Spiritual travels in Greece: Ιουνίου 2019

Τετάρτη 26 Ιουνίου 2019

التدبير بالروح القدس - في العنصرة حلّ الروح القدس على تلاميذ المسيح ونحن هل يحلّ علينا؟

الأحد الأوّل بعد العنصرة - أحد جميع القدّيسين

الكنيسة الأرثوذكسية

من هو يسوع

Σάββατο 22 Ιουνίου 2019

Sunday of All Saints (Sunday after Pentecost)

Image from here

Please, click:

Sunday of All Saints: a Sermon by Archbishop Andrew (Rymarenko): "...Just look at the murals of our church and you will see: martyrs, confessors, ascetics, fools for Christ, educated people, simple people, rich, poor, bishops, monastics, lay people. This is the Heavenly Church. She is all-embracing, and she is filled up by the earthly, Militant Church!"

"That is the purpose of the Church, to make people holy" : Sunday of All Saints

*****

Δευτέρα 17 Ιουνίου 2019

The Spirit of the World and the Spirit of God

MYSTAGOGY
By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"We have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God"
Brethren, the spirit of this world is the spirit of pride and cruelty and the Spirit of God is the Spirit of meekness and gentleness. The apostle of God asserts that the followers of Christ did not receive the spirit of this world rather the Spirit "which is of God" i.e., who proceeds from God the Father as a sweet-smelling fragrance as from flowers and as a good fragrance pours out on the soul of man making it mighty, bright, peaceful, thankful and pleasant.
Men by nature are meek and gentle. Tertullian writes: "The soul of man by nature is Christian." But, by the spirit of this world, it is irritable and enraged. The spirit of this world made wolves out of lambs, while the Spirit Who is from God makes lambs out of wolves.
The apostle still adds that we received the Spirit of God "that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Corinthians 2:12). That is, that we may know what is from God in us and what is not from God, and that we may sense the sweetness of that which is from God and the bitterness from that which is not from God, but rather from the spirit of this world. As long as man is outside of his nature, beneath his nature, he considers bitterness as sweetness and sweetness as bitterness. But, when by the Spirit of God he returns to his true nature, then he considers sweet as sweetness and bitter as bitterness.
Who can return man to God? Who can heal man of poisonous sinful bitterness? Who can teach him by experience to distinguish true sweetness from bitterness? No one except the Spirit Who is from God.
Therefore brethren, let us pray that God grants us His Holy Spirit as He granted the Holy Spirit to His apostles and saints. And when that Holy Spirit of God enters into us, the kingdom of God has arrived in which is all sweetness itself, only good, only light, only meekness and only gentleness.
O Holy Spirit, the Spirit of meekness and gentleness, come and abide in us (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Click:

Pentecost (the Descent of the Holy Spirit)

Sunday of Pentecost 2019 in the Orthodox Christian missions.

Entering Hell on Pentecost – With Prayer

LOVERS OF TRUTH: THE LIFE OF HIEROMONK SERAPHIM ROSE

OUR TALENT OF FREEDOM & SOME PITFALLS

A Deer Lost in Paradise

A Saint Speaks To Europe From Dachau (1)
A Saint Speaks To Europe From Dachau (2)
A Saint Speaks To Europe From Dachau (3)
A Saint Speaks To Europe From Dachau (4)

Κυριακή 16 Ιουνίου 2019

Entering Hell on Pentecost – With Prayer

Ancient faith / Glory 2 God for all things // Fr. Stephen Freeman

Pascha (Easter) comes with a great note of joy in the Christian world. Christ is risen from the dead and our hearts rejoice. That joy begins to wane as the days pass. Our lives settle back down to the mundane tasks at hand. After 40 days, the Church marks the Feast of the Ascension, often attended by only a handful of the faithful (Rome has more-or-less moved the Ascension to a Sunday to make it easier). Some excitement returns with the Feast of Pentecost, 50 days after Pascha, which conveniently falls on a Sunday making its observance easier in a too-busy-to-notice world. Lost in all of this, however, is a subtext (perhaps it is the main text).

It is a liturgical practice that in Orthodoxy begins some weeks before Great Lent. It is a frontal assault on Hades.

