I recently found this quote on humility from Elder Paisios from Sihla (A skete in the North of Romania close to the Sihastria Monastery where Elder Cleopas lived)
“It’s best for a man to become a clay vessel, which is useful to all people and for all kinds of daily work, for food, water, and so on. But golden vessels are put in safes and locked up in cupboards. For fear of thieves they are seldom used, maybe only once a year. A clay vessel has its daily use and service to man. So also is a humble man who does not seek honors and rank. He remains insignificant even amid men of lower rank, but he benefits, counsels, and… Continue reading
The Akathyst of the Holy Martyr Menas the Wonderworker
The shrine of St. Menas used to be for the Ancient Eastern Orthodox world what Lourdes is for Roman Catholics, a place where thousands of pilgrims would bring their prayers in distress and receive the grace of God in return, through the intercessions of the Holy Martyr.
Though the Shrine of Saint Menas was one of the most popular pilgrimage sites of the early Middle Ages, it fell into oblivion over the centuries with the Muslim occupation and was even believed by many scholars to be a myth. Following its discovery in 1905, the ruins of the fabled city of St. Menas were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 as one of the five most historically important… Continue reading
Fasting and the revelation of our shortcomings
Most of the Orthodox people have a hard time fasting. Every beginner realizes sooner rather than later that fasting is difficult, and the discipline of the stomach is not easy to master.
The struggle of fast has however another curious secondary effect: the amplification of all our other shortcomings. When we fail in fasting we feel guilty and unworthy. Continue reading
The struggle of prayer – a short practical guide
If you ask anyone in church about prayer they will most likely us a descriptor like: a pleasant experience, a conversation with God, a link with the absolute or other general terms, all positive in nature. Things are different however when, during Confession, a Father Confessor asks the same question. He will most likely hear more about lack of time, loss of focus, procrastination and struggle in general. The truth is that prayer is easier said than done. Continue reading
How to live an ecological life in Christ
Raising awareness of our spiritual footprint
There is a lot of talking these days about the environment and the impact our civilization will have on the planet for generations to come. A lot of damage has already been done and we are here now Continue reading
The Postmodern Truth of Resurrection
As citizens of the post-modern world we got so used to relative truth that we are quick to label any one that supports a fundamental truth of any kind as a fundamentalist. But there is no shame in upholding a fundamental truth. Imposing it on others yes, this could be a problem. But there is no evil in standing by it Continue reading
The Vanishing Pascha Multitudes
It is always uplifting to see the multitudes filling the Church for the beautiful services of Holy Week and Pascha. At this time most of the Churches seem too small to accommodate all the people wanting to receive God’s blessing. There is however one question that arises naturally: where are these people during the rest of the year? Continue reading
Love in times of recession
“The LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loved you.”
(Deu 23:5)
What makes our Christian religion unique is our concept of salvation. As Christians we have a Savior that loves us and in His love He comes down on Earth and saves us by
The Egypt’s Desert Fathers – Humility
An old man was asked, “What is humility?” and he said in reply, “Humility is a great work, and a work of God. The way of humility is to undertake bodily labour and believe yourself a sinner and make yourself subject to all.” Then a brother said, “What does it mean, to be subject to all?” Continue reading