[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-urZ8ICy8Mk] Prologue Throughout Christian history, many places have arisen to spiritual prominence due to either their legacy of martyrdom or monasticism. Naturally within peaceful times where there were few people being martyred for the Faith, monasticism assumed a greater role within Christian witness, and within the era of the undivided Christian ecumene, numerous monastic centres became centres of prayer, …

By Anthony Papantoniou (Source: Greek Australian Vema, English Section, June and July 2009 Issues) St Nicholas Cabasilas and his background On 20th June, the Orthodox Church commemorates the feast of our Father among the Saints, St Nicholas Cabasilas. St Nicholas was born in the city of Thessalonica around 1320-23 into a prestigious family. It has been thought in the past …

Introduction The role played by the discipline of fasting  has figured prominently within the spiritual life of Christianity, and has remained integral to the Orthodox Church. Its purpose and meaning is multifaceted, to which entire treatises have been written on the subject. For this reason, we will not labour the point by providing an exhaustive exposition on the subject, since …

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVoUGQ285g0] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVPtsYb9rkY&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL5E8B25EA15D80D47] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL-xP6tNkDI&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL5E8B25EA15D80D47] Foreword After many decades of careful lobbying and raising the profile of their own interests, the gay movement and its activists have forcibly and successfully brought to the fore of public attention in many countries, questions over the definition of marriage. The discussion that they have sought to bring about, has been couched in …

“We have seen the True Light; we have received the Heavenly Spirit; we have found the true Faith, in worshipping the indivisible Trinity; for He has saved us”. (Sticheron at Saturday Great Vespers for Pentecost Sunday)  Introductory Remarks The feastday of Pentecost (Greek: Πεντηκοστή, “the Fiftieth [day]”) is one of the prominent feasts within the Orthodox Christian liturgical year which …

Scriptural Pericope (Genesis 11:1-9) Now the whole earth was one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar (Shennar), and dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them with fire”. They had brick for stone and …

Author: Vladimir Moss Publisher: St Nectarios Press, Seattle: Washington (1992). A rather interesting three volume collection of hagiographical accounts of saints which due to their era have often been forgotten, overlooked or not widely known. There is more literature available about the evangelists and early saints of England, as well as the ecclesial circumstances of their time. Yet as the …

Author: Dr. Guy Freeland (Lecturer in Liturgical Studies and Hermeneutics at St Andrew’s Theological College Sydney).  Source: The Greek Orthodox Youth of Australia in Dialogue 2 (1986): 98-105. The word “tradition” (paradosis) has acquired a bewildering diversity of meanings within common usage. In the present paper, however, I am concerned with only one meaning of the word, that is the …

Prologue The following work is a summary of a recent parish fellowship discussion. The theme as the title suggests was a discussion that explored some of the key themes of the work and life of St Gregory Palamas. This is not an exhaustive study but an outline of what was examined, and a basic appraisal for Orthodox Christian spiritual practice. …

“The Lord said: as you would want others to do to you, you also do unto others” Sometimes, dear brothers and sisters, we believe that the standard Christ gives us in today’s Gospel passage is not very different to what was stated in the Old Testament, which was very much in accordance with human logic. The Old Testament stated: “whatever …