In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Today is the Feast Day Of St Nicholas. When we commemorate whole groups of Saints, we usually mention the great hierarchs among the first, and we have become used to the three great universal hierarchs and teachers — Basil the
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NO DESTINY WAS MORE MAJESTIC OR MORE TRAGIC THAN THE BEHEADING OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh We have become used to turning to God for help in every need and every circumstance in our lives. We expect that in response to every call, to every cry of anguish, suffering, fear, the Lord will stand up for us, will defend us, will comfort us. We know that He
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THE NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (1:1-25, 57-68, 76, 80) Today in the holy Orthodox Church we celebrate a very important event in the life of the people of God. We celebrate the nativity, the birth of the one whom we call the Forerunner, St. John the Baptist. St. John is
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Lazarus Never Smiled
The story of Lazarus, which occurs before Christ’s suffering and death, specifically addresses the heart of the Church after Christ’s suffering and death. For though we rejoice in Christ’s death and resurrection, it is our dead brother (mother, father, sister, friend) who lies heavy on our hearts. St. John’s Gospel records the story of
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The Holy Martyrs Leontius, Ipatius and Theodolus
The holy Martyrs Leontius, Ipatius and Theodolus The holy Martyrs Leontius, Ipatius and Theodolus were Roman soldiers. The holy Martyr Leontius, a Greek by origin, during the reign of Vespasian (70-79) served as a military-chief in the imperial army in the Phoenician city of Tripoli. The Christian Leontius was distinguished for his bravery and good
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SERMON ON THE SUNDAY OF ALL THE SAINTS OF THE RUSSIAN LAND
Sermon delivered on the celebration of 1,000 years since the Baptism of Russia in 988. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Today, my friends, is Russia’s name day—the day we commemorate all the saints of the Russian land, by whose labors and sorrows, by whose magnitude of spirit, we are now
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HOLY QUEEN TAMAR (†1213)
In 1166 a daughter, Tamar, was born to King Giorgi III (1155–1184) and Queen Burdukhan of Georgia. The king proclaimed that he would share the throne with his daughter from the day she turned twelve years of age. The royal court unanimously vowed its allegiance and service to Tamar, and father and daughter ruled the
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Addiction and Fulfillment – St. Photini At The Well
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John. (4:5-42) Have you ever noticed that it is really easy for people to become addicts? We look all around us and we find that people are addicted to all sorts of things. Sometimes we are addicted to material or physical things like certain drugs or
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THE HOLY AND GREAT MARTYR GEORGE
The Great Martyr George was the son of wealthy and pious parents, who raised him in the Christian faith. He was born in the city of Beirut (in antiquity – Berytos), at the foot of the Lebanese mountains. Having entered military service, the Greatmartyr George stood out among the other soldiers by virtue of his
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Great-Martyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria
The Holy Great Martyr Barbara lived and suffered during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-311). Her father, the pagan Dioscorus, was a rich and illustrious man in the Syrian city of Heliopolis. After the death of his wife, he devoted himself to his only daughter. Seeing Barbara’s extraordinary beauty, Dioscorus decided to hide her
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