Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior

The Body and Blood of Christ, spreading into the body and soul of the one who receives them through Holy Communion and mingling with them, work with healing power in the entire being of man . They cleanse the soul and body from all the defilement of sin, they heal man from the diseases of the passions that have befallen him because of his negligence in living according to the gifts received at Baptism. Repentance and the fight against sin certainly contribute to the healing of man, but they are not enough and bring no benefit if they are not accompanied by the perfect medicine that is the Eucharist . The Body and Blood of Christ, Saint Nicholas Cabasila shows, "rectifies His image in us whenever it shows signs of wanting to be corrupted", "renews our former spiritual beauty", "heals our matter when it wants to be corrupted", and "strengthens the will again when it is doubtful". Jean-Claude Larchet

A prayer from the heart, with tears, cleanses from sins, but not only that. It heals diseases and spiritual infirmities, renews the whole being of man, makes him reborn , I would say (I know from experience). Oh, what a priceless gift prayer is! Glory to You, Father of mercies and God of all comfort! Glory to You, Son of God, the Only-Begotten, Who was given to us as a mediator for the infinite forgiveness of sins! Glory to You, All-Holy Spirit, Who prays for us with “unutterable groanings” (Romans 8:26). Saint John of Kronstadt

I was a student in Iași, and I often went to worship at the Holy Relics of Saint Paraskeva. There, in that place full of grace, I experienced many soulful moments, and one of them changed my life forever: right in the park in front of the Metropolitanate, my husband proposed to me. Since then, I felt that our life was placed under the protection of the Saint. For years, we prayed with hope for the blessing of a child. After nine years of waiting, the Saint worked in our lives in a way that only God can arrange. Before the feast day of Saint Paraskeva, I was at the church in our city, and the priest said, “ Parents rejoice when you go to them on their birthday, not a week before or after. So does the Saint; she rejoices when you go to her on her birthday .” Those words touched me deeply . I immediately told my husband: “We’re going to Iași!” We tried to find accommodation, but all the hotels were full. And yet, by the will of the Saint, we found a room because someone had just canceled...

It is a very difficult road without tears. He who cannot cry is to be wept over. It is to be wept, because he must cry beyond. It is of great importance to often ask conscience: "Conscience, please, tell me, does God like the way I live? If I die now, will I be saved?" And then, if conscience is not asleep in passions, it begins to rebuke me. Father Proclu Nicău

Today, the Church celebrates a martyr's feast. If we try to speak about the Saint being celebrated, we would rather belittle his greatness. This Saint is the glory of the Martyrs, the praise of the Saints, the honor of heaven and of the victorious Church. He is the great George. There is no Christian mouth, from infancy to the last beat of the dying heart, that does not call upon his most sweet name. There is no Christian country where there are not even the ruins of a church built in his memory. This luminary hides a great mystery, which has not been sufficiently investigated, as it should be. What is the reason for this great love of the people towards him? But his love for the people is also so great that it prevents us from forgetting him, but incessantly urges us to call upon him in prayers. In three out of four Christian families, there will undoubtedly be someone with the name George. Why? Because there is no family in which the love of this Saint has not been shown by helpi...

No one lives forever on earth, and yet everyone fears death. It is not for nothing that the Holy Church always prays for us to have a "Christian end, unconquered, in peace," and so on. The more unshakable the faith, the more broken the heart, the easier it is to die. It is best to prepare for death. Sooner or later - what is the difference? We will still die. We must forgive everyone, reconcile with everyone, examine our entire life and weep, break our hearts for our sins, and ask forgiveness from our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Venerable Nikon Vorobiov

There is a scene in the Gospel that describes, in a disturbing way, our daily life – and it is all the more suitable for family life. It is about the moment when the apostles, trapped in their boat, are surprised by a strong storm. The waves envelop them, and the wind is against them. In the midst of this unleashing of the elements, they think they see a ghost coming towards them, walking on the water, and, in fear, they begin to cry out. The one who reveals Himself to them is the Lord, and the word He addresses to them remains unforgettable for any person in the middle of the storm: “Do not be afraid!” Disbelieving, Peter asks Him for a trust, asking Him for the seemingly impossible – to make him like Him, to be able to walk on water, to remain undisturbed in the midst of the waves. What follows is essential for all of us. The Apostle Peter shows us that, as long as his gaze remains fixed on the Lord, he seems to borrow from His strength and manages to tread on the waves, going agains...

