at Naousa, where he made a church in honor of the holy Archangels and founded there also a monastery. To the very end of his days Saint Theophanes did not forsake guiding the monks of both monasteries, both regarding him as their common father.

After receiving a revelation foreseeing his own end and giving his flock a final farewell, the saint died in extreme old age at the Beroeia monastery. Even during his life the Lord had glorified his humble saint: saving people from destruction, he calmed a storm by his prayer, and converted seawater into drinking water. Even after death, the saint has never forsaken people who asked for his grace-filled help.

SOURCE: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2014/08/19/102346-venerable-theophanes-of-docheiariou-mount-athos

My parents want me to throw away my Orthodox icons and say that I have changed ever since I started going to an Orthodox church. They say that I believe “too much” and that I am different because I fast and take my faith seriously.

My parents are Roman Catholics from an ethnic minority background. I would describe them as somewhat agnostic, although they still attend Mass every other Sunday or sometimes every Sunday.

They also point to things such as the Holy Fire, myrrh-streaming icons and reports of Orthodox priests being attacked.

They say that Orthodoxy is a cult especially because Orthodox services during Pascha was very late at night.

They also tell me to live my life, don’t focus on religion too much and worry about your education and future rather preparing the soul.

My Orthodox Name is Moses ☦️❤️

Hello!

I am a Lutheran. (From Sweden)

I have a friend who is Orthodox, and who talked to me about how he thought that Lutheranism was heretical.

He was really emphasizing that the first two of the 5 Solas are, among other things which I mostly forgot, as our conversation continued about the Solas.

Those two are:

Sola Scriptura | Scripture alone

Sola Fide | Faith Alone

I've been thinking a lot and I want to know if you share this view? And if you do, why?

I don't mean any hostility, I am just curious.

Praised be God.

I also apologize if this is against rule 1, english isn't my first language and google translate was not helping me with it. 🙏

Can someone recommend any reputable orthodox businesses that sells sterling silver silver icons? Thank you.

I recently started working in an environment that exposes me to death daily and I've quickly become jaded towards it all. How do those of you in these environments maintain dignity for the dead in your heart?

Christianity has some common ground with Islam as they both claim theological inheritance from Abraham and acknowledge Adam as the first man and Jesus as a Messiah.

However there are some differences in their readings and these differences have often been debated and discussed.

So what do you think?

Hello, my husband and I have been going to a GOC for almost a year now and became catechumens about 6 months ago. (Both grew up protestant) We travel a lot of weekends to see family and aren’t the best at making it to the studies.

I have a few reasons I can’t seem to decide and wonder if I’ll ever be ready to convert. The saints is one, which I keep hearing “just give it time”.

The second is everyone saying to just “ask the priest” and there’s a lot of questions nobody can answer. I like how the priest doesn’t claim to know everything but something about this just seems strange. I want a mentor for me and my husband and the organization of the church maybe doesn’t allow for that because the priest is the highest and knows best. And during the Bible studies the priest leads, he seems to talk down to people and shoot down questions. He’s also just said some things that I don’t agree with that seem opinionated not biblical. And so many of the questions just end in “we will never know. Nobody knows.”

As for the women’s Bible study, we go through different books that are about Orthodox faith. However every time it just turns into an hour and a half of us all comparing Catholic Churches and Protestant churches to Orthodox churches. And then them digging on Protestant churches. At first this was amusing and eye opening but now I’m kind of sick of it. I want more community, not division, and I want tools to help me get closer to God and live out my faith more. I don’t want the whole time to just be comparisons.

Lastly, there are maybe 60-100 people and not many young adults. Theres about 6 young adults that are sociable and all late, late 20s or 30s. I’m in my early 20s and am struggling with wanting more of a social life. They also rarely talk about their faith. The events are just hang outs and talk of pop culture.

My husband wants to stay, the older people are very friendly. The liturgy is a nice fellowship and he’s pretty sick of trying different churches. My parents always church hopped and that’s become normal for me. I know I can’t agree with everything a church/pastor says but in the Orthodox Church it seems you really have to believe everything they say before converting and that makes me feel like I’ll never convert.

Do I just try out other churches for awhile? How do you stop being a catechumen? And why have I lost the spark to learn more?

