How greatly, then, we ought to honor and be grateful
to these great benefactors of ours.
For they intercede ceaselessly for us before God,
imploring Him to have mercy on us and save us from eternal hell.
Not to mention that they are always by our
side—protectors and helpers in all things!
Saint
Niphon of Constantiana
What are You saying? We find ourselves among wolves,
yet You command us to be like sheep and doves? "Yes," He says,
"for nothing changes the evildoer's conduct quite like bravely enduring
what he inflicts upon us, without retaliating for the malice either in word or
deed." This makes us more prudent, earns us a greater reward, and benefits
them as well. Did someone insult you? Pray for him. Consider what you gain from
this: you have extinguished the evil, secured a reward for yourself, changed
his behavior, and suffered no harm yourself.
We weary ourselves in vain. Our life is a shadow and a
passing dream. Where are our parents, our relatives, and our grandparents? The
grave has taken them all, and they have decayed and become food for worms. The
grave and corruption await us also.
O death, the remembrance of you is exceedingly bitter.
Our Christ has given us the strength to become children of God, arming us with
many divine weapons so that we may fight our merciless enemy. Yet we—and I am
the first of all—become prisoners of our adversary through neglecting the
weapons that Christ has given us. And the closer we draw to death, the more we
tremble with terror, and we try by every means to prolong our lives, because
the soul fears leaving the body. Why? Why do you not take courage as a daughter
of God? Is she going to a strange king? But the King is her Creator and her
Saviour, who shed His blood to set our soul free from its enemy. Why, then, are
you afraid and lacking courage?
Death is cold by its very nature: “My soul is
exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death,” as Jesus said. Most of our
fear—unfortunately—comes from the conscience, for it does not assure the soul
that it has lived properly, because it has not lived with order and discipline,
nor washed the wedding garment. Therefore, it is ashamed to stand before the
King, pondering the judgment it will receive: yes or no? Shall I be saved or
not? If the soul departs without confession and without complete repentance,
then woe to it at that hour—this is the evil day to which the Prophet Jeremiah
referred: “Let them not be a terror unto me: Thou art my refuge in the day of
evil.”
Let us pray that our Holy God may deliver us from all
these terrors by granting us complete repentance and works worthy of it—works
of mercy and love—and a spirit of repentance together with true humility. May
the righteous Judge be merciful to us, so that when the fearful hour of death
comes, the soul may take courage, trusting in the mercy of God, and say: “I am
confident that God will have mercy on my wretchedness.” Amen.
WORDS OF COUNSEL FROM THE HOLY MOUNTAIN
Once, while I was a monk, I was cleaning the sanctuary
of Saint David of Euboea.
Saint Iakovos Tsalikis entered and went before the
icon of Saint David—unaware that I was also inside the sanctuary—and began
speaking to the Saint; he read him a letter and spoke about a sick person,
asking him to go and heal him.
He spoke with such deep emotion and reverence, as if
Saint David were standing right there beside him.
I accidentally dropped the dustpan I was using to
sweep, and he asked:
"Who is in here?"
"It’s me, Elder," I replied.
"My dear Ilarion, you’ve been here a while—you
heard what I was saying. Please don't misunderstand; I’ve taken some heart
medication and I’m having hallucinations; I’m disoriented and dizzy." (Of
course, he said this to conceal the virtue of his prayer—his frequent, direct
conversations with the Saint).
He said to me:
"Father, don't say a word about what you heard or
saw; let's not give people cause to mock us."
"God bless, Elder." Later that afternoon, he
saw me in the kitchen—where I was serving as assistant cook to Fr. Kyrillos—and
said to me discreetly:
"My dear Ilarion, a thousand apologies for lying
to you this morning in church.
I wasn't feeling dizzy, nor did I take any pills; I
simply wanted to conceal the virtue of prayer and the communion I share with
the Saint (David), lest I fall into vainglory and be lost.
