Experiences of Theosis are proportional to the purity of man. The more someone is cleansed from the passions, the higher the experience he will receive from God; he sees God just as it was written: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). When man starts to repent, to confess,
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THEOSIS – THE TRUE PURPOSE OF HUMAN LIFE – Part 9 of 10 – Failure of Many People to Reach Theosis
So, while we have been called for this great purpose; to unite with God; to become Gods by Grace; and to enjoy this great blessing for which our Maker and Creator made us, we often live as if this great and noble aim does not exist for us. Because of this, our life is filled
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THEOSIS – THE TRUE PURPOSE OF HUMAN LIFE – Part 7 of 10 – Qualifications for Theosis
The holy Fathers certainly say that within the Church we can attain Theosis. But at the same time they say Theosis is a gift from God, it is not something we can attain on our own. Of course, we must desire, struggle, and prepare ourselves so that we are worthy, capable, and receptive enough to
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IMPULSIVITY AND SELF-CONTROL: THE PROBLEM OF BEING OF TWO MINDS
The Apostle James once wrote, A double minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). That being of two minds, or more literally of two souls (δίψυχος), creates an instability of the will that makes the task of overcoming impulsivity especially challenging. Part of us is utterly persuaded that addictive behavior is bad
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THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT: THE CROSS AS A MEANS OF TRANSFORMING THE WORLD
Through the Cross, Christ sanctified His body—the link with the world. He rejected the temptations sent to Him by the world, that is to taste the pleasures, to satisfy His needs unrestrained or to avoid pain and death. If we, in the same way, ward off the temptations of sin and patiently suffer the pain
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HOW TO BECOME HUMBLE
A humble man is never rash, hasty or perturbed, never has any hot and volatile thoughts, but at all times remains calm. Even if heaven were to fall and cleave to the earth, the humble man would not be dismayed. Not every quiet man is humble, but every humble man is quiet. There is no
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Why Do Our Church Fathers See Death as a Gift from God?
Death is always something that brings sorrow to our hearts. So why should we look at it as a gift from God? The obvious answer is that death is the only pathway to the Kingdom of God. It is in death that we are reborn into His eternal kingdom. Of course it is not only
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Russian Film ‘Ostrov’ (‘The Island’) Now Available Free Online – Youtube and Amazon Prime
Ostrov (The Island) is a 2006 Russian film about a fictional 20th century Eastern Orthodox monk. The film closed the 2006 Venice Film Festival, proved to be a moderate box-office success and won both the Nika Award and the Golden Eagle Award as the Best Russian film of 2006. The film is focused on Father
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Holy Martyrs Faith, Hope, and Love, and Their Mother, Sophia
During the reign of the impious Roman Emperor Hadrian, a widow of Italian ancestry called Sophia, whose name means wisdom, lived in Rome. She was a Christian, and in accordance with her name, she lived wisely, showing that wisdom praised by the Apostle James, who says, The wisdom that is from above is first pure,
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SALVATION AND HAPPINESS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT SUFFERING AND SORROWS
For the first time Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy accompanied by sign language translation. Throughout the service several specialists were present at the church who translated everything into sign language. The Liturgy was served at All Saints’ Church in the Moscow district of Novokosino. “I call upon all our
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