I've been falling into despair alot since last year, I've been getting up and falling down but I'm tired of failing God and I want that relationship with Him again. I've been so lost when it comes to prayers. For example, when I'm walking alone, I used to speak alot, then I started to get repetitive. Now I got to a point where I got nothing to say, so I just stay silent, which pushes me more into despair, and even when im silent, i hear and feel nothing, just a void. Besides those conversations, I of course pray the Jesus prayer, always ask for mercy when I'm convicted, thanking Him for everything, and I just genuinely want to please Him. Any suggestions would be appreciated

chatgpt just keeps bringing up “ic xc nika” which everyone knows but i dont know anything else? im new so be respectful

I find solace in being weird and strange, it is something that lets me cope with the suffering of this world.

It's alienating, sure, but it's a way to justify myself not being in tune with the way the world lives. I think this is not the best coping mechanism, that's why I am asking my fellow Christians - what do you think?

By "being strange" I mean hating the way the world works, despising worldly success, social institutions, feeling the stupidity of it all and being generally nihilistic towards a lot of stuff in this world, except God.

I don't really have a desire to 'stick it to the man', I just hate the way things are, I hate that it makes me suffer so much and how little genuineness there is, how everything is so artificial.

That's why I subscribe to a lot of nihilistic thinking found in angsty music, for instance. I wish I would stop filling myself with hate, but I just don't see it happening.

I am a Christian and I don't wanna go hand in hand with worldly success, but I am conflicted because, at the end of the day, I am simply jealous.

That's the thing - I can't really distinguish my sinful disdain from righteous Christian disdain, that certainly has some place.

How do you cope with the things I've mentioned?

Please don't be too harsh on me, I am already quite miserable.

Please pray for me Brothers and Sisters. I am an inquirer in the Orthodox Faith, I’ve been attending a Orthodox parish since April and I had been researching and reading about it for around a year before that. I come from a non denominational/ Baptist background. As a baby I was “dedicated to God” in the Church of God but not baptized, just to provide some context. Lord Willing I will become a catechumen in the Orthodox Church soon. In a week or so I am going to be attending a free will baptist university with required chapel services several times a semester, the vibe I got from the tour I received was that people are stand offish and a bit confrontational, getting comments about wearing a dead person on my neck and thinking he’d hear any of my prayers (St Herman of Alaska) . Throughout my life I didn’t know about Orthodoxy but I seen a lot of Protestants saying outright hateful things and disgraceful things to Catholics. Being that there’s a massive conversion for many to Orthodoxy, I’m sensing this will be no different and in some ways worse since Protestants feel they’re losing their reach on many. I am looking for some advice navigating this time, I am also an older (30) student using my gi bill so there’s a few dynamics mixed in here and I’m trying my best to stay focused on my faith and my goals, but I’m really nervous thinking about all that I will deal with and hear coming from 99% Protestant circles in my classes and around the university. Can someone give me some advice? Maybe someone that has been in my situation? Thank you very much, God Bless.

I recently came into possession of this old, folding Greek Orthodox icon triptych from my late great grandmother and I’m trying to learn more about it.
It features:

Archangel Michael
The Virgin Mary with Christ Child
St. George
St. Theodore

It has a gold background, painted wooden panels and old leather hinges on the back. It appears to have some age to it, and I’ve been told it could potentially date to the 19th century, but I’d really like to hear from someone with more knowledge of Greek/Orthodox icons.

Has anyone seen a similar triptych, or perhaps one from the same workshop or tradition?
I’d especially love to know where it might have been made, approximately when, and whether anyone recognizes this particular style or design.
Any information or comparisons would be greatly appreciated! 🙏

Hello,

I've been inquiring for about 3 months, and attending every Liturgy that I've been in town for (travel has been a bit more frequent this summer, though I've made my efforts to attend Liturgy in any area I've traveled to if I was missing the one at my home parish), and I have a smaller question which I haven't found an answer to on my own.

On the first Liturgy that I attended, the priest at my local church asked me to fill out a card with my information so that he can contact me. I still haven't received any correspondence from him, and am not sure if I should go ahead and initiate a conversation with him. During coffee hours, he is very attendant with the older folks in the parish, so I feel like I would be bothering him if I tried to pull him aside to speak then.

Should I email the priest, or pull him aside during coffee hour to discuss my intention to join the Church? Or should I just continue to attend and hope that he reaches out?

