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

The ordinance of the Sacrament of the Holy Unction, as a visible part, consists of prayers for the sanctification of the oil, the anointing of the sick with it, the reading of the seven fragments of the Apostle and the Gospel, prayers for forgiveness and healing, and as an invisible part, it consists of the forgiveness of sins, therefore the healing of the soul. The seven different prayers that are said during the service of the Holy Unction occupy a central place in the service. Recalling the mercy and kindness that God has always shown towards people, they ask for the preservation of the life of the sick person, relief from torment, healing and strengthening of the body, and at the same time forgiveness of sins, spiritual strength, the renewal of his whole being, and the renewal of his life in Christ. Each prayer insists in a particular way on one or another of these aspects, but all of them put together the comfort of the soul and the relief of the body; they link spiritual and phys...

Holy Communion represents, for the Orthodox Christian, the supreme moment of union with Christ, marking the beginning of a mysterious work that must be preserved and fruitful. "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him" (John 6:56). This "abiding" is not a simple momentary state, but an exhortation to a new way of life, so that the whole of existence becomes a place of God's presence, for according to the teaching of our holy Church, the Savior is truly present in Holy Communion not only with His body and blood, but also with His soul and divinity, that is, with His full being. The real presence implies the fullness of being, that is, of the divine and human natures, inseparably united in the Person of the Incarnate One, a fact confirmed by the words of Saint John Damascene: “The Bread and Wine are in no way the representation of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, but the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ Himself united with the divinity....

There are people who never turn to God, never pray. And suddenly their soul is filled with bitterness, their mind with anxiety, and their heart with sorrow. And the man feels that, in his desolate state, no other human being can help him – even if he listens to him to the end, he is not able to understand his pain. Then the man turns to God and says, sighing from the heart: “Lord, have mercy on me!”. It would seem that it is enough to say “Lord, have mercy!” only once in prayer; but we say it three times, and twelve times, and forty times. This is done for tormented souls, who cannot even utter “Lord, have mercy!”. So the Church prays for them . And the Lord hears; and even if at first a person barely feels grace, like the flame of a candle, then he feels it more and more, and his soul becomes lighter. ( Saint Elder Nectary of Optina )

According to recent research in neuroscience, neurocerebrology, neuroeconomics, and neuromarketing, when people perform acts of generosity or kindness toward their fellow humans, but not when they receive, the activity of brain regions associated with stress and the “fight or flight” defense system – the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, the right insula, and both sides of the amygdala – is massively diminished, to the point of extinction, leading to a state of general calm and serenity, felt on a physical and mental level. By suppressing activity in areas associated with the feeling of stress, the “quiet brain” experiences positive inner states. Thus, the same centers that respond to pleasure induced by dopamine and oxytocin are activated in the cortex of those who provide material goods or emotional support. The former is a neurotransmitter of motivation, satisfaction and reward, and oxytocin, also called the “cuddle hormone”, creates and strengthens attachment bonds. More specifical...

She is the Mother of Jesus Christ and the Mother of all who are saved. Who first called her the Mother of the Lord? Elizabeth, who bore the Prophet John in her womb, who spoke through the mouth of his mother to the Virgin Mary: “And whence is this honor to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43). She is the one prophesied since Eden that she would crush the head of the serpent, she would redeem us from the fall into sin. At her birth, all ages heaved a sigh of relief, because she appeared who would redeem all humanity through the birth of the Son of God, the One Who would become, by taking flesh from her, the Son of Man. Every pious Christian has a holy feeling towards the one who gave birth to Jesus Christ, she being a creature among us, humans, who reached the pinnacle of deification, giving birth to Jesus Christ, our God.

The miracle-working icons of the Mother of God kept at the Vatopedi Monastery are: "Vimatarissa", meaning "Altar", "Paramythia", meaning "Comforter", "Pantanassa", meaning "Cancer Healer", "Elaiovrytissa", meaning "Oil Fountain", "Antiphonitria", meaning "Against the Voice", "Esfagmeni", meaning "The Stabbed One", and "Pyrovolitheisa", meaning "The Shot One", the latter located above the entrance gate to the monastery. Vimatarissa (Altar) The Mother of God Vimatarissa or Ktitorissa is the most famous icon housed in the Vatopedi Monastery, considered to be the protector of the settlement. It is placed in the katholikon of the Monastery, on the bishop's chair in the Holy Altar. According to tradition, when the ship carrying Arcadia, the son of Emperor Theodosius the Great, was wrecked, he was saved by the miraculous help of the Mother of God, who...