Happy Thanksgiving everyone! In this episode, I’d like to tell you about America’s actual First Thanksgiving. In the spring of 1618, four gentlemen met in London, England, to negotiate the formation of a new company, The Berkeley Company, and to start a town and plantation in the colony of Virginia. They had received a grant from King James I for 8,000 acres there. On September 16, 1619, at 8:00 in the morning, the “Good Ship Margaret” set sail. The vessel weighed 47 tons and was 35 feet...

“The saints,” says St. Silouan the Athonite, “were people like all of us. Many of them came out of great sins, but by repentance, they attained the Kingdom of Heaven. And everyone who comes there comes through repentance, which the merciful Lord has given us through His sufferings.” This is but an echo of Our Lord’s answer when asked if few will be saved. He said: “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Luke 13:24 The Greek...

To what extent does one pursue physical healing? To what lengths should one go? When should one stop such a pursuit and simply rely on God’s providence? How do we obtain the phronema or the mind of the Church with respect to our own bodily suffering? The lives of the saints suggest that there is no singular answer to these questions other than to strive to keep the greatest commandments to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love others as ourselves. St. Nicodemus of the Holy...

You may be aware of the following quote from St. Silouan the Athonite: "Keep thy mind in hell, and despair not." But do you know the context of that quote? Check out this episode to learn about it and stay for the timeless wisdom of a beloved Siant, whose humility and love for God and man stand as a shining beacon for us all.  The episode is a series of excerpts from the book "Saint Silouan the Athonite," by St. Sophrony, translated by Rosemary Edmonds from St. Vladimir's Seminary...

According to St. Seraphim of Sarov, “Just as the Lord is solicitous about our salvation, so too the murderer of men, the devil, strives to lead a man into despair…”  Being exposed by our sins should humble us. It should bring us to blessed tears of repentance. But we must never ever sink into despair.  In order to receive the promise of adoption, we must be willing to partake of the suffering of sonship, through which Christ brought forth redemption by His resurrection from the dead. The...

St. Dyonisuis the Areopagite, a greek convert to Christianity in the 1st century when St. Paul preached in Athens at the Areopagus, said that: “[E]vil is Non-Existent.”  This may seem to be a mind-bending concept, but we can look to Genesis Chapter 1 to help explain this concept: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was invisible and unfinished; darkness was over the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water.” He created everything that...

Since the undertaking of a podvog involves the acceptance of sufferiung and the practice of self-sacrifice, let us briefly address, at least briefly, the different perspectives of suffering as it relates to salvation in Eastern Orthodoxy as opposed to Western Christianity. In Orthodox Christianity, suffering has no intrinsic value and does not discharge punishment due to sin. By His incarnation, Christ fused eternal being with created body; by enduring suffering, He made this body to learn...

“[I]n the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 Certainly, we can rightly abhor suffering and physical death, which are the result of sin, but we cannot, as Christians, be afraid of or avoid either one of them. Patiently enduring one’s cross for the sake of love is the only path to the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as Christ did not ascend the cross for the sake of punishment but as a voluntary offfering, so God does not punish us with...

A sermon by St. John Maximovich of Shanghai and San Francisco in Serbia in 1928 on St. Seraphim of Sarov. The sermon is as applicable to us today as it was then. As in the time of Tsar Nicholas II and his family,  the royal martyrs, we too, find ourselves on some sort of precipice. Something in the world is changing around us such that we can sense, but cannot fully perceive. Strange alliances are forming, war is raging with no end in sight, egged on and funded by nations who seemingly have...

This week, I share a story from an Elder on Mt. Athos about a layman who undertook a podvig (spiritual struggle) in simple obedience, which resulted in a miraculous spiritual accomplishment. We also learn of the dangers of pride in such instances.  "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 1:3.  "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." - Jesus...

Genesis tells us that man was created according to the image and likeness of God. St John of Damascus said ‘The expression according to the image indicates rationality and freedom, while the expression according to the likeness indicates assimilation to God through virtue.’  In the garden, mankind was adorned with all virtue, but it was lost as a result of the fall.  How do we get it back?  We must take up our cross and follow our Lord through podvig and the purification of our nous.  ---...

In this inaugural episode I briefly explain the history of the concept of podvig, outline it's aim as the struggle for true freedom, and set the stage for future meditations on this integral spiritual discipline. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thepodvigpod/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thepodvigpod/support

1 Peter 4:12-13 "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy" Hello and welcome to Podvig. I'm Joel Dunn. What is Podvig? Essentially it is the Russian Orthodox concept of the spiritual struggle towards holiness and ultimately for slavation. --- Send in a voice message:...