August 16, 7533
What are the main Christian commandments and virtues? Are they innate to human nature from birth, or must they be cultivated and nurtured through effort? The commandments of the Christian faith, on one hand, present a lengthy list of what is good and should be done, and what is bad and must be avoided. On…
For several months now, the war has dragged on, claiming thousands of victims—our sons, brothers, and fathers. By God’s mercy, victory follows our warriors. Submissive to the will of God, we bear the sorrow and hardships of war with faith and hope. Yet, of course, all of us thirst for peace, longing for the end…
By Bishop Mikhail (Semyonov) The Prologue tells an instructive story. In the monastery of St. Theodosius, there were two monks who took a vow of eternal friendship. And it came to pass that one of the brothers slipped and fell. He decided to leave the monastery for the world and began to ask his friend…
The spiritual life of a Christian is built upon relationships with those around them. The Lord has given us a guiding principle: our faith and love for Him are not measured by outward displays of religiosity, but by our attitude toward our neighbor. The Apostle John put it plainly: “If a man say, I love…
How can one be happy? How can one live in difficult circumstances (family, domestic challenges, health problems, work issues, etc.) and still “rejoice always”? If a person strives to keep all the commandments and church rules, will there be fewer difficulties in their life? Neither the Lord Jesus Christ, nor His apostles, nor the holy…
In ancient times, a wise man was asked: What is most precious to a person? “Time,” he answered; through time one can acquire everything, but time itself cannot be bought for anything; it is not within man’s power either to prolong his day even by a single minute, or to reclaim even a single moment….
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, says Scripture (Proverbs 1:7). But the only truly wise one is God. Therefore, anyone who desires to enter the kingdom of heaven and live under God as King—so that his mind, thoughts, and reflections may be directed by God Himself, the one and only true…
Saint John says in his Catholic Epistles: “Perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18). What does the holy Apostle wish to tell us by this? Of what love does he speak to us, and of what fear? For the prophet David says in the Psalm: “O fear the Lord, all ye His saints” (Psalm…
The fear of God, or the fear of the Lord, is described by the wise King Solomon as the beginning of wisdom. However, there seems to be a visible contradiction when comparing this idea with the teaching of the holy apostles on fear. St. John the Theologian writes in his First Epistle: “There is no…
By Kiril Tovbin On November 1, 2007, I attended a lecture by Deacon Maximus Urbanovich of the Orthodox Church in America. The topic was “Why I Became Orthodox.” I had prepared many questions, but instead of a lecture I witnessed an ordinary Protestant-style sermon. Urbanovich waved the Bible, made theatrical gestures, and jumped around, shouting…