Whatever I desire, I ask of the Saint in this way, and
he grants it to me."
Saint
Iakovos Tsalikis
Saint Pelagia the Penitent was converted to
Christianity by Saint Nonnus, Bishop of Edessa (Saturday of Cheesefare Week).
Before her acceptance of Christianity through Baptism, Pelagia was head of a
dance troupe in Palestinian Antioch, living a life of frivolity and
prostitution.
One day Pelagia, elegantly dressed, was making her way
past a church where Saint Nonnus was preaching a sermon. Believers turned their
faces away from the sinner, but the bishop glanced after her. Struck by the
outer beauty of Pelagia and having foreseen the spiritual greatness within her,
the saint prayed in his cell for a long time to the Lord for the sinner. He
told his fellow bishops that the prostitute put them all to shame. He explained
that she took great care to adorn her body in order to appear beautiful in the
eyes of men. “We... take no thought for the adornment of our wretched souls,”
he said.
On the following day, when Saint Nonnus was teaching
in the church about the dread Last Judgment and its consequences, Pelagia came.
The teaching made a tremendous impression upon her. With the fear of God and
weeping tears of repentance, she asked the saint for Baptism. Seeing her
sincere and full repentance, Bishop Nonnus baptized her.
By night the devil appeared to Pelagia, urging her to
return to her former life. The saint prayed, signed herself with the Sign of
the Cross, and the devil vanished.
Three days after her baptism, Saint Pelagia gathered
up her valuables and took them to Bishop Nonnus. The bishop ordered that they be
distributed among the poor saying, “Let this be widely dispersed, so that these
riches gained by sin may become a wealth of righteousness.” After this Saint
Pelagia journeyed to Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives. She lived there in a
cell, disguised as the monk Pelagius, living ascetic seclusion, and attaining
great spiritual gifts. When she died, she was buried in her cell.
Indeed, it differs in no way from the tongue of the
martyrs; for, like them, it too is crowned—since an executioner stood over it
as well, compelling it to deny God through blasphemy.
If, then, you endure pain and give thanks to God, you
have received the crown of martyrdom.”
- Saint Isaac the Syrian
The zealous are tested so that they may increase their spiritual wealth...
The lukewarm, so that they may be compelled to guard themselves against what harms them...
The slumbering, so that they may wake up...
Those who have strayed, so that they may draw near to God once more...”
Saint Isaac the Syrian.
What a great mystery!
The thief repented; he needed water to be baptized.
He was hanging on the cross; there was no place for
him to be baptized—no spring, no lake, no rain—nor was there anyone to
administer the sacrament.
For all the disciples had fled out of fear of the
Jews.
Yet Christ did not lack life-giving waters; even while
hanging on the cross, He brought forth water.
Since it was impossible for the thief to enter the
Kingdom without baptism, the Savior offered blood and water from His pierced
side—to free the thief from the burdens he bore, and to demonstrate that His
blood became the ransom for those who place their hope in Him.
(EPE, Philokalia, Works of Theodore the Studite, 1.61)
“Byzantine ecclesiastical music is a teaching... It
softens the soul of man and gradually raises him to other spiritual realms
through his voice, which sows spiritual delight, joy, and thanksgiving, and
leads him into another spiritual world. This is how it truly is, my children.
So do not look at where you are or at what you hear them doing. When you do
this slowly, you enter into it spiritually, and you feel what you ought to do.
The chanter may be selfish, swaying and taking pride
in himself, and thus he may be hollow. Perhaps he possesses a voice that
affects others, but when the true saint chants, he carries something else. He
does not possess merely his voice; rather, together with his voice, which pours
forth in waves of melody, he also radiates grace in mysterious waves that reach
the souls of people and move them more deeply.
As for the “hollow musician”—let us call him that—he
is the selfish one who possesses pride and takes pleasure in it. But the holy
musician sends forth spiritual waves together with his voice. And this is a
very great mystery. Therefore, if you go to the Holy Mountain and hear the
monks chanting, even if your heart is frozen like a stone, as soon as you hear
them, you say: “There he is. This chanter can truly move souls...”
