Holy Fathers
"Keep your mind on hades and despair not". The ascetic way of St. Siluan the Athonite as a challenge for modern age
The experience of hell is nowadays a concrete and very real situation faced by an awful lot of people who find themselves coping with all kinds of dead-ends, including many that they have created for themselves.
Nov 15, 2010, 13:31

Holy Fathers
From Time to Eternity, the Internal Mission of Our Church
The first among the asceses-virtues is the ascesis of faith. Through this ascesis the soul of our people must pass and constantly pass: that is, this soul must be given up to Christ without reservations and compromises, must go deeply into the theanthropic depths, and be elevated to the theanthropic heights.
Jun 14, 2010, 10:00

Holy Fathers
On the Love of Enemies: the Teaching of St. Silouan
Although it is natural and usual to love those who love us and to do good to those who do good to us (Mt 5:46-47; Lk 6:32-33), to love our enemies is distasteful to our nature. One can say that it isn’t in our power but is an attitude that can only be the fruit of grace, given by the Holy Spirit. This is why St. Silouan the Athonite writes, “The soul that has not known the Holy Spirit does not understand how one can love one’s enemies, and does not accept it.”
Mar 3, 2010, 10:00

Holy Fathers
Knowledge of God According to St. Gregory Palamas
So the purification which takes place by the grace of God creates the necessary preconditions for attaining that theoria which is communion with God, deification of man, and knowledge of God. The ascetic method of the Church leads to this point. It is not based on human criteria and it does not aim to make the person `nice and good’, but to heal him perfectly and for him to achieve communion with God. As long as a man is far from communion and union with God, he has not yet attained his salvation.
Feb 28, 2010, 10:00

Holy Fathers
Selections from the Path to Salvation by St. Theophan the Recluse
Having a firm basis in such an understanding, one may easily conclude that a cold fulfilling of the rules of the Church, just like routine in business, which is established by our calculating mind, or like correct and dignified behavior and honesty in conduct, is not a decisive indicator that the true Christian life is present in us. All this is good, but as long as it does not bear in itself the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, it has no value at all before God.
Jan 23, 2010, 10:00

Holy Fathers
Fear evil like fire
A real Christian doesn't have any reason to be angry about anybody. Anger is the devil's deed. A Christian should have only love inside and since love doesn't boast, he shouldn't boast or have any bad thoughts towards others. For example, I must not think about another person that he is evil, proud etc; and I must not think that if I forgive his offense he would laugh at me or upset me again. We must not let evil hide in us under any pretense. Evil and anger usually have many different veils.


Jul 28, 2009, 10:00

Holy Fathers
My Life in Christ - St. John of Kronstadt
St. John's diary, My Life In Christ, has been called a manual of weapon training for this warfare which every Christian must fight in order to reach the heavenly homeland. In the following excerpts from this diary may be seen not only the emphasis which Saint John placed on true prayer as the greatest weapon of every Christian and his deep understanding of the human soul, but also the very practical aspect of his teaching which is of such value to Christians today.
May 21, 2009, 10:00

Holy Fathers
The Holy Fathers of Orthodox Spirituality
We must face squarely a painful but necessary truth: a person who is seriously reading the Holy Fathers and who is struggling according to his strength (even if on a very primitive level) to lead an Orthodox spiritual life—must be out of step with the times, must be a stranger to the atmosphere of contemporary "religious" movements and discussions, must be consciously striving to lead a life quite different from that reflected in almost all "Orthodox" books and periodicals today.
May 13, 2009, 10:00

Holy Fathers
The Holy Fathers of Orthodox Spirituality
Different Patristic books on the spiritual life are suitable for Orthodox Christians in different conditions of life: that which is suitable especially for solitaries is not directly applicable to monks living the common life; that which applies to monks in general will not be directly relevant for laymen; and in every condition, the spiritual food which is suitable for those with some experience may be entirely indigestible for beginners.
May 7, 2009, 10:00

Holy Fathers
Saint Patriarch Tikhon - His Missionary Legacy to Orthodox America
"But who is to work for the spread of the Orthodox Faith for the increase of the children of the Orthodox Church? Pastors and missionaries, you answer. You are right; but are they to be alone? St. Paul wisely compares the Church of Christ to a body, and the life of a body is shared by all the members. So it ought to be in the life of the Church also...The spread of Christ's faith ought to be near and precious to the heart of every. Christian In this work every member of the Church ought to take a lively and heartfelt interest...''
Apr 7, 2009, 10:00

Holy Fathers
About the World Crisis
In earlier times Europeans used the word “judgement” instead of the word “crisis” to explain the reason for any disaster. Nowadays the word “judgement” has been replaced with the word “crisis” and a once intelligible word has now become unintelligible. Whatever disaster occurred in the past – wars, droughts, floods, epidemics, earthquakes, plague of locusts, people used to exclaim, “God’s judgment!”. Therefore the crisis was due to droughts, floods, wars or epidemics. The current financial economic catastrophe is also looked upon as God’s Judgement, but is called “crisis” instead of “judgement”.
Feb 27, 2009, 10:00

Holy Fathers
"Prayer without Ceasing" is necessary for all Christians
At first it may appear very difficult to you, but be assured, as it were from Almighty God, that this very name of our Lord Jesus Christ, constantly invoked by you, will help you to overcome all difficulties, and in the course of time you will become used to this practice and will taste how sweet is the name of the Lord. Then you will learn by experience that this practice is not impossible and not difficult, but both possible and easy.
Dec 20, 2008, 10:00

Holy Fathers
The Holy Fathers
Because many people think that Christ's Church somehow "died out," or, as even many Protestants believe, that it apostasized during the first century after Christ (as if such a thing were really possible considering Christ's promise to be with His Church "even unto the end of the ages" (Matt. 25:20), I would like to share with you a glimpse of the early Church as seen in the lives and writings of Holy Fathers, from the time of the Apostles until about 200 A.D. roughly three generations.
Aug 23, 2008, 10:00

Holy Fathers
BE CAREFUL! WATCH!
If we turn our attention to our mind, we notice a torrent of successive thoughts and ideas. This torrent is uninterrupted; it is racing everywhere and at all times: at home, in church, at work, when we read, when we converse. It is usually called thinking, writes Bishop Theophan the Recluse, but in fact it is a disturbance of the mind, a scattering, a lack of concentration and attention.
Aug 8, 2008, 10:00

Holy Fathers
THIS WAS FROM ME
I am your God, the circumstances of your life are in My hands; you did not end up in your position by chance; this is precisely the position I have appointed for you. Weren't you asking Me to teach you humility? And there - I placed you precisely in the "school" where they teach this lesson. Your environment, and those who are around you, are performing My will. Do you have financial difficulties and can just barely survive? Know that This was from Me.
Jul 31, 2008, 10:00

Holy Fathers
No Impossible Deed Should Be Undertaken… Advice of the Elder Alexiy Mechev
No matter what sin you committed, repent, and God will be eager to accept you with open arms. Be like a child in everything you do: both in matters of faith and matters of life.
Jul 24, 2008, 10:06