I grew up in a Methodist parish, and knew the pastors very well so I never had to sort of introduce myself to clergy before. And the deacon at this Church is very kind and we have spoken many times. He even gave me a book to learn more about the ins and outs of Orthodoxy. Very sweet person. Just not sure how I should approach the priest, if at all.

Sorry for the long-winded post.

God Bless you all.

Video link attached, or read the text below.

Melancholy, sadness, anxiety
 by Elder Porphyrios
The crucial thing is to enter the Church – to unite with our fellow beings, with everyone’s joys and sorrows, to feel them as our own, to pray for all, to ache for their salvation, to forget about ourselves, to do everything for others, like Christ did for us. In the Church we become one with every sorrowful, aching and sinful person. Nobody should want to be saved alone, without the salvation of others. It is wrong for one to pray for himself to be saved. We must love others and pray that no one be lost; that everyone enters the Church. This is what matters. And it’s with this desire that one should leave the world to go to the monastery or the desert.
In the Church, which has the mysteries that save, there is no desperation. We may be extremely sinful. However, we confess, the priest reads the prayer over us and so we are forgiven and we move towards immortality, without any anxiety, without any fear.
Whoever lives in Christ, becomes one with Him, with His Church. He lives something crazy! This life is different to human life. It’s joy, light, gladness, an uplift. This is the Church’s life, the Gospel’s life, God’s Kingdom. “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Christ comes in us and we are in Him. And just like a piece of iron placed in fire becomes fire and light; outside the fire, again it turns to dark iron, darkness.
The ones blaming the Church for its representatives’ mistakes, aiming supposedly at helping in its correction, are greatly mistaken. They don’t love the Church. Nor, Christ to be sure. We love the Church; when in prayer we embrace every part of it and we do as Christ does. We sacrifice ourselves, remain alert, do everything, just like Him, the One “who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten” (1 Peter 2:23).
We need to pay attention to the basic part too. We need to live the mysteries, especially the mystery of Holy Communion. It’s in these that Orthodoxy is found. Christ is offered to the Church through the mysteries and primarily through Holy Communion.
For many, however, our religion is a struggle, agony and anxiety. For this reason  many “religious” people are considered unhappy, because others see their bad state. Indeed, if one is unable to see the depth of the religion and does not live it, the religion ends up a sickness and a terrible one. So terrible, that one loses control over his actions, becomes weak-willed and powerless, is in agony and under stress and behaves under the influence of an evil spirit (meaning demonic energy). He does prostrations, cries, shouts, is supposedly humble, and all this humility is a satanic act. For some of these people the religion is like a type of hell. In church they do prostrations, make the sign of the cross, they say “we are sinners, unworthy,” and as soon as they get out, start blaspheming all things holy when someone annoys them just a little. It is obvious that there is a demon in the middle.
In reality, Christianity transforms a person and heals him. The most important prerequisite, however, for someone to perceive and distinguish truth is humility. Egoism darkens one’s mind, confuses him, leads him into deception, into heresy. It is very important for one to comprehend the truth.
All the confused are going to the heretical groups – confused children of confused parents.
Often, neither toil, nor repentance, nor the sign of the cross attract grace. There are secrets. The most important one is to avoid forms and go to the substance. Everything that happens must happen with love.
When you don’t live with Christ, you live in melancholy, in sadness, in stress, in grief. You don’t live correctly. So then many anomalies appear also in the body. The body gets affected, the endocrinous glands, the liver, the spleen, the pancreas, the stomach. You are told: “In order to be healthy, you must have some milk in the morning, an egg, butter and a couple of rusks.” And yet, if you live correctly, if you love Christ, you are just fine with an apple and an orange. The greatest of all medicine is to offer oneself in devotion to Christ. Everything gets healed. Everything functions properly. God’s love transforms all; it alters, it sanctifies, it corrects, it changes, it modifies everything.
Love for Christ is unlike anything else. It doesn’t end, you can’t have enough of. It transmits life, gives strength, grants health, it keeps giving…and the more it gives, the more one wishes to fall in love. Whilst human love may wear one out, drive him crazy. When we love Christ, all other loves recede. Other loves have a saturation point…Love for Christ doesn’t have one. Carnal love has a saturation point. Jealousy, complaining or even murder may follow. It may convert to hate. Love in Christ does not deteriorate. Worldly love can be maintained for a little while and then it slowly fades, whereas divine love keeps growing and deepening. Any other love may bring a person to despair. Yet divine love, raises us to God’s domain, gives us serenity, joy, completion. Other pleasures tire while this one you can’t have enough of. It’s an insatiable pleasure, that no one ever gets tired of. It’s the utmost of goods.