Saint Porphyrios once said of Saint Romanos the
Melodist: “Romanos was entirely in the grace of Christ, and everything he wrote
was perfect.”
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus
Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen!
If you are troubled by something, it means you have
not fully surrendered to God's will, even if it seems to you that you are
living according to His will.
Whoever lives according to God's will is anxious about
nothing.
And if he is in need of something, he entrusts himself
and his need to God.
And if he does not receive what he desires, he remains
calm, as if he already possessed it.
A soul surrendered to God's will fears nothing…
The Sanctuary (Holy Altar area) of the Church is the
heart of divine worship—the space where the Sacrament of the Divine Eucharist
is celebrated. It is a continuation of the Old Testament tradition, wherein the
High Priest alone would enter the "Holy of Holies" once a year
(Leviticus 16:34). In the New Testament, this space is preserved as the place
where the priest, acting as an icon of Christ, offers the Eucharistic
sacrifice.
The Holy
Canons:
The prohibition against women entering the Sanctuary
is not a human invention but a canonical tradition:
Canon 44 of the Council of Laodicea (4th century):
"Women must not enter the Sanctuary." The wording is absolute; the
entry of women into the Sanctuary is forbidden.
Apostolic Canon 69 defines who may approach the holy
vessels and the area of the altar; women are certainly not included among them.
The Council of Carthage also confirms that only the clergy
and those with a specific liturgical ministry may enter the Sanctuary. The
Canons demonstrate that, from the very beginning, the Church upheld this
tradition as an expression of reverence for the Sacrament, rather than as a
form of social discrimination.
Why women do not enter the Sanctuary and do not become
priests.
The
Sanctuary as the Holy of Holies:
The Sanctuary (Holy Altar area) of the Church is the
heart of divine worship—the space where the Sacrament of the Divine Eucharist
is celebrated. It is a continuation of the Old Testament tradition, wherein the
High Priest alone would enter the "Holy of Holies" once a year
(Leviticus 16:34). In the New Testament, this space is preserved as the place
where the priest, acting as an icon of Christ, offers the Eucharistic
sacrifice.
The Holy
Canons:
The prohibition against women entering the Sanctuary
is not a human invention but a canonical tradition:
Canon 44 of the Council of Laodicea (4th century):
"Women must not enter the Sanctuary." The wording is absolute; the
entry of women into the Sanctuary is forbidden.
Apostolic Canon 69 defines who may approach the holy
vessels and the area of the altar; women are certainly not included among them.
The Council of Carthage also confirms that only the clergy
and those with a specific liturgical ministry may enter the Sanctuary. The
Canons demonstrate that, from the very beginning, the Church upheld this
tradition as an expression of reverence for the Sacrament, rather than as a
form of social discrimination.
The Church
Fathers:
The Holy Fathers emphasize the distinction in roles
between men and women within the Church—not in terms of inferiority, but in
terms of ministry.
Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus (*Panarion*, 79) writes:
"Christ bestowed no priestly office upon women in the Church... rather,
other gifts were granted to them, for salvation and sanctification."
Saint John Chrysostom explains that the priesthood is
an imitation of Christ as High Priest; for this reason, it was entrusted only
to men.
Saint Gregory the Theologian speaks of the woman’s
unique calling to bear life and become a "chosen vessel" of grace,
without the need for the liturgical role of the priest.
The Sole
Female Presence in the Sanctuary:
In the Sanctuary, the only female figure depicted is
the Most Holy Theotokos. She who bore God Himself within Her womb is always
depicted in the Sanctuary—usually in the conch of the apse—in the iconographic
type known as the "Platytera ton Ouranon" (Wider than the Heavens).
Her presence is of decisive theological significance:
She represents the entire human race before God.