The traditional name for these celebrations is “Soul Saturdays.” They are celebrations of the Divine Liturgy on Saturday mornings offered for the souls of the departed. Most of the Saturdays in Great Lent have them. They make a fitting prelude for Holy Week and Pascha. At Pascha, Christ Himself “tramples down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestows life.” This is the Great and Holy Sabbath – the true and Great Soul Saturday. This is the great theme of Pascha itself. Christ’s Resurrection is, strangely, not so much about Christ as it is about Christ’s action. Many modern Christians treat Pascha (Easter) as though it were a celebration of Jesus’ personal return after a tragic death. Orthodoxy views Christ’s Holy Week, Crucifixion, Descent into Hades and Resurrection as one unending, uninterrupted assault on Hades. This is the great mystery of Pascha – the destruction of death and Hades. Death is the “last enemy.” Those who forget this are like soldiers who have forgotten the purpose of the war in which they fight.

The cycle of prayers assaulting Hades reaches a climax on the day of Pentecost. On the evening of that Sunday, the faithful gather for Vespers. During that service, they kneel for the first time since Pascha. And in that kneeling, the Church teaches them the boldness of prayer, the cry of human hearts for God’s solace and relief. Three lengthy prayers are offered, the third of which completes and fulfills the prayers that began so many weeks before in the Soul Saturdays:

Priest: O Christ our God, the ever-flowing Spring, life-giving, illuminating, creative Power, coeternal with the Father, Who hast most excellently fulfilled the whole dispensation of the salvation of mankind, and didst tear apart the indestructible bonds of death, break asunder the bolts of Hades, and tread down the multitude of evil spirits, offering Thyself as a blameless Sacrifice and offering us Thy pure, spotless and sinless body, Who, by this fearsome, inscrutable divine service didst grant us life everlasting; O Thou Who didst descend into Hades, and demolish the eternal bars, revealing an ascent to those who were in the lower abode; Who with the lure of divine wisdom didst entice the dragon, the head of subtle evil, and with Thy boundless power bound him in abysmal hell, in inextinguishable fire, and extreme darkness. O Wisdom of the Father, Thou great of Name Who dost manifest Thyself a great Helper to those who are in distress; a luminous Light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; Thou art the Lord of everlasting glory, the beloved Son of the Most High Father, eternal Light from eternal Light, Thou Sun of justice! … Who also, on this all-perfect and saving feast, dost deign to receive oblations and supplications for those bound in Hades, and grantest unto us the great hope that rest and comfort will be sent down from Thee to the departed from the grief that binds them. (edited for length)

I can recall the first time in my priesthood that I offered this prayer. I had a copy in front of me, but had not read it before the service, nor had I ever heard it. I trembled as I offered the words above…astounded by their boldness. I had never heard such boldness before the Throne of God within the walls of the Church itself. It is also a reminder of the weakness and infirmity of the legal imagery of salvation. The legal view requires of God that He be the enforcer of Hades. To such a prayer He could only reply: “I cannot grant such things because of my Justice!”

The Descent of Christ into Hades itself demonstrates God’s willingness towards our salvation. And the prayer’s imagery here reveals God’s strength:

Who didst descend into Hades, and demolish the eternal bars, revealing an ascent to those who were in the lower abode; Who with the lure of divine wisdom didst entice the dragon, the head of subtle evil, and with Thy boundless power bound him in abysmal hell, in inextinguishable fire, and extreme darkness.

On the Saturday before Pentecost, some 49 days after Pascha, the Church offers the last in the cycle of Soul Saturdays. And on Pentecost itself, and now on bended knee, it boldly goes where only Christ has gone before in victory. As was proclaimed in the Paschal homily of St. John Chrysostom:

Christ is risen! And not one of the dead is left in the grave, for Christ having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

A beloved friend from my youth who has sustained a boldness in Christ through many trials has said that he doesn’t like to pray “safe” prayers. On this holy day, we leave the safety of our fear and dare to walk where Christ has gone before.

Sunday of Pentecost 2019 in the Orthodox Christian missions.

Σάββατο 15 Ιουνίου 2019

Pentecost (the Descent of the Holy Spirit)

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Pentecost (the Descent of the Holy Spirit)

The Sundays after Easter in the Orthodox Christian Heritage!

The Feast of Holy Pentecost in the page of the Holy Metropolis of Zambia & Malawi

Pentecost – a frontal assault on Hades!

National Identity and Unity: From Babel to Pentecost (icon)

Race and the Fall

God the Holy Trinity: ‘The Lover of Mankind’ (& the "depiction of God" in Orthodox Church)

Utatu Mtakatifu, Mungu ambaye anapenda ubinadamu

Holy Trinity

Δευτέρα 10 Ιουνίου 2019

On the 11th - 15th of June...

