ἀνθρώποισι πᾶσι μέτεστι γινώσκειν ἑωυτοὺς καὶ σωφρονεῖν.
Cowardice is a childish disposition in an old, vainglorious soul. Cowardice is a falling away from faith that comes of expecting the unexpected. Continue reading “On unmanly and puerile cowardice – St. John Climacus”
by Panayiotis Christou
A further step was taken in Egypt by Pachomius (d. 346). As well as administration and prayer, he placed the shelter, dress, diet and work of the monks under supervision. Continue reading “The monastic life in the eastern Orthodox Church – The coenobitic system”
“Nowadays people often feel sadness, despair, lethargy, laziness, apathy, and all things satanic. They are downcast, discontent and melancholy. They disregard their families, spend vast sums on psychoanalysts and take anti-depressants. People explain this as ‘insecurity.’ Our religion believes that these states derive from satanic temptation. Continue reading “Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia: Overcoming Depression”
by Michael Bressem, Ph.D.
A round white mound, frosted with powdered sugar and decorated with candied almonds, sits on top of a silver platter with a thin lit candle in the center of it. Is it someone’s birthday? No, it’s the anniversary of someone’s death. It’s the almost weekly macabre reminder of our eventual demise, decay, and doom. Continue reading “Prayers for the dead”
by Panayiotis Christou
During the middle of the third century, persecution of Christians became so severe that many of them were forced to withdraw from the cities. Continue reading “The monastic life in the eastern Orthodox Church – The development of the monastic life”
by Panayiotis Christou
During the fourth century A.D. there appeared within the Church a strong movement of withdrawal from organized society to the desert, a movement which grew ever larger during the subsequent period. Continue reading “The monastic life in the eastern Orthodox Church – The origin of the monastic life”
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