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The Treasure of Orthodoxy

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My friends, do we ever think about how valuable the treasure that has been given to us by the Lord is? As Orthodox Christians, we have this precious treasure, and if we were to try to estimate it, we would be amazed by its overwhelming value. That is, if we can even come close to a true estimate! How can we estimate something that is truly priceless? However, we will attempt a quick assessment of this treasure so that we may become aware of its value. First, we have the Holy Scriptures, which are a wonderful treasure in themselves. If we were to realize what Scripture is, especially the New Testament, written in our own language (Greek). This is a great privilege for those of us who are Hellenic. We also have the Holy Liturgy, through which we have the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, the very Body of the Master, which makes us one Body and one Blood with Him. We have the seven Ecumenical Councils and the Local Councils with the canons of the Church, which...
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The Passion of the Love of Money

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Beloved, both good and bad things will last longer in us, becoming stronger. One could see this happening in all other circumstances in nature. A plant, for example, when it is newly planted, can be easily pulled out, but with the passage of time, it takes root strongly, and it is as easy as at the beginning, but greater effort is needed. And a building recently built can easily be overturned by those who are not satisfied with it, while if it is well-established, it will later bring many difficulties to those who would like to tear it down. Even a wild beast, if it has nested somewhere for a long time, will be difficult to drive out from there. Therefore, I advise those who have not yet been conquered by the passion of wealth not to let themselves be possessed, for it is easier to guard against falling than to rise after falling; and to those who have already been conquered by this passion and torn apart, I announce that if they will surrender themselves to a doctor with the word, I p...
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She became a mother at 53: "Saint Nectarios was and is with us. His miracles happen all the time"

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That Saint Nektarios interceded with God, my prayer to bring a child into the world and to raise him according to His Word is undoubtedly true. After a long period in which I prayed to bring children into the world – because I wanted twins, because I have a brother, and I am convinced that a child is good to have a little brother or sister – and I had almost despaired, since I had already turned 53, behold, the miracle happened like any miracle, in a completely special way! It was at the beginning of last year (ed. 2023), I think the end of January, when I decided to watch the movie “Man of God”, at least online. I had missed the time when the film was playing in the cinema in Târgoviște, where I live, and I felt sorry for having missed the opportunity to see a film whose reviews were very good, besides the fact that it was about the life of Saint Hierarch Nectarios of Aegina, to whom I had prayed for my father, diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, and whom he helped to heal. That wa...
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How do we heal spiritual wounds?

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When you are wounded in spirit, from the fall into sin through weakness or wickedness, do not diminish your spirit and do not be troubled, but turn to God and say: "Behold, Lord, what I have done as a man; it was not possible to expect anything else from me, one with such a weak and helpless will. Nothing was to be expected but a fall and a collapse". And here, condemn yourself in your own eyes enough, break your heart with great sorrow for what you have caused God, but, without being troubled, condemn your evil passions and especially that passion that caused your fall. Then say: "My Lord, even until now I could not have stood, if You had not supported me through Your supreme goodness". Thank Him and love Him more than ever. Marvel at such mercy that, although He was offended by you, He gives you His right hand again and protects you from falling into sin. Finally, with great trust in His boundless mercy, say: “You, Lord, forgive me, and in the future do not let me...
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Spiritual Passions – Invisible Wounds, But More Serious Than Physical Wounds

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 The Holy Fathers teach us that spiritual passions are deeper and more dangerous than physical ones. If we see and can recognize physical ones more easily, we often hide spiritual ones under the guise of virtue, and this makes them even more difficult to heal. In the Holy Gospel according to John, we are told how Mary anointed the Lord’s feet with very expensive ointment. Then, Judas did not openly say: “I love money,” but he spoke words that seemed good: “Why was this ointment not sold and given to the poor?” (John 12:5). This is how passion works: it hides itself under the appearance of righteousness, but in the heart it remains darkened by self-interest and malice. This is how we are, many times. When we judge our neighbor, we do not say: “I have fallen into condemnation,” but we justify ourselves by saying that we defend the truth, that we speak in the name of justice. But, without realizing it, we put ourselves in the place of the judge and forget that this work does not belon...
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The lazy person never actually sits idle