Please, see:

St. Luke the Doctor & Wonderworker, Icon and Hymn of Theotokos "Axion Estin" & the Naked Saints Onuphrius the Egyptian & Peter of Mt Athos (June 11 & 12)

St. Justin Popovic (June 14): Whither does humanistic culture lead?

St Augustine of Hippo & St Doulas the Passion-Bearer of Egypt (June 15)

St. Augustine (June 15): "love the sinner, hate the sin"

Πέμπτη 6 Ιουνίου 2019

Ascension of our Lord on the fortieth day after the Easter: Through Christ, man becomes a "partaker of Divine Nature"

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Introduction

The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on the fortieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter). Since the date of Pascha changes each year, the date of the Feast of the Ascension changes. The Feast is always celebrated on a Thursday. The Feast itself commemorates when, on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, Jesus led His disciples to the Mount of Olives, and after blessing them and asking them to wait for the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit, He ascended into heaven.

Historical Background

The story of the Ascension of our Lord, celebrated as one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church, is found in the book of the Acts of the Apostles 1:3-11. It is also mentioned in the Gospels of Mark (16:19) and Luke (24:50-53). The moment of the Ascension is told in one sentence: "He was lifted up before their eyes in a cloud which took Him from their sight" (Acts 1:9).

Christ made His last appearance on earth, forty days after His Resurrection from the dead. The Acts of the Apostles states that the disciples were in Jerusalem. Jesus appeared before them and commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the "Promise of the Father". He stated, "You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:5).

After Jesus gave these instructions, He led the disciples to the Mount of Olives. Here, He commissioned them to be His witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). It is also at this time that the disciples were directed by Christ to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). Jesus also told them that He would be with them always, "even to the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20).

As the disciples watched, Jesus lifted up His hands, blessed them, and then was taken up out of their sight (Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9). Two angels appeared to them and asked them why they were gazing into heaven. Then one of the angels said, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him going into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

Icon of the Feast

The icon of The Ascension of Our Lord is a joyous icon. It is painted with bright colors. Christ is shown ascending in His glory in a mandorla A mandorla is a design which is almond-shaped or round. Inside the mandorla is the figure of a holy person. Christ blesses the assembly with His right hand. In His left is a scroll. The scroll is a symbol of teaching. This icon shows that the Lord in heaven is the source of blessing. In addition, Jesus is the source of knowledge.

The icon reminds us that Christ continues to be the source of the teaching and message of the Church, blessing and guiding those to whom He has entrusted his work.

The Theotokos occupies a very special place in this icon. She is in the center of the icon, immediately below the ascending Christ. The gesture of her hands is gesture of prayer. She is clearly outlined by the whiteness of the garments of the angels. The Theotokos is depicted in a very calm pose. This is quite different from the appearance of the Disciples. They are moving about, talking to one another and looking and pointing towards heaven. The entire group, the Theotokos and the disciples represent the Church.

The icon of the Ascension includes some who did not witness the Ascension. St. Paul is shown to the left of the Theotokos, but we know that he was not present at the Ascension. At that time, St. Paul did not yet believe in Jesus. But he became a Christian and one of the greatest Apostles and missionaries of Church. The icon expresses the sovereignty of Christ over His Church; He is its Head, its guide, its source of inspiration and teaching; it receives its commission and ministry from Him, and fulfils it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

THE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ASCENSION

lcon from here

Orthodox Christian Initiative for Africa

For forty days after His Resurrection, Our Lord Jesus Christ remained on earth. Filled with the glory and honor of His Divinity, He appeared to His Disciples at various times and places. By eating and drinking with His disciples and conversing with them about the Kingdom of God, our Lord Jesus Christ assured them that He was Truly alive in His Risen and glorified Body. (The glorification of Jesus refers to His Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven. When we speak of Christ's glorified Body, we refer to Its honor, splendor, majesty and visible radiance - it gave off rays of bright Light!).

The time span of forty days (40) is used symbolically in the Holy Scripture and by the Church indicate that an appropriate amount of time has passed for "COMPLETENESS". [The rains of the Great Flood lasted for forty days. Christ prayed in the wilderness for forty days. We fast for forty days to prepare before the feasts of the Holy Nativity and the Resurrection (Pascha).

The Ascension is a sign and symbol of the Second Coming of Christ and the Final Judgment. Christ will return to the earth in the same manner as He left it. When the Risen Lord returns again in glory, God's will for mankind will be fulfilled.

