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The Church Must Return to the Holy Fathers

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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...
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Healing through the spiritual father

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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...
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I know your illness, don't worry, you will recover and be fine

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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 ...
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The war of thoughts

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"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
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Many are troubled by the thought of praying for the dead

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Many are troubled by the thought of praying for the dead; they wonder what the point of this prayer is and what we hope to achieve through it... If you believe that prayers for the living help them, why would you not consider it possible to pray for the dead as well? Death is not the end, but a certain stage in the destiny of man, and this destiny does not harden like a stone at the moment of death. The love that our prayers express cannot be in vain; if love has power on earth, but has no power after death, then this would tragically contradict the word of Scripture that “For love is as strong as death”. Metropolitan Anthony of Souroj
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Let us imitate the saints

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Let us imitate the saints, let us imitate their faith, let us believe as they believed! And in what did they believe? In the invisible God, Who shows Himself in visible signs. Let us also imitate their warmth! What miracles did each saint perform! What lions did he conquer! What kings did he despise! Each saint surpassed all human thought because he had divine zeal. Just as we light a candle and a little heat is made, so let us also make a little heat in our souls. Finally, let us imitate their humility! But what does humility mean? While we are sinners, afflicted, let us nevertheless have the courage to confess: "Yes, here is God!" Or let us have the humility to confess His divinity, as the saints confessed! The place where God is becomes His dwelling place, and we also become God's dwelling places. Archimandrite Emilianos Simonopetritus
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The mind of the lazy is the devil's workshop

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For those who do not work hard and spend their lives in idleness, idleness gives birth to evil thoughts, and evil thoughts lead to evil deeds. The mind of the lazy person is a workshop of devils, in which the plans of the future downfall of the lazy person are forged and in which the lonely man weaves the snares of vices with which, sooner or later, he will be entangled. It is not by chance that laziness is listed among the seven deadly sins. From the ancient Egyptian ascetics, we have a wise apophthegm: “The monk who works is tempted by a single demon, and he who wastes time in vain is surrounded by a multitude of demons without number.” Archimandrite Seraphim Alexiev
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The humble keep their spiritual wealth in God's treasury

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– Elder, I see that I do not like to struggle in secret. Is that why I feel an emptiness inside me? – This requires great humility. Listen, if you want to love asceticism in secret, read the life of the Venerable Isidore[1], so that you will know what gold the Saint had, what virtues she had, and throw away your false money, those copper ones, and from now on collect gold gold and hide them in your heart and lock them up well, so that no one will steal them. Fools for Christ are not empty inside, but overflow from the overflow of the love with which God has filled them. Great Saints are these. They seem to speak foolishly, but in reality they give wise advice, which has great depth. Their humility is very great and they do not consider themselves at all. That is why God also makes them worthy to know the divine mysteries and to acquire many charisms. – Elder, how is it that some Pharisaites, although they saw Saint Arsenius performing so many miracles, did not understand him, but judge...
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The honor of God is infinitely greater than the honor of men

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Where the Kingdom of God has touched man and where man has called this Kingdom through his humility, through his love and the Kingdom of Heaven has touched the earth, those things never die. This is what God promises us. In the end, what God’s commandment does remains more known and more powerful even in this world than those who seek only their honor and pride and their money. The honor of God is infinitely greater than the honor of men. The honor and trust and faith of men in us and their love is so fleeting! Today men praise you, tomorrow they gossip about you, they judge you with incredible ease! On Palm Sunday they received Him and honored Him with branches and laid their clothes before Him and five days later they cried: Crucify Him, crucify Him! These are men, we are all like that. Now, how can people, says the Savior in one place – I paraphrase – how can people seek the honor of people, which is fleeting and false, and not the honor of God? Well, the honor of God is impermanent...
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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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