She demonstrates that women are not excluded but are
honored in the highest degree; for a woman became the "Bridge connecting
humanity to Heaven."
The Theotokos "embraces" all the faithful
with Her grace; that is why the Church requires no other female figure in the
iconography of the Sanctuary.
Why women
are not ordained as priests:
Priesthood is neither a privilege nor a social office;
it is an imitation of Christ. The Lord became a man and entrusted the mystery
of the priesthood to male Apostles. The Church remains faithful to this fact
not because it undervalues women, but because it remains faithful to the
Incarnation and the Apostolic tradition.
Saint John of Damascus notes that "the Theotokos
transcends the priesthood, being the throne of the King of Glory". This
demonstrates that the calling of women is not lesser, but rather different and
equal in worth.
Through its Canons and the Church Fathers, the Church
upholds the order whereby women do not enter the Holy of Holies and do not
become priests. Yet, the presence of the Theotokos within the Holy of Holies
reveals that woman is not excluded; on the contrary, she is honored at the
highest point of the Divine economy.
The Theotokos—the Platytera—stands there always with
open arms, embracing us all with Her grace and reminding us that the path to
Christ lies through humility, love, and obedience to His will.The Holy Fathers
emphasize the distinction in roles between men and women within the Church—not
in terms of inferiority, but in terms of ministry.
Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus (*Panarion*, 79) writes:
"Christ bestowed no priestly office upon women in the Church... rather,
other gifts were granted to them, for salvation and sanctification."
Saint John Chrysostom explains that the priesthood is
an imitation of Christ as High Priest; for this reason, it was entrusted only
to men.
Saint Gregory the Theologian speaks of the woman’s
unique calling to bear life and become a "chosen vessel" of grace,
without the need for the liturgical role of the priest.
The Sole
Female Presence in the Sanctuary:
In the Sanctuary, the only female figure depicted is
the Most Holy Theotokos. She who bore God Himself within Her womb is always
depicted in the Sanctuary—usually in the conch of the apse—in the iconographic
type known as the "Platytera ton Ouranon" (Wider than the Heavens).
Her presence is of decisive theological significance:
She represents the entire human race before God.
She demonstrates that women are not excluded but are
honored in the highest degree; for a woman became the "Bridge connecting
humanity to Heaven."
The Theotokos "embraces" all the faithful
with Her grace; that is why the Church requires no other female figure in the
iconography of the Sanctuary.
Why women are not ordained as priests:
Priesthood is neither a privilege nor a social office;
it is an imitation of Christ. The Lord became a man and entrusted the mystery
of the priesthood to male Apostles. The Church remains faithful to this fact
not because it undervalues women, but because it remains faithful to the
Incarnation and the Apostolic tradition.
Saint John of Damascus notes that "the Theotokos
transcends the priesthood, being the throne of the King of Glory". This
demonstrates that the calling of women is not lesser, but rather different and
equal in worth.
Through its Canons and the Church Fathers, the Church
upholds the order whereby women do not enter the Holy of Holies and do not
become priests. Yet, the presence of the Theotokos within the Holy of Holies
reveals that woman is not excluded; on the contrary, she is honored at the
highest point of the Divine economy.
The Theotokos—the Platytera—stands there always with
open arms, embracing us all with Her grace and reminding us that the path to
Christ lies through humility, love, and obedience to His will.
He is, in other words, a person who knows how to be at
ease wherever he finds himself.
Whether he encounters poverty?
Or wealth?
Whether he is among good people?
Or bad ones?
Among those who love him?
Or those who do not?
Those who want him?
Or those who do not?
Those who hate him?
Or those who slander him?
It makes no difference to him!
He knows how to adapt wonderfully and live joyfully.
And the more he prays, the more resilient he
becomes—to the point where he does not even feel the difficulties he is going
through!
✞ Elder
Aimilianos of Simonopetra
— "Father, I met a boy, and he tells me he wants
us to have sex."
