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...

"[Papal infallibility] is the ultimate triumph of humanism..." -St. Justin Popovic St. Justin expresses the ultimate implications of the dogma of papal infallibility. Regardless of how frequent or infrequent papal infallibility is exercised, the embrace of such an ability for a man, even if supposedly given by God, is why St. Justin is righteously provoked. He perceives the ultimate implications of such a dogmatic pronouncement and shutters, calling to repentance all those hooked by such...

Foundational to any spiritual life is to have an experienced guide. St. Paisios offers answers to various questions regarding this essential aspect of Orthodox spiritual life: finding an experienced spiritual father and being healed by love and obedience. 0:00 Beginning 0:14 The Spiritual Life Requires a Spiritual Guide 2:29 Refer People to a Spiritual Father 5:38 A Spiritual Father Must Be Nearby 7:48 The Spiritual Father in the Family This is a reading from "Spiritual Struggle:...

Many Orthodox Christians have had to learn the hard way how to prepare not only to fast, but to feast. A feasting period, like we begin on Pascha and Christmas, requires us to remain watchful and sober if we are to preserve the grace we gained during the fast and avoid falling back into our old sins and bad habits. St. John Chrysostom is well aware of this and offers a timeless word to all who wish to take up their cross and follow Christ. -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you,...

An examination of an important part of the holy personality of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra in Lycia, his great love and zeal for Christ and His Church. Archbishop Averky was a righteous shepherd of the 20th century who served as Abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery and Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY. He was spiritual son of the great 20th century theologian and holy hierarch, Archbishop Theophan of Poltava, Russia, and therefore a living link in America to the...

"Don't be negligent, boys, lest you fall into the hands of thieves," counseled St. Joseph to his brotherhood. This short text is an ever-timely word from a God-bearing elder of our days. The text featured in this recording is from "The Elder Joseph the Hesychast (1897-1959): Struggles - Experiences - Teachings" by Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, p. 195-198. As of December 2023, it seems this book is out of print and very difficult to find. If this changes, please email me:...

Elder Ephraim writes, "Immediately say the [Jesus] prayer with pain of soul and at once you will be delivered from the warfare." This recording includes the following two excerpts: 1) My Elder Joseph the Hesychast by Elder Ephraim of Arizona, p. 339-343 -BUY HERE: https://stanthonysmonastery.org/products/my-elder-joseph-the-hesychast 2) Counsels from the Holy Mountain: Selected from the Letters and Homilies of Geronda Ephraim of Arizona, p. 165-169 -BUY HERE:...

It's Christmas season again! This 1989 article is as timely as ever. Something here for everyone to learn, to go deeper in our knowledge of Christ and ourselves. Thumbnail (see full version on youtube) includes a variety of toys, some great, some terrible, some in between. -On the left: “Snuggly Saint” of St. George from Draw Near Designs: https://www.drawneardesigns.com/play -Life of St. Porphyrios for kids from Potomatis Publishing on the...

Are the Jews, even in light of Christ's death and resurrection, still in some way the chosen people of God? If so, how should we understand them and their role in God's providence? Who are the true Jews and what role do Jews and Judaism have in the prophesied rise of Antichrist? Note from Metropolitan Vitaly (+,2006) Chief Hierarch of ROCOR, 1986-2001:"The author of the following article lives in Russia. We received it some years back. The whole tone of the article in composes, discrete,...

Fr. George Calciu (+2006) was one of the great confessors of Christianity in the twentieth century. Having survived the diabolic prison experiments of Communist Romania, Fr. George went on to become an apostle to spiritual seekers in Romania and, eventually, throughout the world. He was able to speak authoritatively of God's love and forgiveness because of his own experience of God's mercy. As a priest in America, Fr. George maintained a strict ascetic life of fasting and prayer, while at the...

Our father among the saints, Porphyrios, is a most beloved elder of our day. The Lord poured out incredible love to the world through him. His heart was on fire with love of Christ and by God's grace we have been left with his life and witness as inspiration for us unworthy ones of these last days. This excerpt from "Wounded by Love" exhibits his insatiable love for Christ, his wounded yet healed heart. This reading is from "Wounded by Love: The Life and the Witness of Saint Porphyrios", pp....

From the Publisher's Overview: On the Dogma of the Church: An Historical Overview of the Sources of Ecclesiology, the Holy Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky) explores patristic resources from the early centuries of Christianity. He brings seminal works at the periphery of the consciousness of every Christian to the forefront as living witnesses to the unbroken tradition of the Church. St. Hilarion's staggeringly extensive familiarity with sources both patristic and modern, coupled with his own...