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The devil quickly finds work for lazy hands, and the Angel of the Lord quickly finds the right occupation for the hands of the diligent. In this world in constant movement and constant change and transformation, man must always be busy, whether he wants to or not, either with good things or with bad things. For the lazy man never sits idle. He is a diligent worker in the service of the devil. A lazy body and soul are the most suitable field for the sowing and harvesting of the devils. Saint Anthony the Great says: “ The body needs to be subjected to work, without idleness. ” Saint Ephrem the Syrian says: “ Let us learn by work, so that we do not need to learn by begging. ” All the other Holy Fathers, without exception, always teach us about the necessity of work for the salvation of the human soul. The Holy Apostles together with all the Saints are for us living examples of continuous and concentrated work, both physical and spiritual. That the idle man on earth, by his idleness, not o...
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The Second Coming of Christ will be as sudden and as unexpected as the flood

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As it was in the days of Noah, so will the coming of the Son of Man be; and as it was in the days before the flood: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so will the coming of the Son of Man be (Mt. 24:37-39).  Will everything be just as it was in the days of Noah? No, not everything - but the Lord said this wanting to show us that His Second Coming will be just as sudden, just as unexpected as the flood: like lightning, like lightning The Son of Man will appear in His glory with all His angels to execute His Judgment. Saint Luke of Crimea , At the Gates of Lent
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He who sees God's mercy in small things, God will elevate him to great things

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We have become very accustomed to a lot, we have become accustomed to everything, we have become very comfortable, we have become accustomed to not fasting, we have become accustomed to not working hard, and then we no longer have joy for the little things. Just like before, a man who fasted until Christmas and worked hard, when the Christmas meal came, well, it was an incomparable joy, it was the Christmas meal! And the days after Christmas were a great joy, because until then he had not rejoiced, had not partied, had not been to I don't know how many discos, but had waited with hope and order for the day. And after keeping a month and a half of fasting and order, the joys had a different substance and the unity between people and the connections between them and the visits from one to another were different. Today, people have become very accustomed, constantly, to having everything, to eating everything, to being without any lack – and then they begin to no longer be satisfied w...
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To endure the other, you must love him

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- Elder, how is patience acquired? - Patience is based on love . Love endures all things, says the Apostle. To endure the other, you must love him, to hurt for him. If you don't hurt for him, you feel him as a burden. - Elder, when the mother I work with is agitated, I sympathize with her and am patient with her. Does this behavior have love in it? - And how do you know that you are not the reason why she is agitated and that she is not patient with you? If you believe that you are in a better spiritual state and that you endure her, then you must pity yourself. When there is true love and patience, then you justify the other and accuse only yourself. “My God, I am guilty! Do not consider me! Cast me aside and help the other!” This is the correct attitude, the one full of humility, and as a result of which a person receives the Grace of God in abundance. I will pray that you will become spiritually like a lion cub, like bronze lions, who support the candlesticks of the church with ...
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Labor Day: Hoe on the shoulder and Christ in the mind, the advice of Venerable Cleopas

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International Workers' Day is a celebration of workers, the working class in general, and their historic struggle to obtain social and economic rights, and is marked every year on May 1. In many other countries, however, International Workers' Day is the perfect opportunity used by unions of several professional categories to make their social or professional demands known. The Advice of Venerable Cleopas The recommendation of Venerable Cleopas of Sihăstria is to take Christ with us to any work, for growth and peace of mind. "Brothers, let us work with love; let us work, but let us have God in mind. No one can stand idle. But in our sweat and toil, in the fields and in the factories, in the offices, in the enterprises and wherever we may be, let us have God in mind. Let us have Christ, and with Him we can do all things. Hear what the Apostle Paul says: I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me! And without Him, we can do nothing!". "When you go to pl...
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Battlefield miracle brings a soldier to faith

