February 20, 7534
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 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…
By Kiril Mikhailov To my friend M.M. Rodin The field lies open—nothing is sacred! A qualitatively new godlessness has arrived. We have entered a time in which faith is wholly overtaken by pretense, by a mere likeness of faith. The believer has been replaced by an actor playing the believer. In my view, no period…
One of the main virtues of a Christian is temperance. What does it mean, and how can it be practiced in modern life? Temperance is indeed one of the most important virtues of Christian life. It was exemplified by the Old Testament prophets and demonstrated through the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle…
How can a person develop sound judgment, a stable psyche, and a calm, clear mind? Many people today seem to have “chaos” in their heads, muddled thinking, and a restless, scattered mind. Qualities such as sound judgment, a stable psyche, and a calm, clear mind are essential to the Christian virtue of chastity. The word chastity derives…