Below is a translation from Russian of a short message from Met. Luke of Zaporozhye. His words remind me of those of Bl. Seraphim Rose, "Orthodoxy is something first of all of the heart, not just the mind, something warm and not abstract and cold, something learned and practiced in life." Begin translation- Who of …
Tag: Orthodox Faith
To The Church of Sardis: Living with the Spiritually Dead
“To the angel of the Church of Sardis write: 'These things says the One Who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and are dead” (Rev. 3:1). In his monumental commentary on the book of Revelation, Archimandrite Athanasios makes clear …
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A Kingdom Not of This World
“My Kingdom is not of this world ...” (Jn. 18:36). The “world is the general name for all the passions, when we wish to call the passions by a general name, we call them the world,” teaches St. Issac the Syrian. Thus, the Kingdom of our Lord is not OF this fallen order of sinfulness. …
Who Is Mankind?
Central to the plan of the evil one is the destruction of the true understanding of who humanity essentially is. At current we are once again witnessing a nuanced but also a blatant assault on the nature of humanity. In this post, I will attempt to summarize the God-given revelation regarding the true nature of …
Where God is Not
Here is a little more of my translation from Russian of the works of St. Dimitry of Rostov. In this piece, he addresses how to abide with God and conversely how a person separates himself from God. The reader will note that St. Dimitry makes it very clear that where God is not allowed to …
With Faces Unveiled
Modern secular man has become materialized in his understanding. To a great degree, he no longer views the world and the events that transpire in it through the Spirit. Everything is mundane. Everything has a “scientific” answer. Experts rule and dictate base materialism. For the secular mind, there is nothing more than the material. And …
Christians Must Be Crazy
“To get ahead one must have a crazy streak, in the good sense of the term. Depending on how you use this crazy streak, you can become either a saint or a hero. But if you are not helped and are led astray, you can also become a criminal. One who doesn't have a crazy …
It is Better to be Outside of Heaven with God than to be in Heaven without Him
The futile search for a “happiness” that is found only in the material world leads in the long run to unhappiness. Even at current the frenzied rush to purportedly “keep people safe and healthy” reveals the tragedy of fallen existence. All we have, all of humanity's “well-being” and “happiness” is found in that which is …
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The Conspiracy of the Nations
“Why do the nations rage, and the people meditate on vain things? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, “Let us break their bands, and cast away their yoke from us” (Ps. 2:1-3). There is indeed a conspiracy, planned by the “nations,” …
Gracious Evil and Apostasy
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves” (2 Cor. 13:5). The Scriptures are replete with the call to self-examination. For the believer, this includes the examination of “whether ye be in the faith.” That is are we striving to hold fast to sound doctrine and teaching? St. Paul even gives …
The Inkless Pen 