Saint Ephrem the New – the Great Martyr, the Great Healer, the Quick Helper in all Needs and the Great Wonderworker – was born in Greece on September 14, 1384 (the day of the Holy Cross). Saint Ephrem the New was orphaned by his father as a young child, so he and his 6 other siblings were cared for only by his pious mother. At the age of 14, Saint Ephrem the New entered as a monk the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos on the Hill of the Immaculate Conception, in the Greek region of Attica (near the town of Nea Makri). On September 14, 1425 (also the day of the Holy Cross, when Saint Ephrem the New celebrated his 41st birthday and 27 years of severe monastic asceticism), Saint Ephrem the New was taken captive by the Turks who attacked the monastery on the Hill of the Innocents, and the other monks from his community were beheaded. The martyrdom of Saint Ephrem the New – the Great Martyr of Nea Makri – lasted 8 months: it began on September 14, 1425 (the day of the Holy Cross, which is...

– Father, in the early years of Christianity, Christians made public confession. Does this help? – Some were in the early years of Christianity, and some are now. This does not help today. – Why, Father? Then they had more zeal? – They had even more zeal and did not have the ones that people have today. Now, couples break up for no reason; they are no longer like they used to be. People have moved away from the Sacrament of Confession, and that is why they are drowning in thoughts and passions. How many do not come and ask me to help them with some problem of theirs, but they do not confess or go to church? “Do you go to church?” I ask them. “No,” I answer. “Have you ever confessed?” “No. But I came to make myself well.” “But how? You have to repent of your mistakes, confess, go to church, take communion when you have a blessing from your confessor, and I will pray for you to get well. Do you forget that there is another life and we must prepare for it?” “Listen, Father, what you tell ...

Do you see how a man sheds tears or even cries, and his eyes are restless at the hour of death? Because he sees how the opposing powers come, the devils come to snatch his soul. And the soul trembles as an autumn leaf trembles at the slightest breeze. For the angels say: “ After your deeds, Hallelujah! We would have helped you, but you should have helped us with your deeds. ” Therefore, before that fearful hour arrives, before this first judgment of the soul comes, and then the great Judgment at the Second Coming, let us prepare ourselves, let us be careful, let us hurry now! Not tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. From today, from this moment, let us put repentance into our souls and turn to God. And when God sees this good intention on our part, He will help us. And He will increase this small intention of ours and make it great, so that we may be worthy of the salvation of our souls. Father Ephrem the Athonite

Man, in his weakness, often seeks the appreciation of others. He wants to be seen, praised, and recognized. He worries about opinions, about the image, about the words of people. But all of this is fleeting. Today you are in their minds, tomorrow you are forgotten. The world moves on, and what seemed so important is lost in time. Instead, what truly remains is your relationship with God. He never forgets. He sees every thought, every deed, every tear, and every prayer. He does not look at appearances, but at the heart. He does not appreciate the noise of the world, but the sincerity of the soul. Therefore, wisdom is not to live for the eyes of men, but for the eyes of God. Let us not measure our lives by applause, but by the peace of the heart. Because true peace comes when you know that you are in His will. It does not mean to distance ourselves from people or to stop loving, but to stop depending on their judgment. To do good not for praise, but out of love. To forgive not because we...

Listen, if you cannot run fast, rejoice in the one who runs fast, and do not grieve. If you want to grow spiritually, rejoice when the nuns grow and pray to God that they may always grow, and that you may reach their measure. When I was a novice brother[1], there lived in the monastery another novice brother, about the same age as me, who had reached a very high spiritual measure; his face shone. He was a model and example in everything; he was very fighting and diligent. He had so much piety that even the older Fathers would stand up out of respect when he passed in front of them. I used this brother more than all the books I had read until then, for he was a living example. Once, my heart ached. It happened that this brother passed by my cell, and I told him to pray for me. He had no time to leave, but my pain immediately passed. Another time, a demoniac came to the monastery and asked the Fathers to heal him. Then the abbot said to this brother: “Come, go and say a prayer so that th...

Once, in order to correct a brother for his many faults, the Elder, using examples from nature and life, said to him: ‒ Know, my child, that nothing is accidental in this life. Everything has a purpose and nothing happens without a cause. Not a needle falls from a fir tree unless God wills it. Therefore, you should not grieve, whatever happens to you. This is how we become holy! Look, now you grieve because of your household, but they are actually helping you to reach spiritual heights. If it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t grow at all. God gave them to you. You will say to me: “But is it good for a person to suffer because of their loved ones?” Well, that is exactly what God wants from us! And you are very sensitive and, from anger, your stomach hurts; you feel empty in your stomach, don’t you? ‒ Yes, Father, but it is so bad to be sensitive. ‒ Yes, it is bad to be sensitive as you are, because, because of your anger, you have acquired various physical illnesses. Don't you know yet...

