By St. Nikolai Velimirovich “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away” (Job 1:21). Brethren, let the righteous one fear nothing; all shall be well with him. The whole of Sacred Scripture shows us that God will never forsake the righteous. The example of Job shows us this as clearly as the sun. Job had seven sons and three …

Brothers, divine Scripture calls to us saying: “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (Luke 14:11; 18:14). In saying this, therefore, it shows us that every exaltation is a kind of pride, which the Prophet indicates he has shunned, saying, “Lord, my heart is not exalted; my eyes are not lifted up and I …

To all intents and purposes, the Greek-Australian view of the Greek Orthodox Church is a parochial and ethnophyletic one. However, the venerable Byzantine tradition that defines Modern Hellenism and the permeation of that culture through much of eastern Europe and the Middle East, notwithstanding, the adherence or interest of others in Orthodoxy looms strange. Enter the Very Rev. Raphael Morgan …

The Ecumenical Patriarchate expresses profound sorrow as the world has rushed into a confusing and volatile time of religious protests turning violent, and a grievous lack of consideration for religious differences. When we act disrespectfully and violently in the name of our religious prejudices or our religious beliefs we are undermining our own lives and faith, while creating an atmosphere …

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHVrpjG0Gvc] Prologue Dearly beloved readers, the news that I receive from friends and acquaintances from those in the Middle East, and especially from Syria is very bleak. The anger, sorrow and the atrocities expressed within these letters I cannot bring myself to publish because it is too painful for me personally, but they are very telling of the situation upon …

JERUSALEM (AFP) – A dispute with an Israeli water company over unpaid bills has led to a Greek Orthodox threat to close Christianity’s holiest site, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Maariv newspaper reported on Friday that the Hagihon water company said it is was owed 9 million shekels ($2.1 million) in unpaid bills dating back decades. In …

We Christians have been living in the region of the Middle East since ancient times. Therefore, we consider that all efforts aiming at ousting us are unreasonable and unjust. Even when other religions conquered our land, we have always managed to adjust ourselves and find ways of symbiosis and peaceful coexistence with them. However, the recent increasing influence of extreme …

The members of the 3rd Episcopal Assembly of all canonical Orthodox Bishops of Oceania welcomed once again the opportunity to meet in Sydney from October 14-15, 2012, under the chairmanship ex officio of His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos of Australia. The Assembly commenced with prayer at the central offices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. Present were: His Eminence Archbishop …

Festal Prologue The official title of this solemn feastday is “The Universal Elevation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross” (Η Παγκόσμιος  Ύψωσης του Τιμιού & Ζωοποιού Σταυρού); but is better known by its abbreviated titles as the “Elevation” or “Exaltation of the Holy Cross”. It is one of four solemn feasts dedicated to the event of the Crucifixion and the …

Christs’ account of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus should raise questions in each one of us regarding our attitude to our current way of life, and what we must do to acquire eternal life after death. A basic teaching in this parable is the fact that life after death is an “echo” of the current one, which …