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by Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos Regarding the meaning of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, St. Gregory Palamas interprets the parable hesychastically. St. Luke the Evangelist presents Christ's parable, in which we read: Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. (Lk. 15,13). St. Gregory does not analyze the parable in terms of morals, but … [Read more...]
by St. Peter of Damascus Even if you are not what you should be, you should not despair. It is bad enough that you have sinned; why in addition do you wrong God by regarding Him in your ignorance as powerless? Is He, who for your sake created the great universe that you behold, incapable of saving your soul? And if you say that this fact, as well as His incarnation, only makes your condemnation worse, then repent; and He will receive your … [Read more...]
by St. Cyril of Alexandria I hear one of the holy prophets trying to win unto repentance those who are far from God, and saying, "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God: for you have become weak in your iniquity. Take with you words, and return to the Lord our God." What sort of words then did he, under the influence of the Spirit, command them to take with them? Or were they not such as become those who wish to repent; such namely, as would … [Read more...]
By Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon is pastor of All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Chicago, IL, and a Senior Editor of Touchstone Magazine. This article, posted on OrthodoxyToday.org in June of 2005 is a short, but powerful statement of why Christians, particularly Orthodox Christians, must not weasel out of their obligations to the country, society and culture they live in. Inasmuch as Christ our Lord obliges all … [Read more...]
by St. John Maximovitch Our father among the saints, John Maximovitch, was a diocesan bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) who served widely from China to France to the United States. Countless miracles have been attributed to this holy bishop, both during his lifetime and since his repose. During this year, we will be offering some of his Pre-Lenten and Lenten themed sermons for your reference. Read them reverently. And … [Read more...]
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