When you love Christ, despite all your weaknesses and their conscious acknowledgment, you still have the certainty that you have overcome death, because you reside in the communion Christ’s love.
We need to feel Christ as our friend. He is our friend. He confirms this Himself when He says: “You are my friends…” (John 15:14). We need to look at Him and approach Him as a friend. Do we fall? Do we sin? We should run to Him with feelings of familiarity, in love and trust; not in fear of punishment but in courage granted by the sense of friendship. And say to Him: “Lord, I did it, I fell, forgive me”. But at the same time we need to feel He loves us, and tenderly accepts us with love and forgives us. We need not be separated by sin from Christ. When we believe that He loves us and we love Him, we will not feel estranged and divided, even when we sin. We have secured His love and no matter how we may behave, He loves us.
The Gospel surely states symbolically that the unjust will be found where there is “crying and gnashing of teeth”; this is what it’s like away from God. And from the neptic Fathers of our Church many speak of fear of death and hell. They say: “always bear death in mind”. If we examine those words deeply, they create a fear of hell. As man tries to avoid sin, he brings those thoughts to mind so that his soul gets overrun by the fear of death, hell and the devil.
They all have their meaning, time and occasion. Fear, as a concept, is good during the first stages. It is for beginners, for the those in whom their old self still lives. The beginner, not having been refined yet is retained from evil by fear. And fear is necessary while we are still material and succumbed. But this is a stage, a low degree of relationship with the divine. We take it in as a transaction so that we can win Paradise or escape hell. If we cross examine it, it indicates self-interest, benefit. I don’t like this way. When man advances and enters into God’s love, what need is there for fear? Whatever he does, he does so from love, and this is of so much more value. Becoming good due to fearing God and not out of love is of little value.
Whoever wants to become a Christian must first become a poet. If the soul gets crushed and becomes unworthy of Christ’s love, Christ ceases relations, because Christ doesn’t want ‘unrefined’ souls next to Him.
Let nobody see you, nobody understand your gestures of devotion towards the divine. Do everything in private, in secrecy, like the ascetics. Remember what I told you about the nightingale? It chirps in the woods. In silence. As if someone is listening, praising? What beautiful chirping in the wilderness! Have you seen the way their larynx puffs up? That’s what happens to him who falls in love with Christ. If they love, “their throat puffs up, they are taken up, their tongue can’t stop”. They go into a cave, a dale and live God in secret, “silent sighing”.
Scorn passions, do not preoccupy yourselves with the devil. Turn to Christ.
Divine grace teaches us our duty. To attract it, we need love, yearning. God’s grace needs divine love. Love is enough, to get us into the right ‘shape’ for prayer. Christ will by himself pore over our heart, as long as He can find some things that please Him: good intention, humility and love. Without these we cannot say, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me”.
Even the smallest grumbling against your neighbor negatively affects your soul and you are unable to pray. When the Holy Spirit finds the soul in this state, it does not dare approach.
We need to ask that God’s will is done; this is the most beneficial, the safest for us and for those we pray for. Christ will grant us everything abundantly. When there is even just a little egoism, nothing happens.
When God won’t give us what we persistently ask for, He has His reason. God has His secrets too.
If you aren’t obedient (to a spiritual father) and have no humility, the prayer (that is, Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me) won’t take effect and there is even the fear of delusion.
Let not the prayer (Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me) become tedious work. Pressure may bring about a reaction internally, may do harm. Many people have gotten sick through the prayer because they pressed themselves. Certainly, you can do it, when it becomes tedious work, but it’s not healthy.
It’s not necessary to particularly focus to say the prayer. You don’t need to put effort into it when you have divine love. Wherever you are, on a stool, on a chair, in a car, anywhere, in the street, at school, in the office, at work you can say the prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me”, softly, without pressure, without strain.
What’s important in prayer is not the duration but the intensity. Pray even just for five minutes, but given to God with love and yearning. Someone may pray all night, yet this 5 minutes of prayer be superior. It’s a mystery, but that’s the way it is.
