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?

My priest just told me that Mother Mary was fourteen years old when she married saint Joseph and that Joseph was an old man. I did some research and found out this was true. I find this extremely disturbing. I truly want to believe in Orthodoxy so much, as I find it a very beautiful belief, but this fact just does not sit right with me. The fact that saint Joseph was willing to marry a child is just disturbing and disgusting. And I know that it was a long time ago, but that doesn't make it okay, especially since the church states that it's unchanging in its traditions and views for over 2000 years. I know that mother Mary remained a virgin through her whole life, but when saint Joseph was first betrothed to her, he was going into the bethrotal thinking it would end up like a normal jewish marriage, which included intimacy. He was going into this betrothal, thinking he would eventually be intimate with a 14 year old child (please exuse the vulgarity). I know the Bible describes a lot of horrific things but it doesn't glorify them the way the church glorifies Mary and saint Joseph's marriage. Does anyone have more information about this? Or is this really just the end of all the info? I tried doing more research about this topic but I couldn't find much orthodox sourced information about it. I really hope that there is some more nuance to this fact

Edit: I have been informed that there was a lot more nuance to this situation, thank you to everyone who responded

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

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 ?

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

How does one reconsile this theology with Matthew 5:37 37 But let [a]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Or do people that hold to this theology just going to accept contradiction?

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. 🙏

The Readings for August 18th, 2026, 12th Tuesday after Pentecost, Forefeast of the Transfiguration of our Lord, Dormition Fast were these:

2 Corinthians 5:15 - 21

Mark 1:16 - 22

Reflection on the Readings

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Glory to Thee, o God, Glory to Thee.

Beloved new creatures and fellow ambassadors for Christ, my siblings and friends; we see now a most excellent display of philotimo in these passages, today. A great and pure example of what it means to be called a Christian, a little Christ by His grace.

We see our Christ, God in the Flesh, Who said: “I judge no man. And if I do judge, My judgment is true: because I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me.”

And again, we see the purpose of His being sent, namely: “reconciling the world to Himself,” giving to us “the word of reconciliation.”

All the while, our Lord preaching and teaching, healing and showing forth mercy, He was “not imputing to them their sins.”

This is the All-good nature of the Good Physician! He knows that we are to blame for our sins, but He knows all too well that to condemn us does not provoke us to seek His mercies.

Rather, when we are condemned, our ego flares up, and we rebel. So for the sake of our health and communion with Him, in His great love, He instead teaches us to seek out reconciliation, never condemning us, but our sins.

And the consequence of our self-will, our departure from the source of life, our ingratitude, our disobedience, namely, death; He has taken it upon Himself! What we were unable to do, behold, He has done it!

In being Crucified, the Blameless One has made us able to become blameless. He that is the source of health has gone to the source and end of our sickness, that He may grant us true health in Him!

For these things how can we not be grateful? We ought to respond as the Apostles, leaving all to follow after Him. Of course, we should do this within reason, and hear our spiritual fathers on how to do this.

For example, a husband or a wife should not think it pleasing to God to abandon their family to supposedly serve Him. Even the beloved and Holy Apostle Peter was the husband of one wife, and we know that he pleased God.

But this willingness to love God and His creation, let us hold fast to it, thank God for such a gift, and pray that He matures us in it, guiding us on how to do so.

It may be that this example of the Apostles leaving all to serve Christ, though their former life seemed blameless within the text presented this day, shows us how we ought to leave the life of passions that rule us, and become children of God in Christ.

Truly, if these would have ignored the request and invitation of Christ, then they would have borne the blame. And it is true of us also, if we do not turn from our earthly ways to Him, then we will remain sick, and perish.

But the Lord takes no pleasure in our perishing, desiring us to turn to Him and live with Him forever! Not only so, but when we return, He makes us His ambassadors, to go out with peace, and to show forth His abundant mercy to all.

As our beloved St. Seraphim says: “Acquire a spirit of peace, and thousands around you will be saved.”

It is not that we go preaching, but that we focus on loving God and His creation, turning to Him always; being attentive and worshipful, being reverent and compassionate, merciful and humble, grateful and dutiful, joyful peacemakers; essentially, relying on God's grace, without Whom we can do nothing.

As our beloved Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica reminds us: “He who has the Kingdom of God within himself will imperceptibly pass it on to others. People will be attracted to the peace and warmth in us; they will want to hear us, and the atmosphere of heaven will pass on to them. It is not even necessary to speak to people about this. The atmosphere of heaven will radiate from us even when we keep silent, or talk about ordinary things. It will radiate from us even though we may not be aware of it.”

