St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, one of the most beloved Russian saints of the past few centuries, exhibits his apostolic love and zeal in these brief exhortations. Always remember the sufferings, the love of Christ Jesus. 0:00 Beginning 0:11 Remembrance of the Divine Passion 3:16 Imitation of the Life of Christ Text is from "Journey to Heaven", p. 99-103. To my knowledge, this book is out of print and unavailable except for overpriced third party copies. If this book is available for a...

This short excerpt from Elder George's treatise discusses the characteristics of experiences of theosis, union with God, the true purpose of each and every human being. Elder George (Kapsanis), former Abbot of the St. Gregorios Monastery on Mount Athos who reposed in the Lord on Pentecost 2014, presents the Orthodox understanding of Theosis and the essential path towards receiving this divine gift. -READ "Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life" by Elder George in many...

This short excerpt from Elder George's treatise explains the qualifications for attaining the true purpose of each and every human being: union with God, or Theosis. Elder George (Kapsanis), former Abbot of the St. Gregorios Monastery on Mount Athos who reposed in the Lord on Pentecost 2014, presents the Orthodox understanding of Theosis and the essential path towards receiving this divine gift. -READ "Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life" by Elder George in many...

St. Luke teaches: "With this deep and fiery repentance the force that prevented her from entering the church receded and she finally entered. There she fell before the life-giving Cross of the Lord and did not get up until the end of the service. Tears flowed from her eyes, from the eyes that once seduced men and are now cleansed with wholehearted and fervent repentance." -READ the Life of St. Mary of Egypt by St. Sophronius of...

In this letter, Fr. Seraphim expresses his reaction to unhealthy approaches to Blessed Augustine, the great bishop and Church father of Africa, and shares a more personal side of his own experience with Augustine and his works: "I feel in Augustine the love of Christ." In Fr. Seraphim Rose’s time, as well as today in 2024, many diverse and strongly held opinions exist when it comes to how we should regard Blessed Augustine of Hippo. In one extreme, some treat him as either the greatest...

St. Seraphim of Sofia discusses an important aspect of the Ecumenical Movement in the 20th century: Freemasonry. Presenting to the Moscow Pan-Orthodox Congress of 1948, which included representatives from nearly all autocephalous Orthodox churches, St. Seraphim highlights the well-known Freemason, John Raleigh Mott, the main promoter of "unity" among separate Christian groups. Mott spearheaded the 1910 World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh and the first meeting of the World Council of...

Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos (+1989) was a celibate priest who lived his whole life in the world. “He didn’t retreat to Mt. Athos which he loved dearly, but lived in the city of Athens...." Absorb the wisdom of this faithful priest of our times. 0:00 Beginning 0:07 Fasting and Dieting 2:21 Fasting and Name Days 3:02 Fasting and Hospitality -READ the text here: https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2013/11/elder-epiphanios-faces-challenging.html -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near...

Every year during the first Sunday of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the questions arise: "Why are we anathematizing people? Is the Church really sending them to hell? What is an anathema?" In his homily on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, St. Theophan the Recluse provides as answer to such questions, raising our theologoical consciences higher and guarding the faithful against seculization of the Church increasingly present today. -READ the text...

Elder Ephraim encourages a brother struggling with lust and self-abuse (masturbation), inspiring him never to despair and always to repent and trust in God’s infinite mercy. Such temptations are allowed by God to humble and strengthen our will, and such patient endurance wins divine crowns. A letter from Athos, June 30, 1958 from "Counsels from the Holy Mountain: Selected from the Letters and Homilies of Geronda Ephraim of Arizona", p. 167-168. -BUY "Counsels from the Holy Mountain":...

Our Lord said, "But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Matt. 12:36)." Abbess Thaisia, a spiritual daughter of St. John of Krodstadt, served as abbess of a convent in Leushino, Russia. Her autobiography and letters have served as an inspiration to countless souls and are as timely today as they were in pre-revolutionary Russia. -READ the text here: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/idletalk.aspx -BUY "Letters To A...

St. Herman, who traveled from his monastery in Valaam to share the gospel of Christ with the native Alaskans, established the light of Orthodoxy in the hearts of countless souls and forever changed North America. This reading shows forth some of his most inspiring and well-known teachings, vital for everyone, especially Americans. 0:00 Beginning 0:16 Apostolic Fervor 3:38 Protector of Orphans 5:06 Spiritual Power 8:44 Pride 10:15 Humility The text comes from the "Treasury of Spirituality"...

The towering figure of St. Nektarios offers a speech at the opening of a gymnasium in 1893, showing forth the purpose of a fit physique and the relationship between soul and body. St. Nektarios published this speech in 1894. Reading from "For Mind and Heart: St. Nektarios as Teacher" by Newrome Press, pp. 45-52. -BUY "For Mind and Heart: St. Nektarios as Teacher": https://newromepress.com/for-mind-and-heart-st.-nektarios-as-teacher/ -READ the entire speech...