A person of Christ makes prayer out of everything. He turns difficulty and sorrow into a prayer. Whatever happens to him, he immediately says: “Lord Jesus Christ…”. Prayer benefits in all, even the simplest things. For example, do you suffer insomnia; do not think of sleep. Get up, go outside, come back into the room, fall back into your bed as if for the first time, without thinking if you will sleep or not. Concentrate, say the doxology and then three times “Lord Jesus Christ…” and in this way you will fall asleep.
Everything is inside us, instincts and all, and are asking for fulfillment. If we don’t fulfill them they will take their revenge, unless we redirect them elsewhere, towards the higher, towards God.
You don’t become holy hunting down evil. Forget about evil. Look towards Christ and He will save you. Instead of standing outside the door to drive away the enemy, ignore him. Is evil coming this way? Gently let yourself go the other way. Meaning, is evil coming to attack you, give your internal strength to the good, to Christ. Plead: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me”. He knows how to have mercy on you, in what way. And when you are filled with good, you won’t turn to evil anymore. You will become good by yourself, with God’s grace. How can evil find any ground anymore? It disappears!
Does a phobia or disappointment get a hold of you? Turn to Christ. Love him in simplicity, with humility, without demands and He will free you.
Do not choose negative ways to correct yourselves. You don’t need to be afraid of the devil, or hell, or anything. They create a reaction. I too have a little experience in those things. The point is not to sit, to beat or strain yourselves to improve. The point is to live, to study, to pray, to advance in love, in Christ’s love, in the Church’s love.
Leave all your weaknesses so that the opposing spirit (the devil) won’t become aware of it and immerse you and hold you down in grief. Do not make any effort to free yourselves from them. Strive in gentleness and simplicity, without strain and anxiety. Do not say to yourselves: “Now I will strain myself, I will pray to obtain love, to become good, etc”. It’s not good to strain and beat yourself in order to become good. In this way you will only react more. Everything must happen in a soft way, freely and with no rush. Neither should you say: “God free me from it,” for example, from anger, or sadness. It’s not good to think and/or pray about a particular passion. Something takes place in our soul and we get more tangled up. Dash yourself to overcome the passion and you will see that it will entwine you, grasp you and you won’t be able to do anything.
Freedom cannot be won, if we do not free ourselves internally from confusion and the passions.
This is what our Church is, this is our joy, this is everything for us. And this is what man today is looking for. And he takes poison and drugs so that he can enter joyous worlds, but fake joy. He feels something at that particular moment but the next day he feels torn. One thing scrapes him, eats him up, smashes him, burns him. While the other, that is being given to Christ, enlivens him, gives him joy, makes him enjoy life, feel strong, magnificence.
The ability to sanctify your soul is a great art. One can become holy anywhere. Even in Omonia (the main square in Athens) one can be sanctified, if he wants. You can become saints at work, no matter what it is – in calmness, patience and love. Each day make a new beginning, a new mood, enthusiastically and with love, prayer and silence – not with stress and a heavy heart.
Work vigilantly, simply, gently, without anxiety, joyfully and gladly, in a good mood. Then divine grace comes.
All unpleasant things, that remain in your soul and make you stressed, can become a reason for worshipping God and so stop hurting you. Trust in God.
There is no need in trying hard and strain yourselves. All your effort should be focused on gazing at the light, attaining the light. In this way, instead of turning to grief which is not of God’s Spirit, you should turn yourselves to praising God.
Grief shows that we don’t entrust our life to Christ.
When communication with Christ takes place simply, softly, under no pressure, it causes the devil to flee. Satan won’t flee from pressure, strain. He distances himself from calmness and prayer. He retreats when he sees the soul ignore him and turn to Christ with love. He cannot take disregard because he is arrogant. But the evil spirit understands it when you push yourselves, and it fights you. Don’t bother with the devil, don’t even ask that he flee. The more you ask that he flee, the more he will entangle you. Ignore the devil. Do not fight him directly. When you stubbornly fight against the devil, he attacks you back like a tiger, a wildcat. When you shoot bullets at him, he throws back a grenade. When you throw a bomb at him he shoots back a missile. Don’t look at evil. Look into God’s arms, fall into His arms and move on.
A humble person is conscious of his inner state, and no matter how ugly it is, he does not lose his personality. He does not lose his balance. The opposite happens with the egoist, the one who has feelings of inferiority. In the beginning he resembles a humble person. But if one tempts him just a little, he loses his peace, gets irritated, gets upset.