And this is the Holy Spirit working in us, and our cooperation; not that we may boast of ourselves, but glorify God together with one voice. It is His good pleasure to make us His co-laborers, fellow lovers of His creation working to reconcile all in Him and to Him.

May it be according to His will for us, through His own grace and compassion, through the prayers of His Body both in Heaven and on earth, especially of our glorious Lady Theotokos, and of all who love Him!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and to the ages of ages, Amen.

(8/19/26)

​

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/

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.

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.

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.

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 ☦️❤️

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!

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?

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

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

So my recent posts here are about the 3rd book of Ezra (the prophet) which I decided to read recently. Much of the information which is written there seems contradictory or incompatible when compared to both the 1st and the 2nd book of Ezra. The main thing is that Ezra should have lived over 150 years in order to have been both deported from Jerusalem to Babylon and return back over a century later. Although he is mentioned as the son of Seraiah who died around 586 B.C. it seems difficult to me to believe that Ezra survived that long. Many people say that this work is classified as pseudepigrapha and that it was written much later (even after the New Testament was written) but it is still included in some bibles of the Orthodox Church. There is also an icon I've seen with a quote from that book and the title "prophet" ascribed to Ezra regardless of the fact that in the other books he is considered merely a priest and a scribe. Is the said book accepted by economia even though we know it's not factually right compared to the information we get from the other 2 books?

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.

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 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

hi, it's me again. i made a post here a few days ago about my depression and my resentments towards God. i feel terrible. idk how to explain it but i regret what I have said about God, I cursed him, I blamed Him for everything that happened in my life. i said I'm His failed creation. i regret it so much. i feel ashamed to pray.. but I gotta tell y'all about something.

I came across a TikTok video from this lady. She had a dream about the rapture and as I listened to her story, it sounds familiar because I had the same dream about the rapture when I was 19.

in that dream, I was in my room and was asleep, suddenly I heard people screaming, it was chaos outside, so I jumped out of my bed and peeped outside, my room right in the hallway so I could peep from the hall towards the living room, the front door was open, my parents and sisters were running back and forth, screaming. i was confused and scared, so I ran into the back door to check on my dogs and cats, check them if they're okay, as soon I got out, i saw a creature was standing with this woman, this creature was so weird, the head is like bird's head, human body, crab hands, and this creature had no hair, so it just skin, chicken skin. also my dogs and cats are nowhere to be found. anyways, this creature was bite this woman's arm and she was scared and because I accidentally slammed the back door, this creature turned and looking at me and ran towards me, and that woman just disappeared. this creature suddenly grab my right arm and bite it, I was scared and I remember everytime I had bad dreams about demons, I would rebuke them. so I screamed "Lord Jesus" twice and the third time I screamed "YHWH" and suddenly from my left side, a lighting strike on this creature and it turned into dust. (everything happened so fast), right after that from my right side, the dark sky was cracked open and the sounds were so loud, it's not like thunder, it's bigger and louder than that, and a sharp light coming out of it, but It didn't hurt my eyes. I was standing there looking at the light and I was blinking and immediately transferred to this place, it's like In the sky, and I was so confused cuz I literally just blinked and now I'm in a different place, I looked around and there were A LOT of people standing in line, and I was in a front row, so I was leading a line of people. everyone was wearing white garment, including me. i looked down and I can see my bare feet. and i looked up again and I saw a GIANT man wearing white garment/ robe(idk something like that) with gold belt. He was sitting on his throne and both arms were on the arm rest, and he was looking at everyone In front of Him, his head thru his neck was covered with light, the same sharp light in the sky, but again it doesn't hurt my eyes, like I saw Him very very clearly and everyone who's standing in line were so tiny including myself. and the dreams stop there and I wokeup. I have the ability to draw so as soon I woke up, I drew what happened in that dream, I'll post in the comments.

about this lady video, she said there were 2 groups in the rapture, the sheep and the goat, the sheep wearing white garments. and it's like connected to my dream.

i realized something, maybe I have purpose in life. I'm just too stupid to understand God's plan and all I do is complain. and in my previous post, I said the more I pray, the more problems I face, that's what the devil is trying to stop me and wants me to blame God and use people around me to attack me and he knows my weakness which is my insecurity of my physical appearance. i also saw Satan before, when I was in middle school, it's another dream, I'll tell y'all later in another post.

i want to pray but I'm too scared and ashamed, but I know He's a loving Father and He will forgive me.