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You wrote to me about the wonderful thing that happened to you during the war. Someone was handing out the New Testament to the soldiers on the battlefield. Small, tightly bound books. You took one too. And you remarked ironically: “Here steel and lead are needed, not books; and if steel does not save us, books certainly will not save us!” You made such a remark because until that day, you had not laid any foundation for your faith in God. You looked at it as an old cloak, which the human caravan has been dragging behind it since the beginning of time without any benefit. You nevertheless received the little book and put it in your pocket, on your left. What happened? You say: “ A miracle of God ”, and I agree. That very day, a fierce battle broke out, and the wounded were falling around you. Suddenly, you too fell. A bullet hit you. You grabbed your left side with your hand. You expected blood to flow. When you undressed, you found the bullets in that little book, right in front of yo...
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The tears of Saint Archangel Michael and the miracle of the healing of a deaf-mute girl

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It was Monday, a winter morning. In the church of the Holy Archangels, the Holy Mass had been celebrated. A young lady, holding a little girl by the hand, came forward with great reverence to receive the anaphora. Kissing the priest’s hand, she said to him in secret: ‒ Father, I would like to speak to you for a moment. Is that possible? ‒ Yes. I will be at the office in a moment. Come there. Indeed, in a moment, a lady entered the office with her husband and their child, accompanied by another couple. ‒ Father, I can’t hold it in any longer. I want to speak. I think I did wrong not to speak until now. But I feel a weight inside me, and I want to be relieved. ‒ I am listening to you, my child. Speak. ‒ My name is Milona Eleni. My husband and I are military. On April 8th, my sister came from Germany with her little daughter, who had undergone heart surgery in that country. An undesirable effect of this intervention on the little girl was that she became deaf and mute. The child was then...
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By making the sign of the Holy Cross, we confess our faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.

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– When we sign ourselves with the Holy Cross, are we also making a confession of faith? – Without a doubt. By making the sign of the Holy Cross, we confess faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the One crucified on the Cross, and faith in one God in three hypostases. Indeed, when we make the sign of the Holy Cross, pronouncing the names of the three hypostases: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we confess one God in three divine faces; and the sign of the Cross reminds us that the Son of God, made man, saved us by crucifying Himself on the Cross. Therefore, the sign of the Holy Cross is, in a way, a brief teaching of the Christian faith. The Church honors the Holy Cross with great devotion: three days a year (September 14, the third Sunday of Lent, and August 1) are dedicated to the honoring of the Holy Cross. The Cross, made of wood or metal, beautifully crafted and decorated, is never missing from any holy table, from any church where the Holy Liturgy is served. It is al...
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"If you want to get healthy, come to me!" - from the miracles of Saint Paraskeva

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Those who come to the "Pious One", as her friends call her, pray to her for the solution of everyday problems, ask her for comfort for the troubles that have befallen them, health, prosperity in the home, and joy. And the Saint listens to each one and does not delay in coming to the aid of those who put their hope in her power and pray to her with faith. The miracles of the Pious Paraskeva are countless. Many are known from the stories of those who received them, but many have remained the secret of those who experienced them. Saint Parascheva of Iași, Romania, enjoys a special cult in the country, as if different from all the other saints who have relics in Romania. Every day at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iași, from morning until late evening, a small continuous pilgrimage is made, with believers of all ages and from all places, who come to pray. Especially, on holidays, during fasts and every Friday (considered the day of the Venerable Parascheva), many believers come an...
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Miracles performed by the icon of Our Lady "Pantanassa" – the cancer healer

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On September 30, 1990, Hieromonk Evdochim, the spiritual father of the Vatopedi Hermitage of Saint Demetrius, after venerating the icons with the other monks during the Vespers, sat down in his place in the pew in front of the Pantanassa icon. Suddenly, he clearly saw countless rays of light emanating from the icon. He then asked the hieromonk sitting next to him if he also saw the light and rays emanating from the icon of the Mother of God. The latter replied that he did not, and immediately the radiance of the rays ceased. “Those rays and the light emanating from the icon of the Mother of God Pantanassa made my heart glad, for after 60 years on the Holy Mountain the Mother of God has made me worthy to see such a miracle,” confessed Father Evdochim. Elder Andrula Papahristodulu from Nicosia, Cyprus, tells us the following incident that occurred towards the end of 1990. One night, while she was sleeping, she let out a loud groan, lay down and, with her eyes open, fell into a coma. Fami...
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"The prayers of the saint raised her from the dead" - the testimony of a family who experienced a miracle