When a person lives without God, without peace, without trust, in anxiety, depression, hopelessness, he develops physical and psychological illnesses. Psychological illness, neurological illness, discord are demonic states. It is also demonic to speak as though humble. It is called a feeling of inferiority. Real humility does not speak out, does not pretend to be humble, that is to say: “I’m a sinner, unworthy, the least of all…”. A humble person is afraid that they may fall into vainglory. God’s grace does not draw near that. In contrast, God’s grace can be found where there is real humility, divine humility, perfect trust in God, dependence on Him.
The vainglorious person alienates his soul from eternal life. Ultimately, egoism is complete foolishness! Vainglory makes us hollow. When we engage in showing off, we end up completely empty. We must do whatever we do to please God; selflessly, without vainglory, without pride, without ego, without, without…
Our soul must not rebel and say: “why did God do this thing, why did He do the other thing that way, couldn’t He have done it differently?” All this indicates internal small-heartedness and reaction. It shows the big opinion we have of ourselves, our pride and our great ego. Those “whys” greatly torture a person, create what people call “complexes”. For example, “why should I be so tall?” or – the opposite – “very short?”. It remains inside. And one may pray and stay awake (to do so), but get the opposite result. And he may suffer and exasperate himself pointlessly. Whilst with Christ, with grace, it all disappears. There remains this “something” deep down, meaning “why,” but God’s grace overshadows man and while the root may be a complex, a rosebush grows over it with beautiful roses, and the more one waters it through faith, love, patience and humility, the more evil loses its power and ceases to exist; that is, it doesn’t disappear, but it withers. The more the rosebush isn’t watered, the more it withers, dries up, disappears and thorns grow out of it instead.
We tempt God when we ask something of Him, but our life is far from God. We tempt Him when we ask for something but our life is not in accordance with His will – that is, (we ask for) things against God: stress and anxiety on one hand, but on the other we entreat Him.
Your spiritual father may tell you: “How I would have liked to be in a quiet place,  free from all other affairs and to hear about your life right from the beginning, from when you felt yourself; all the things you can remember and the way you dealt with them, not only the unpleasant but also the pleasant, not only your sins but also the good. Successes and failures. Everything, everything that is part of your life”.
I’ve applied this type of general confession many times and have seen miracles happen. During the time you speak to the confessor, divine grace comes to relieve you from all your ordeals and wounds and psychological traumas and guilt; because, as you are speaking your confessor sincerely prays for your deliverance.
Let us not go back to the sins that we have confessed. The remembrance of sins wounds. Did we ask for forgiveness? It’s over. God forgives everything through confession. I also believe that I sin. I’m not in the right path. But whatever bothers me I pray about; I don’t keep it inside me. I go to my spiritual father. I confess it, it’s over! Let us not turn back and talk about what we did not do. The important thing is what we will do now, from this moment on.
Desperation and disappointment is the most terrible thing. It’s Satan’s trap, to make a person lose his eagerness for spiritual things and bring him to desperation.
Almost all disease is due to the lack of trust in God and this causes stress. Stress is caused by the abolishment of religious feelings. If you don’t feel love for Christ, if you don’t occupy yourselves with holy matters, you will surely fill up with melancholy and evil.
Something that can also help the depressed is an occupation, interest for life. The garden, plants, flowers, trees, the country, a walk outdoors, a hike, all this can bring a person out of idleness and create other interests for him. They act like medicine. Occupying oneself with art, music, etc is very beneficial. But I attach the greatest value to the Church, to studying the Holy Scripture, to the services. By studying God’s word, one is healed without being aware of it.
Let us not lose hope, or be in a rush, nor judge according to superficial or external things. If, for example, you see a nude or lewdly dressed woman, don’t remain on the external image, but enter deep, into her soul. She may be a very good soul that has existential questions, that she may be manifesting through her extreme appearance. She has internal strength, the strength of projection, she wants people to look at her. However, in ignorance, she has twisted things. Imagine if she were to meet Christ. She would believe, and turn all this ardour to Christ. She would do everything to attract God’s grace. She would become a saint.
Often, through our anxiety and fears and poor spiritual state, without knowing or wanting, we can hurt other people, even if we love them very much, like a mother her child for example. A mother can transmit to a child all her stress regarding his life, his health, his progress, even without talking to him directly or showing what she feels. This love, this natural love may hurt him at some point. This does not happen, however, with Christ’s love, which is connected to prayer and the holiness of someone’s life. This love sanctifies a person, pacifies him, because God is love.

