Fathers Archives - Page 11 of 12

Human Beings and the Cosmos (Part IV): The Fall as a Cosmic Catastrophe

06/23/2015

The Fathers, by detailed study of the Bible, have demonstrated that the Fall was a truly cosmic catastrophe, eclipsing the paradisal state with a new state of universal existence. Man, the son of God, wished to kill the divine Father and take possession of Mother Earth. ‘Man,’ says Maximus the Confessor, ‘wished to lay hold on the things of God without God, before God and not according to God’s will.’ And so ‘he delivered the

The Fifth Friday after Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! How Do We Pray the Psalms?

05/15/2015

By Jim Wellington How do we pray the Psalms? We should surely take our lead from the Holy Fathers of the Early Church and learn from their wisdom. Whilst researching the origins of the Jesus Prayer, I came across some fascinating insights in psalm-commentaries accredited to Fathers of the third, fourth and fifth centuries. These insights and the understanding of the Psalms which they promote, would have been available to the earliest monks and nuns

Five Powerful Sayings of the Fathers

01/08/2015

By Seraphim Danckaert Meaningful spiritual guidance is not always easy to find, especially nowadays. St. Paul reminds us: “For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers,” (1 Corinthians 4:15). Yet, within the Church, God has called forth true spiritual fathers in all epochs and places. These fathers, like St. Paul before them, beget us anew through the Gospel, and call us to salvation in Christ Jesus.

Of Angels and Demons

10/30/2014

By Father Lawrence Farley We Orthodox confess that we are amphibians—that is, that we are part animal, part angelic, that we simultaneously inhabit both the visible and the invisible world, the realms of both men and spirits. We have prayers in our daily prayer rule to our guardian angel, and we ask for help against the attacks of demonic spirits. For most of us, this bi-partite existence remains mostly theoretical, in that while we acknowledge

Do Not Judge

10/09/2014

As it is, the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son ….I judge no one … For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world! (Jesus Christ. See In. 5: 22. 8: 1 S. 12: 47) Therefore, judge nothing before the time, [that is] until the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of every heart.

A Universal Liturgical Language

09/30/2014

By Matushka Constantina Palmer “I will sing unto the Lord throughout my life, I will chant to my God for as long as I have my being. May my words be sweet unto Him, and I will rejoice in the Lord,” Prophet David prays. And the sweetness of Byzantine chant makes these words my own when they are brought to life by divinely inspired melodies. Byzantine chant inspires its listener. Of course in the beginning,

On the Commemoration of the Beheading of John the Baptist

08/29/2014

By Fr Antony Hughes, August 29, 2010 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. St. John knew who he was. Self-knowledge, say some of the Holy Fathers, is the greatest of all the spiritual gifts. He was the Forerunner, the last prophet of the coming Messiah, that is, of the Old Testament. Most of all he knew who he was not. He was not

ON OBEDIENCE

08/28/2014

Obedience is another indispensable implement in the struggle against our selfish will. With obedience you cut off your physical members the better to be able to serve with the spiritual, says St. John Climacus. And again, obedience is the grave of your own will, but from it rises humility. You must remember that you have of your own free will given yourself over to slavery, and let the cross you wear around your neck be

Monday of the Holy Spirit

06/09/2014

The ministry of the Holy Spirit was carefully described by Christ shortly before His death and resurrection, and after He rose from the dead, until His glorious Ascension. Some of His teaching was preserved in the Holy Scriptures, although not all, but all of His teaching has been faithfully preserved by the church. The service of Pentecost, and the Sunday matins hymns of ascents especially explain the “economy” of the Holy Spirit, but this teaching

ON GUARDING AGAINST THE RE-ENTRY OF VANQUISHED EVIL

02/03/2014

THE first time you are victorious over self may be a sign to you: Now I am on the way! But do not consider yourself virtuous, only thank God, for it was He who gave you the power; and do not rejoice beyond measure, but swiftly go on. Otherwise the vanquished evil may come to life and conquer you from the rear. Remember: the Israelites received the command from God to drive out all the

Archive

Human Beings and the Cosmos (Part IV): The Fall as a Cosmic Catastrophe

The Fifth Friday after Pascha, Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen! How Do We Pray the Psalms?

Five Powerful Sayings of the Fathers

Of Angels and Demons

Do Not Judge

A Universal Liturgical Language

On the Commemoration of the Beheading of John the Baptist

ON OBEDIENCE

Monday of the Holy Spirit

ON GUARDING AGAINST THE RE-ENTRY OF VANQUISHED EVIL

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