“You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you” Deut. 6:14. Since the time of Seth, the Lord has set apart unto Himself those who will abide in the true worship of Him. The guarding of true worship is an inextricable vocation of those who worship …
Continue reading Purifying Fire: Sermon of St. Seraphim (Zvezdinski) on the Divine Liturgy
My dear readers, below you will find a translation of a sermon by the New Hieromartyr Seraphim (Zvezdinski). It is the first of twenty two sermons specifically on the subject of the Divine Liturgy. It is, as far as I know, the first time it appears in English. As with all the holy newmartyrs of …
Christ is Risen! “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you where ever you go” (Joshua 1:9). “The Church is forever eager to joyfully walk towards apocalyptic martyrdom in order to defend and preserve the theanthropic Person of Christ,” St. Justin Popovich. …
Continue reading Anti-church and the Abomination of the Desolation
“Life in the one true God and Lord Jesus Christ is really our only true life because it is wholly eternal and completely stronger than death” St. Justin Popovich. Our Sweetest Lord Jesus has come to destroy sin, death and the devil. He has come to bring Life, and life most abundantly (cf. Jn 10:10). …
“'My counsels are not as your counsels, neither are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'But as heaven is distant from earth, so is My way distant from your ways, and your thoughts from My mind” (Is. 55:8-9). The ways, counsels, and thoughts of fallen man are as distant from the way of the …
“O Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth” (Ps. 25/26:8). Deep reverence and concern for the beauty of the Lord's house is characteristic of the servants of God. The Psalmist loves the House of the Lord because it is the place where the Glory of the …
Somewhere decades ago a true story was told. It's interesting how somethings stay with you throughout life. I must have been around nine or ten years of age. My parents took me to yet another Protestant gathering. Another adult speaking as I fidgeted in my chair. A missionary, I think, I mean my mind was …
“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. …
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 …
“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 …
