Below the reader will find the English translation of an open letter by the faithful of the Zaporozhye Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The faithful Hierarch of this Diocese is Luke. I have in the past translated a few of his writings (which may be found on this …
Category: Modern issues
There is no place for despair for a Christian on earth
Words and consolation from our sweetest Lord Jesus come in various ways. This past week I encountered a rather tumultuous situation, in the midst of which two dear priests (I believe unbeknownst to each other) shared this letter by St. Justin Popovich with me. Although I fall short, it brought words of consolation to me. …
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You may not, not kiss the Icon
For Orthodox Christians, what does it mean to properly venerate an icon? Are there required physical actions of Orthodox when venerating an icon? Can one simply venerate it in one's heart and forego outward physical greetings? Many people are already familiar with the theological teaching behind the use of icons as proclaimed especially in the …
Green Shepherds for the Global Fleecing
“Cursed is the person who has hoped in humankind and who will lean the flesh of his arm on him and his heart is removed from the Lord,” Jeremiah 17:1 The “climate change” agenda, as it is expounded by Government agencies, foundations, corporations, and so forth is much more about the control of humanity than …
Climate Change, Elite Powers, and Christianity
I remember back to my elementary school days in the 1980s, I had a sweet bowl-cut, knee-high socks – yes, white with colored stripes on the top – plaid shorts and a long underwear shirt under my tee-shirt. Yes, I was bold enough to mix plaid and stripes. Sometimes I think the 90's Grunge movement …
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Christianity and War
Here is the second part of a portion of St. Nikolai Velimirovich's work entitled, War and the Bible. As I noted in the preface to the first part, “I am already invested in the labor of directly translating the sermons of St. Seraphim (Zvezdenski), On the Divine Liturgy (in which translation I sit with the …
The Cause and Idol of War
A bit ago, my wife came upon an audio version, in Russian, of a work by St. Nikolia Velimirovich entitled, War and the Bible. As is her custom, she listens to various audiobooks while doing this or that around the house, many a time small crumbs of audio wisdom waft my way as I am …
Rome, Constantinople, Kyiv, and the Union of Man
“Just as the disruption of war can create new circumstances favorable to peace … so, too, can ecclesial conflicts create new circumstances for unity. At the end of 2022, divisions in global Orthodoxy have rarely been so deep. That paradoxically offers new possibilities for ecumenical progress,”1 proclaims a prominent Roman Catholic publication, The National Catholic …
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Christianity Transformed into Humanism
As Orthodox Christians living in the 21st century we as traversing through perilous times. The Truth of Christ in His Church is being relentlessly assaulted in a manner no less than that utilized by Godless Communism in the 20th century, although the methodology is not identical. Nonetheless, the diabolical goal to subjugate Eternal Truth to …
The Unity of Christ and the Collective of Antichrist
“They will do all these things to you on account of My Name, because they do not know the One Who sent Me” (Jn 15:21). The birth of the spirit of Uniatism On June 5th, of the year 1595, nine Ruthenian1 Orthodox Bishops gathered in the city of Brest (in modern-day Belarus) to formulate and …
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