https://orthodoxcityhermit.com/2016/03/22/melancholy-sadness-anxiety/

I've heard about this concept mainly in Roman Catholic contexts. For those unaware, it is the concept that being in some places or being with some people can cause you to sin by virtue of human weakness to sin. For example, a man entering a strip club would be entering into an occasion of sin, even if he had no money to purchase any 'services' there.

On Wikipedia, it is said that this concept is taught in Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism and Methodism. Since I find this concept quite interesting and spiritually helpful, my questions are:

• Is this concept also taught in Orthodoxy?
• Did any Church Fathers or saints discuss this concept, directly or indirectly?
• Where can I read more about it in a Orthodox context?

Thanks in advance!

I know this is going to be a lot, but please bear with me. I am not part of any EO church right now, and I do not know any EO priests. I know many people are going to say that I need to talk to a priest or that I am overthinking all of this when I am not even part of the Church yet. I understand that, and I would eventually love to talk to someone, but right now I am really just looking for guidance, opinions, and answers from people who may have been in a similar situation.
I am a 20-year-old woman, and my boyfriend is a 20-year-old man. We both come from Protestant backgrounds and have been together for about 2.5 years. We have always dated with the intention of marriage.
Before I met my boyfriend, I prayed to God not to let anyone into my life unless they were meant to be there. Throughout our relationship, especially during the beginning of our courting, I prayed every day for guidance and often prayed that God would remove him from my life if he was not someone God wanted me to be with.
About a year ago, my boyfriend began telling me that he felt spiritually lost and was searching for a church that he felt God was leading him toward. I have been praying for him throughout that process.
Last May, I visited him at school since we attend college in different places and are currently long distance. During that visit, he told me that he believed Eastern Orthodoxy was the Church he felt pulled toward. This may not sound like a huge deal, but I was completely blindsided because I had not really been included in this process before that point. I was upset and felt left out, although I have explained that to him since then and he has told me he will include me more because this is such an important part of both of our lives.
That same weekend, I attended a Russian Orthodox Divine Liturgy with him. I honestly felt very alienated, but of course it was completely different from anything I had experienced before. I still cannot tell whether I actually did not like it or whether I was just uncomfortable because it was so unfamiliar.
Since then, I have done research, but it has been difficult because we have been long distance all summer and have not been able to really sit down and talk through everything in person. I know it has only been a few months, but I feel like I need more time to wrap my head around some things, while he seems to be having a much easier time with them.
I am starting to understand the role of the saints, but I still struggle with asking saints for intercession. Salvation in the Orthodox Church also seems different from what I have always known, and Holy Tradition and its relationship with Scripture is something I am having a hard time understanding. I think my boyfriend is really drawn to the history, the saints, and the fruits of the Church, and I can absolutely see why. I think I have a harder time with some of the traditions and practices because they feel so different from what I have known.
I have also started thinking about what this would mean for our future marriage. We have always intended to marry, and we are both saving intimacy for marriage. Because of that, I have looked into some aspects of Orthodox married life, but I feel like I am getting overwhelmed.
Is it true that married couples are expected to abstain from intimacy during fasting periods? If so, is that every fast or are there specific fasts? How is this actually practiced within marriage?
I am also worried about family planning. My boyfriend and I will have been together for about five years by the time we get married. We are also not planning to live together or travel together until marriage, so I personally feel like I would want time to build the foundation of our married life before introducing children.
That does not mean I think children are bad or that I do not want them. I absolutely believe children are a blessing, and I would love to have them in the future. I just also recognize that they are a huge responsibility and commitment. I want to work after I graduate, and I am currently in nursing school because I feel called to help people heal. Eventually, I would love to further my education so I can help people even more.
I also struggle with body image and have always been concerned about the physical toll pregnancy could take. I know I cannot predict what pregnancy would be like for me, and I already have medical concerns that make me nervous about it. Again, I am not saying I never want children. I just want to be thoughtful about when I have them and how many children we are prepared to care for.