Fr. Seraphim Rose offers us the foundational, patristic approach to the modern phenomena of UFOs, aliens, and "intelligent beings" from above. Be not deceived...hold fast to Christ and the faith of the God-bearing Holy Fathers. 0:00 Title 0:08 Introduction, excerpt from “Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works”, Ch. 77 3:24 Excerpt from "Explanation of the UFO Phenomena", Ch. 6, Section 4 from "Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future" (ORF) 13:20 "The Meaning of UFOs", Section 5...

A sobering call to our souls. Death awaits, wake up! This word from our holy Father Paisius calls us to chastise ourselves, repent, and endure every suffering for Him Who loves us and gave Himself for us. 0:00 Intro 0:18 A Brief Exposition of Thoughts Which Dispose To Repentance 7:57 The Battle Against Despondency, Slothfulness, and Weakness 10:13 An Instruction Moving To Contrition Which Cuts Off All Self-Exaltation and Human Pride, and Converts the Soul to Fountains of Tears This...

Hear many examples of how St. Paisios expressed his God-loving heart in daily life. These are expressions of true piety from a great saint of our times. A reading of pp. 414-421 from "Saint Paisios of Mount Athos" by Hieromonk Isaac -BUY "Saint Paisios of Mount Athos" by Hieromonk Isaac here: https://saintnektariosmonastery.com/Elder-Paisios-of-Mount-Athos -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ _______ From "Saint Paisios of Mount...

St. Daniel of Katounakia (+1929) cuts to the heart of who is a true theologian, and how one might walk the path towards that experience. His letter to a student of theology is especially applicable today when many are more drawn to follow academic theologians, Latin scholasticism and rationalism, and a devotion to an abstract reading of saints centuries ago without living connection to the saints of our day. Text of the letter:...

A reading of St. Theophan the Recluse's (+1894) homily examining the teachings of St. John the Theologian 0:21 St. John is above all an example and teacher of love 1:03 How contemporary "wise men" abuse St. John's teaching 2:01 The true teaching of St. John and the false teaching of “Indifferentism” 2:50 St. John binds together his teaching on love with God 5:03 On love and faith, and how St. John “categorically rejects those who say, ‘Believe as you want.’” 6:43 Test the spirits…is that...

Excerpts from Vol. 1 & 2 from the 12 Volume Booklet Series by Fr. Daniel Sysoev titled "How to Inherit Eternal Life". These booklets are great to give out to inquirers and catechumens, to sell at parish bookstores, and more. This recording covers two excerpts from each of the first two booklets. BUY the entire 12 volume, 560 total page booklet set here ($45): https://mission-shop.com/product/how-to-inherit-eternal-life-whole-series-of-12-books/ 0:00 Intro Booklet 1: God's Love and...

The story of St. Isaac, a great ascetic who was tricked by the devil who appeared to him in bright light, saying he was Christ. St. Isaac, after prostrating before him, was overcome by demonic power. They made him dance all night, leaving him near dead by the morning. After an arduous struggle, and with immense help from St. Anthony and St. Theodosius, St. Isaac regained his strength and abilities to take care of himself. He no longer lived as a hermit, but stayed with the brethren where he...

Fr. Alexey Young, also known as Hieroschemamonk Ambrose, is a close spiritual son of Fr. Seraphim Rose. In the same spirit of Fr. Seraphim, Fr. Alexey calls all Orthodox Christians to a greater awareness and conscious resistance to the error of Roman Catholicism and the grave temptation, very present in our own day, of false union with Rome. 0:00 Intro 0:10 The first way to resist false union is to pray and repent, then appeal to our hierarchs 0:30 What any patriarch and bishop does...

A reading of Homily 32 from St. Isaac the Syrian's Ascetical Homilies 0:11 One must hate sin to be freed from it 1:18 A Prayer 2:18 “On that Day God will not judge us about psalmody…" 3:55 “The End of unseasonable freedom is absolute slavery.” 4:48 “How sweet are the origins of the passions!” and “We do not desire sin, but with pleasure we accept the causes with bring it upon us.” 6:50 “Blessed is the man who has receded from this darkness and sees himself!” 7:54 “Every rest is followed by...

In Fr. Seraphim Rose’s time, as well as today in 2023, 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 father of the first millennium, as one can see in some western confessions and even by some Orthodox. In another extreme, some see him as the root source of a multitude of heresies, even explicitly or implicitly condemning him as a heretic. This collection of writings by...

Want to learn more about Baptism and the Reception of Converts? Uncut Mountain Press has just released a first-of-its-kind book: "Reception of the Heterodox into the Orthodox Church: Patristic Consensus and Criteria". BUY the book by 7/30/23 and receive excellent BONUS content. Learn more: --BUY the BOOK (including info about the bonus content and a free preview):...