by St. Nikolai Velimirovich Thus then we Christians understand the earth, the sun and the stars as the symbols of spiritual reality and in no way as the reality itself. Pagans of all ages, however, have mistaken those luminous bodies of the firmament for (spiritual) reality. As soon as they took them for (spiritual) reality […]
On the Essence and Energies of God
July 5, 2018 By
by St. Basil the Great “It is by His energies that we say we know our God; we do not assert that we can come near to the essence itself, for His energeia descend to us, but His essence remains unapproachable.” (St. Basil’s Epistle 234 (ad Amphilochium), P.G., XXXII, 869 AB. Cf. ) […]
Does the Orthodox Church have a Pope?
June 5, 2018 By
by St. Nikolai Velimorivich Well, oh yes! It has its own Pope, greater than all popes and patriarch in the world. It has had and will have from the beginning to the end of the ages. This is the same pope invoked by all Christ’s Apostles, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and reason, […]
Homily on Thanksgiving
November 14, 2017 By
In anticipation of national Thanksgiving Day in the US, and the homilies which must be written and preached this coming Sunday, we offer wisdom from St. Basil, aptly called ‘The Great.’ by St. Basil the Great 1. You have heard the words of the Apostle, in which he addresses the Thessalonians, prescribing rules of conduct […]
Homily after the Earthquake
October 19, 2017 By
by St. John Chrysostom Translated by Bryson Sewell Even if feebleness hindered us[2] from celebrating with you[3] the spiritual chorus, nevertheless the labor of your journey did not make you faint. For even if that effort led you, dripping with much sweat, to this place,[4] nevertheless the lesson of the sermon changed our feebleness into […]
On the Vanity of Dabbling In End Time Mysteries
October 12, 2017 By
by St. Symeon the New Theologian Let us therefore put aside every vain and unprofitable disputation, and let us not seek ahead of time to learn what is proper to that hour, i.e., the Second Coming, but instead let us be persuaded by the Master Who says: “Search the Scriptures” (Jn. 5:39). Search, that is, […]
How Did St. John Chrysostom Understand the “Wrath of God” and “Divine Punishment”?
September 29, 2017 By
By John Sanidopoulos St. John Chrysostom probably more than any other Father of the Church speaks about the “wrath of God” and “divine punishment”. Most who read these passages often do so through the lenses of western medieval or reformation theology, even many Orthodox Christians, who are unable to read the depths of the spirit […]
On The Stricter Judgments In Store For Clergy
September 27, 2017 By
by St. Cyril of Alexandria What shall we do against these evils, we who have been entrusted by God with the doctrine of the mystery, against whom on the day of judgment those who are introduced into the mysteries will certainly testify? For they will say that they kept the faith as they were introduced […]