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We, the Korobitsin family, testify to a clear miracle: the resurrection of our little girl Xenia from the dead by the venerable Kuksha of Odessa. This happened in 1995, that is, on the night of the second day of the Nativity of Christ [in the old style, that is, on the night of January 7-8]. My little girl, who was then two years old, named Xenia, unexpectedly fell ill. Her temperature suddenly rose to 39 degrees Celsius and continued to rise, despite all my efforts to bring it down. She began to have convulsions. My mother, Xenia's grandmother, who was a doctor by profession, took Xenia by the hand and, seeing her extremely serious condition, asked me to call an ambulance. I called the ambulance. Suddenly, Xenia calmed down in her grandmother's arms. The grandmother began to consult her granddaughter. Her heart stopped beating. Life had left the child. When I returned, my mother said to me, “There is no need for rescue. It is already too late…” Realizing that my little girl ha...
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If you have troubles, it means that God loves you

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This is how we will know how much the Lord loves us: if He gives us hard trials and we have many troubles in life! The Holy Fathers say: “If you see that you have undisturbed peace, be careful that you are not on the right path!” You are, therefore, somehow giving the enemy free rein; he does not touch you because he has you in his power. If you have a good time and do not have many temptations, it means that he holds you, and you do not even understand that you are in his power. Behold, these spiritualists of ours are in the power of fallen spirits, but they do not understand it. They do not want to come to their senses at all. They never want to listen, to renounce this evil, for they are under the rule of the spirits of cunning. The enemy tempts the pious on the right. He will not strike suddenly from the left, for he knows that he will be rejected, but like this (that is, from the right). And then he stands aside and seeks to see if they will receive what will be shown to them. He ...
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Prayer to the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy”

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O Most Holy Lady, have mercy on all who honor your holy name and show all your almighty protection and support. Keep in goodness those who until their very end live in the right faith and show honest entertainment, make the wicked good, guide those who have gone astray on the right path, help them in every good and pleasing thing to your Son; destroy everything evil and contrary to God, send them from heaven unseen help and wisdom to those who are in perplexity, save them from temptations, deceit and perdition; defend and guard them from all evil people and enemies seen and unseen, travel with those who travel together; be a nourisher to those in need and hunger; to those who have no shelter and shelter, be a shelter and refuge, give clothing to the naked, be a support to those who are unjustly insulted and persecuted; those who endure slander, mockery and blasphemy, correct them in secret, rebuke slanderers and blasphemers before all, to those who are fiercely hostile, grant peace wit...
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How a monk overcame the demon of acedia

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Once, after struggling with acedia in this way, I stood for five or six hours straight as a candle. But it is clear that this greatly angered Satan. Suddenly, while I was praying, I heard some wailing, which resembled that of a woman who cries when her child dies. When I turned around, what did I see? A black and frightening arap was standing outside my cell. For a moment, I was frightened, but immediately God helped me to recover, and I asked him: “Who are you and what business do you have here at this hour?” And he answered me angrily: “I am the demon of acedia. I'm leaving, monk! I'm leaving! You have burned me! I will not get through with you!” And having said this, he immediately disappeared. My son, I tell you this so that you understand who we are dealing with in monasticism and take the necessary measures. – Elder, I confess that I am amazed by these things I hear. But where do I get such zeal to sit in prayer for five or six hours like a candle? – Well, I did not say t...
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The Life of the Holy Martyr Arghira

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The Holy New Martyr Arghira was born in Prussia of Bithynia (today the city of Bursa in Turkey) around 1692. The saint's parents, George and Susanna, raised her in the Orthodox faith, and Saint Arghira thoroughly assimilated, from childhood, the love of God. Arghira married a young Greek man, but after the Holy Marriage, she was subjected to much pressure from a pasha, the eparch of Bursa at that time. He forced her to abandon her husband and faith in order to take her into his harem. On the advice of her parents, Arghira, accompanied by her husband, left her native city for Constantinople, to her relatives and acquaintances of the family. From the testimonies of contemporaries, it is known that the persecutor who was pursuing her did not give up and, using the power and persecution of the relatives of the young Arghira, learned of her departure and sent soldiers to bring her by force to the ranks of his women. At that time, the neighborhoods inhabited by the Orthodox Greeks of Con...
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