"Let the children be conscious that they are members of Christ's family. Let the children come to love church!" With an inspiring message for parents, Fr. Michael Pomazansky exhorts us to help our children not just come to church but to learn to love church. Addressing practical aspects and the important matter of compulsion, this short article offers a always timely message to Orthodox Christian parents and their children. 0:00 Beginning 0:07 The parents’ obligation to raise their children...

St. Herman, who traveled from his monastery in Valaam to share the gospel of Christ with the native Alaskans, established the light of Orthodoxy in the hearts of countless souls and forever changed North America. This reading shows forth some of his most inspiring and well-known teachings, vital for everyone, especially Americans 0:00 Beginning 0:13 The Way of a Christian 2:50 Love For God 6:19 The Providence of God 7:18 Spiritual Warfare The text comes from the "Treasury of Spirituality"...

How do we prepare for Holy Communion and the Divine Liturgy? How should we spend the night before? How much do we desire to acquire and preserve the grace of God in our souls and bodies? Archbishop Averky and St. John Maximovitch embodied the holy tradition of the ancient fathers in the 20th century, expressing the wisdom of Christ applied to our own days. As you listen, do you find yourself struggling with these teachings, finding them burdensome? The Apostle John wrote, "For this is the...

Archbishop Theophan of Poltava (+1940) whom we commemorate today (February 6/19) was a spiritual son of St. Theophan the Recluse, spiritual father of Archbishop Averky of Jordanville, and confessor for the Russian Royal Family before their martyric deaths in 1918. In these letters we are given general advice on fighting the passions, prayer, and answers to various specific questions many people have today. 0:11 Letter 23: Fighting the Passions 1:32 Letter 24: The Inner Struggle With Vain...

Anyone inquiring into Orthodoxy will find clarity from Elder Cleopa's detailed exposition of the Scriptures, especially if the ever-virginity of the Virgin Mary is currently a stumbling block to Orthodoxy. Elder Cleopa is one of the most beloved Romanian elders of the 20th century. A confessor of the faith under the Romanian communists, Elder Cleopa was a truly heavenly man whom thousands of people from all over travelled to receive his counsel and sit in his presence. He was not only a...

St. Dorotheos of Gaza (+565), disciple of Sts. Barsanuphius and John, is one of the most revered teachers on spiritual life, speaking from his direct experience with Christ through his ascetic struggle. Here he addresses the fear of God, the three stages of divine fear, and the meaning of the Apostle John's famous words.This is an excerpt from the full recording:On Divine Fear - Abba Dorotheos of Gaza https://youtu.be/7CHHNtUv2YQ -READ "Our Holy Father Dorotheos of Gaza: Various...

Drawing upon the witness of Christ and many saints, St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite sets forth the standard (akrevia) for the Orthodox Church's weekly fasts on Wednesday and Friday. Even if the ideal is beyond our abilities or beyond what our spiritual father has blessed, we must know the standard and humbly be aware of how we measure up, repenting and striving to offer more and more of ourselves to our gracious King, Jesus Christ. This podcast is a reading from "Exomologetarion: A Manual of...

The story of 30 nuns, imprisoned for Christ, who refused to work for the Soviet regime and the miraculous events surrounding their witness to the truth. Originally published in English in “Russia’s Catacomb Saints” by I. M. Andreyev, Fr. Seraphim Rose, and Fr. Herman Podmoshensky. “We can work, but we do not wish to work for the regime of Antichrist and we shall not work even though they might kill us for this." -READ "Russia's Catacomb Saints"...

St. Maximus the Confessor explains one of the more difficult verses in sacred Scripture: "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor 5:21). This is a reading of Question 42 from "On Difficulties in Sacred Scripture: The Responses to Thalassios". -BUY "On Difficulties in Sacred Scripture: The Responses to Thalassios" here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0813235715/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr= -BUY an...

Fr. Seraphim Rose, in his examination of phenomena leading to our modern age, touches upon a most controversial and disputed document: “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”. Originally published in 1905 by Sergius Nilus in Russia, “Protocols” was blessed for publication by St. John of Kronstadt and would not have been possible without his support. One must take a sober, balanced look at this document, which Hieromonk Seraphim Rose offers in Lesson 9 of his Orthodox Survival Course.  0:00...

St. Gregory Palamas, in preparation for the feast of Theophany, calls his flock to remember the grace of their baptism and the high calling they have as children of God. He provides a summary of the practical aspects of how a person is baptized, giving spiritual commentary about this apostolic tradition. He then details the example and teachings of St. John the Baptist and his perennial, soul-profiting wisdom as recorded in the Holy Scriptures. This is a reading of Homily 59: "On What is...

With pain of heart, we present the teachings of St. Paisios to correct the blasphemies of Archbishop Elpidophorus and guard the faithful against his lies, whose speech was presented by Bishop Athenagoras at the opening of a Hindu temple in New Jersey on October 4, 2023. Archbishop Elpidophoros writes: “This Hindu temple represents a Sacred Space…May the opening of this beautiful shrine be a beacon of joy, understanding and harmony within the Hindu community and beyond…In the spirit of love...