I state it just like that—bluntly.
And I ask:
— "Does he love you?"
She tells me:
— "Yes, he loves me!"
I say:
— "Because he told you so? That’s good
advertising.
If that’s the case, let him prove it."
She asks:
— "How will he prove it?"
— "Let me give you the trick," I tell her...
We’re full of tricks around here.
She says:
— "Tell me the trick, Father."
I say:
— "Look, the trick is tried and tested.
I, at least, have tested it for thirty-two years.
And it’s top-notch.
I mean, for the person who used it, the success rate
was one hundred percent."
She says:
— "Tell me!
I’m dying to know!"
I say:
— "It’s very simple!
Just wait. It’s that simple.
He said he loves you?" To love means doing
something for you without expecting payment.
In other words, if I love a poor person, I won’t tell
him, "Give me ten euros, too."
Why should he give anything to me?
So! Tell me, my friend, do you love me?
Yes. Good.
To love me for free—what does that mean?
To love me for free. Without getting anything from me.
If he says, "But... and you... and me... and what...", and "You
know, I’m a man and I have needs," [then] we’ve moved into the realm of
consumerism, haven't we?
To love you for free.
She tells me:
"I’m going to lose him."
"What do you need him for?" I say.
He’s a merchant. He’ll leave you once he’s used you.
Like a souvlaki. You just toss the wrapper on the
ground and that’s that, right?
And you litter the garden, too.
Am I wrong?
Well, this method—the Church’s method—is so simple!
It’s been tested by me for thirty-two years! A one
hundred percent success rate!
And all the little men run for the hills.
Because they can't handle it without consumption.
Right? So I tell her:
"You're actually dodging a bullet!"
Eh? Because he would have left you later anyway!
Mind you!
If he loves you, he’ll stay!
And then we’ll see.
Then we’ll take it a step further. We’ll talk it over.
(Fr. Konstantinos Stratigopoulos+)
John Chrysostom (Migne, Vol. 54) warns that young
people—and adolescents even more so—"if they adopt a form of love detached
from commitment, engaging in frequent sexual encounters merely for release,
acquire a chronic *erotic disability*" and will never be able to
experience *TRUE Love*.
The commodification of love and the female body—which
is sacred, for it gives life and is a temple of the Holy Spirit—destroys the
very essence of the human soul.
In the mass media, on the Internet, and in all manner
of tabloids, relationships are romanticized, yet their true meaning is not
conveyed. Spousal love and romantic passion are sacrificial—often
exhausting—yet they lead to the earthly paradise of heart-to-heart communion
and oneness, and guide the couple toward the eternity of Paradise.
He finally met the wise elder after a long journey
across a vast stretch of the desert...
Yet, he was surprised to find the elder living in a
tent where the only furnishings were a mattress on the sand, a low table, two
stools, and many books.
Turning to the wise elder, he asked in bewilderment:
"Where is your furniture...?"
The elder looked at the merchant and replied with a
question:
"Where is yours...?"
"But I have none; I am just passing
through...!"
"I, too, am just passing through...!"
Most people live as if they will stay here forever...
They have forgotten to be happy!!!
The value of things does not depend on how long they
last, but on the intensity with which they are experienced.
That is why there are unforgettable moments, inexplicable
things, and incomparable people.
If
you grasp this...
You, too, can be happy today... and every day!!!
It is the holy virtues, the holy evangelical virtues:
humility,
faith,
fasting,
meekness,
patience,
goodness,
kindness,
mercy,
truthfulness,
love of Christ,
confession of Christ,
suffering for the sake of Christ.
These and many other holy New Testament virtues.
Every commandment of Christ, my brothers; this is a
virtue...
Every virtue is a little paradise.
Every virtue nourishes your soul, makes it blessed,
brings down to your soul divine, heavenly rest.
Every virtue is a golden and diamond step on the
ladder of your salvation, on the ladder that unites earth with Heaven...