The heart is the deepest part of us. I could say that it is an extra being in our being. Why does God say: “I made your heart to live in it”? He does not live anywhere. God, Who feels so praised in the glories of heaven, takes pleasure in living in a human heart. It is the place that He made especially to be hosted. The mind is subordinate to the heart. Our being of responsibility and true joy through union with God is the heart. Purification of the heart would therefore be a reason that must be respected in view of Holy Communion with the Body and Blood of the Savior. To share in the Body and Blood of the Savior means to be one with Him, to truly be a doer of His words and to truly recognize that you were lost and have found yourself. Because, yes, it is necessary to lose yourself. But not in the sense of abandoning the true teaching, but of giving up a weak or strictly human identity and finding yourself in an angelic personality. Holy Communion is truly the greatest desire from heav...

– Life has never been easier than it is now. And yet, there is more and more suffering in the world. Where does it come from? – Depression is a state of decline. It arises from a lack of reconciliation of the soul with itself, with God or with people. It is a state of conflict, of inner rupture, between the soul and the intellect. A lack of balance. Depression means, first of all, a lack of love. People suffer when they can no longer find shelter in the other souls around them. When they cannot find free support from their fellow men, people become discouraged and in their relationship with God, it is difficult for them to imagine a loving God. But if people still betray, because they are powerless, God is the only one who never betrays. However, it is very difficult to reach the measure of the relationship with God, without relating to people. We also need confirmation from our fellow men, that we are not useless in the world. That is why one cannot escape depression without that unco...

For the Church to be rejuvenated, she must look to her treasures, to the preserved Tradition, to her sources of life. The Church must return to the Fathers. From there, she will take what is pure, authentic and true, in order to regenerate herself. Based on this, we could say that renewal does not mean eliminating and modifying all previous elements; developing new theological theories; inventing new ideas, methodologies or forms. We are often tempted to invent new sermons to use in our pastoral and ecclesial activities. True renewal consists in searching, theologizing and using existing sources. This gold mine already exists; it is stored and available. We only need to dig deeper to discover it and to offer it in its pure form. This is the meaning of renewal. In the early 1900s, the Russians implemented such a renewal. The Russians of the diaspora, the educated, intellectual Russian Orthodox Christians, successfully carried out this experiment. When they left Russia, they founded scho...

When I was younger, I lived with my father. And it happened to me that after we ate, I would get up from the table and steal a piece of food, prompted by the devil, and eat it without the elder's knowledge. So, having persisted in this way for a while, I was overcome by this habit and could no longer resist it. My conscience rebuked me, but I was ashamed to tell the elder. However, it happened, through the care of the man-loving God, that some brothers came to the elder for spiritual benefit. They asked him about their thoughts. And the elder answered: – Nothing harms the monks and delights the devils more than the concealment of thoughts by the spiritual Fathers. Then he spoke to them about abstinence. When he said this, I came to my senses and, thinking that God had revealed my mistakes to the elder, I humbled myself and began to cry. Then I took out the rosary from my bosom, which I had been stealing according to my evil habit, and throwing myself on the ground I asked for forgi...

The first time I went to the grave of Mother Matrona was in the fall of 1995. Then I prayed, took sand and went home to Nizhnevartovsk. In our church, the nun is loved by everyone and many, during the holidays, go to Moscow to get to her grave. I had been holding the sand for a year and a half, when my sister Maria told me about her illness. She had been diagnosed with a malignant tumor in her thyroid gland. The therapy had to follow several stages: surgery, radiation treatment, hormonal preparations. Maria was reading the book about the life of the nun, and when she found out that I had sand from her grave, she asked me to give it to her. And so, as I gave her the sand, the nun appeared in her dream. She caressed her neck with her hand and said: " I know your illness, don't worry, you will recover and be fine. " Now Maria no longer needs surgery. Here is how the nun helps us. Even being at a great distance, she helps all the helpless . A parishioner of the Church of the ...

"Until death, during all this time that the soul is in the body, it is impossible for a person not to have thoughts and war.  The basic cause of thoughts is the war of the devil. Most of the thoughts are devilish. The devil's goal is to throw a person into sin, either by thought or by deed. Saint Macarius the Egyptian calls consenting to cunning thoughts spiritual fornication. That is why he says: "Keep your soul pure, for it is the bride of Christ." Thoughts are like a "stream of water" before which a person often panics. That is why the devils first fight us with thoughts and then with things. If we give in to thoughts, then little by little they push us towards sin in deed." Hieromonk Benedict the Aghiorite