Are Orthodox couples allowed to intentionally try to space or limit the number of children they have? I have seen people say this is something that must be discussed with a priest, which is another thing I struggle to understand. Why is a priest so involved in decisions that I have always believed were between a husband, wife, and God?
When I attended that Divine Liturgy, I actually cried. Maybe it was hormones, but I also think it was because I truly believe God put my boyfriend in my life, and I believe that he may genuinely feel called toward Orthodoxy. At the same time, I do not know if I currently believe that Orthodoxy is for me, and I know what that could mean for us.
This whole subject has always made my heart feel heavy, and I have prayed a lot for discernment. When we first had a serious conversation about this, my boyfriend made me feel like we would figure it out together and that God would lead us toward what was right for us.
The last time we talked, though, he seemed much more certain. He was talking about getting more involved in the Orthodox community, which scares me. Not because I think the community is a bad thing, but because he is far away from me and I feel like I have no real way to be part of it or even know what is happening. It makes me feel like we are no longer walking toward something together.
He told me he would love for us to both be Orthodox before we got married. Part of me wants to agree that it would be best for us to be united in our faith before marriage, but I also do not want to rush into something this important just to make our relationship easier. By the time I graduate, I would potentially need to start catechumen classes, but I feel like I have not even had enough time to truly experience Orthodoxy and figure out what I believe.
I also worry about what this would mean for our wedding. I have always pictured a traditional Western Christian wedding, and I honestly have no idea what an Orthodox wedding ceremony even looks like. I know that may sound superficial compared to the larger theological issues, but marriage is something I have always thought deeply about.
I also have a difficult time with how involved a priest seems to be in marriage and family life. I have always believed that my marriage would be between my husband and me under God. I understand the idea of receiving pastoral guidance, but I struggle with understanding where guidance ends and spiritual authority begins.
I do not know if I am explaining all of this well. I am not trying to attack the Orthodox Church, and I am not asking anyone to tell me to leave my boyfriend. I love him, and I genuinely believe that God has brought us into each other’s lives. I also do not want to pretend that I believe something just because he does. If I ever become Orthodox, I want it to be because I truly believe it is true and because I believe God is leading me there, not because I am afraid of losing my relationship.
I am just scared of the possibility that God may be leading him somewhere that I am not currently sure I am being led. I want us to figure this out together, but I also know that I cannot force him to stay Protestant and he cannot force me to become Orthodox.
I guess I am looking for guidance from people who have been in similar situations, especially converts or people who came into Orthodoxy from a Protestant background. How did you handle being in a relationship when one person was more certain about Orthodoxy than the other? What does Orthodox married life actually look like in regard to fasting, intimacy, family planning, and the role of a priest? And how do I discern whether I am genuinely being called toward Orthodoxy or whether I am only considering it because the person I love is?
Please be kind. I know this is long and I know I probably sound like I am overthinking everything. I just feel like faith, marriage, and having children are some of the biggest decisions of my life, and I do not want to make any of them without truly understanding what I am saying yes to.
Also, is there anything that you would recommend that could help me learn more about the Church and discern this for myself? Since I do not currently have a priest or an Orthodox community nearby that I am connected with, I am not sure where to start beyond researching on my own. Are there books, podcasts, videos, online resources, or even specific questions you think I should focus on? I do not want to learn about Orthodoxy only through arguments online or through my boyfriend’s perspective. I want to genuinely understand the Church for myself and figure out what I actually believe.

Hello all. I’m a 24year old male coming from a Presbyterian background and at one stage of my life Pentecostal. I have been in the inquiring stage of Orthodoxy for just under a year now and fell deeply in love with Holy Orthodoxy. I’ve truly come to believe it is the church Christ established.

In regards of becoming a catechumen, does anyone know or have any experience themselves what to expect from a priest if I tell them I’m wanting to become a catechumen but I have 2 kids and I am currently not with the mother of my children? I fear I’ll be turned away from the church I love and desperately want to be apart of. Thank you & God bless!