Jesus Christ completed His earthly mission of bringing salvation to all people and physically was lifted up from the world into heaven. The meaning of the fullness of Christ's Resurrection is given in the Ascension. Having completed His mission in the world as the Savior, He returned to the Father in Heaven Who sent Him into the world. In ascending to the Father, He raises earth to Heaven with Him!

The Symbol of Faith - the Nicene Creed - which summarizes the important doctrines and teachings of the Orthodox Christian Church, contains these words: "And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father." The importance and meaning of this Holy Feast is that Jesus Christ glorified our fallen and sinful humanity when He returned to the Father. In Jesus, Who is perfect God and perfect man, man is reunited with God. At His birth, Jesus took on our human nature (Incarnation).

Through His Ascension He deified this human nature by taking His Body to heaven and giving it a place of honor at the right hand of the Father. With Christ, man's nature also ascends. Through Christ, man becomes a "partaker of Divine Nature" (II Peter 1:4).

When Christ became man, He took up human nature and we share our human nature with Him. It is through Christ, Who is perfect God and perfect man, that we "partake of Divine Nature". When we say that Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Father, we mean that man has been restored to communion with God because Christ gives His humanity--which He shares with us--a permanent place of honor in Heaven. Christ honors us by putting us close to the Father.
We celebrate the Holy Ascension with the same great joy the holy Apostles had when they were promised that the Holy Spirit would come to bear witness to the presence of Christ in the Church. Holy Ascension Day is joyful, not only because Christ is Glorified, but also because we are glorified with Him. We are joyful because He goes to "prepare a place" for us and because He is forever present before the Father to interceded for us.

Orthodox Christian Celebration of the Feast of the Ascension

This Feast of our Lord is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, which is conducted on the day of the Feast and preceded by the Matins service. A Great Vespers is conducted on the evening before the day of the Feast. Scripture readings for the Feast are the following: At Vespers: Isaiah 2:2-3, 62:10-63:9; Zechariah 14:1,4,8-11. At the Orthros (Matins) Mark 16:9-20; At the Divine Liturgy: Acts 1:1-12; Luke 24:36-53.

Hymns of the Feast

Apolytikion (Fourth Tone)

O Christ our God, You ascended in Glory and gladdened Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit. Your blessing assured them that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world.

Kontakion (Plagal of the Second Tone)

O Christ our God, upon fulfilling Your dispensation for our sake, You ascended in Glory, uniting the earthly with the heavenly. You were never separate but remained inseparable, and cried out to those who love You, "I am with you and no one is against you."

Σάββατο 1 Ιουνίου 2019

Books about St Paisios of Holy Mount (1924-1994) in English, Albanian, Arabic, Bulgarian, French, German, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Persian, Russian, Serbian & Turkish (pdf)

Από το ιστολόγιο για το εκκλησάκι του Αγίου Παϊσίου του Αγιορείτου που είναι στον Μαΐστρο της Αλεξανδρούπολης. Ευχαριστούμε τον αδελφό μας μοναχό Άβελ που μας το έστειλε. Ας έχει όλος ο κόσμος τις πρεσβείες του αγίου μας. Εδώ ενότητα γι' αυτόν, που έχει και ξενόγλωσσες αναρτήσεις. Δείτε επίσης τις ενότητές μας Ετέραις γλώσσαις και Ορθόδοξα Βαλκάνια. Αραβόφωνα άρθρα εδώ. Παντζάμπ (ινδική γλώσσα των Σιχ) εδώ. Εδώ λίστα βιβλίων στη σελίδα της Ιεράς Μονής Σουρωτής. Στο τέλος έχει και ξενόγλωσσα (μόνο τους τίτλους).

Αγγλικά Βιβλία (English Books)
1. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzdlO0t7MOiXeGg5OGRvU21Sbmc
2. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzdlO0t7MOiXMVVDZW9FSzhVUjA
3. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzdlO0t7MOiXQV9VWFNpUkVITE0
4. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzdlO0t7MOiXQzJqdVlzSHpqTjg

Saint Paisios in the Youth Culture of Greece (photos + video)

Saint Paisios of Mount Athos, short biography & 10 articles & videos about him
Elder Paisios and the Aroma of Reverence
The Invisible Naked Ascetics of Mount Athos

Saint Paisios of Mount Athos (1924-1994), Feast day: July 12