Saint
John of the Ladder
Without temptations and struggle, you cannot draw near
to God.
Elder
Ieronymos of Aegina
The two candles symbolize the two natures of our Lord
Jesus Christ—the God-Man—namely, the divine and the human. The three candles,
naturally, symbolize the Holy Trinity.
During the chanting of the Trisagion Hymn, the Bishop
offers a special prayer to the Lord, invoking a blessing from on high upon the
Church and blessing both the clergy and the laity with the *dikirotrikiron*.
He refers to this body of the faithful and the clergy
as the "Vine," drawing upon the imagery Christ used to liken the
relationship and unity between believers and Himself to a vine (see John 15).
The act of blessing the faithful in the shape of a
cross while this prayer is intoned follows the precedent of the cross-shaped
blessing Jacob bestowed upon his grandsons—Joseph’s children, Ephraim and
Manasseh (see Genesis 48)—which serves as an Old Testament prefiguration of the
grace of the Precious Cross.
I felt that I have no enemies—that even those who fought
against me were simply sick people, just like me.
I felt that I can love you even when you do not love
me, respect you even when you do not respect me, and appreciate you even when
you do not appreciate me.
And then I am free; then I dance to my own rhythm and
not to yours—and that is why I am free.
And I felt this, firstly as a gift from God, and
secondly as a revelation of what lies hidden behind His commandments.
Freedom lies hidden there, blessing lies hidden there,
joy lies hidden there...
+Pavlos, Metropolitan of Sisaniu and Siatista
But if you acquire inner beauty, that beauty will
radiate outward to the physical person as well, and thus that beauty will
endure.
Saint
Ephraim the Syrian
Afterward, the nun in charge of the refectory and her
assistant began clearing the tables, carrying the dishes through a hallway to
the kitchen.
Suddenly, a loud crash rang out in the corridor; a
tray had fallen, and all the dishes shattered against the marble floor.
The Abbess, who had not yet left the refectory,
immediately went to see what was happening.
She found a single nun bent over, gathering up the
broken pieces.
In a stern, severe tone, she asked:
"Did you do this?"
"Bless me," the nun replied.
And the Abbess said to her:
"Tomorrow—Sunday—you will not receive Holy
Communion, and you must perform five hundred full prostrations."
"May it be blessed," the nun answered, and
she continued to gather the shards and clean the area.
The next day, Sunday, the nun in question remained on
her knees from the opening "Blessed is the Kingdom..." until the very
end of the Divine Liturgy, while tears streamed from her eyes.
When the time for Holy Communion arrived, she bowed
her head to the floor, watering it with her tears.
She remained in that position until the Divine Liturgy
concluded. As the Abbess was the last to leave the church, she noticed the nun
who was still standing in that same spot; she approached her and asked what was
wrong.
The nun remained silent, but upon the Abbess’s
insistent questioning, she answered—very hesitantly and shyly—that while the sisters
were receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, she had suddenly raised her head,
and a portion [of the Holy Sacrament] flew from the Holy Spoon and entered her
mouth.
Then the Abbess asked her:
"Which sister was next in line to receive
Communion at the moment this happened?"
She bowed her head and, very softly and hesitantly,
spoke the sister's name.
"Now," said the Abbess, "in the face of
this miracle that has occurred, and in the Name of the Holy God, you must tell
me what happened yesterday; you must tell me the whole truth."
"As I was leaving the refectory with a tray full
of dishes and passing through the connecting area, that particular sister came
up and pushed me with both hands; I fell, and that is how the damage
occurred."
My brethren, God miraculously brought the truth to
light, rewarding the holy humility of the one sister while withdrawing Grace
from the other. Then the Gerontissa called the other sister and asked her:
"Tell me, please, what did you receive at
Communion today?"
And she replied:
"Nothing, Gerontissa; the Holy Spoon was
empty!..."
Source: the book *Experiences During the Divine
Liturgy*
