Spiritual Life and Christian Practices

An exhortation to "take the cup of salvation" with the understanding that "By many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God" and a humble, faithful disposition.

Blessed Bishop Theophan explains from the Holy Gospels and lives of saints what love for the Lord is, and how to acquire it. An inspiring sermon from this revered teacher of Orthodoxy.

A sermon on the meaning of the truth of the Resurrection of Christ for the whole world, and for our lives as Christians.

Metropolitan Gregory explains how Christians should act towards others in the world, and how to live peacefully with others.

The great archpastor of the Russian Church, Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, describes how Christians should conduct their lives in this short catechitical essay.

A homily on the life-giving and unifying force of love, and a call to those lost in materialism to return to the love of Christ in the Church.

A collection of excerpts from the letters of Elder Macarius of Optina, filled with deep spiritual insight and sobering instructions to people in a wide variety of situations.

Originally written as an introduction to the letters of Elder Macarius of Optina, this essay on spiritual knowledge and learning explains the dangers of studying the works of the Holy Fathers for any reason than love of truth itself.

In this sermon, given while a fugitive from the wrath of the emperor had taken refuge in the church, St. John reveals the way spiritual values transcend and overshadow all physical things, how Christianity renders riches worthless. This is something we all need to hear and understand, us whose hearts are turned to stone with materialism and care for the flesh.

Catachesis 2: On taking care for ourselves and fleeing sin

This sermon not only dispels grief and suffering in the face of misfortune or troubles, but teaches the way such trials are for the good of the vigilant soul. St. Tikhon is an author of renowned spiritual wisdom, and he is especially known for his instruction on the basics of Christian spiritual warfare, which this sermon characterizes quite brilliantly.

"Of all of the innumerable temptations that we have to wade through on the path to salvation, there is one facet or "bonding agent" that is common to all of them. It is precisely that which weakens our resolve and allows thoughts contrary to what we know to be proper, according to the Gospel, to enter and torment us. This dreaded element is fear. This is precisely how the enemy of our salvation rules the world and batters us Christians into submission-or at least silence."

Through the will of God, the account of this miracle, which took place 24 years ago [1965], has reached America. It's authenticity is verified by the fact that it records the year, day, hour, city, address, names... etc. Reading it, we behold the great care which God has for the salvation of our sinful souls. Read it with attention, and compare it to the other miracles which are occurring today throughout the world. [Various weeping icons and Apparitions] You will observe that the same message is repeated: We must repent, for the Son of Man will come soon, and then it will be too late for us to be saved even if we wanted to be. Work, while it is light...!

Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God
Rives Junction, Michigan

"Always keep the name of Jesus on your lips, in your mind and your heart. As often as possible think of the Great love to you of the Lord God, praised and worshiped in Trinity, so that you yourself would love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your strength. Doing that, you will lead a peaceful life on earth and a blessed one in Heaven for ever and ever. May the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. "

This lecture from the 1979 Orthodox Christian Youth Conference deals with those windows of Heaven, the holy and venerable icons. Fr. George gives a historical context to the theology of the icon, and then uses the concept of a material icon that portrays unclouded reality as an introduction to the spiritual significance of everything material in Orthodoxy. Ultimately, Christians themselves are icons, Fr. George writes, "for... we are all called to become, as far as possible for our nature, icons of the Most High." This is a highly educational lecture, and is well grounded in patristic references and spiritual experience.

Elder Anatoly had a gift of prophesy, and clearly understood the impending trials that Christians would have to face in the last times, the era of the apocalypse, due to "poverty in piety" and a lack of true hierarchs. These instructions bespeak his tremendous love and concern for the faithful that will have to endure such hard times, which may already be upon us.

Excerpt: "Their nous (soul) will be spilled out among them, and will become alienated from its Heavenly Prototype. For this reason the Holy Fathers had previously encouraged the monks of the desert to write down the lives of the Fathers not onto parchment, but onto paper, because the coming generation will change them to suit their own personal tastes. So you see, the evil that comes will be horrible."

"For us modern Christians faith, for the most part, is being divorced from life." Vladika Averki is most sober in his asessment of contemporary Christianity, and calls us away from "dancing on the grave of Russia" to true repentance and a fundamental reformation of our lives to the Christian ideal. This is a piercing article that can be difficult to read without crying, for Vladika's words strike at a reality almost all of us have experienced - that is, the decline of true, vibrant, spiritual Christian life and the eclipse of the truth with a lie.

This is a excerpt Taken from Orthodox Faith and Life in Christ, by Father Justin Popovich. EULOGY IN MEMORY OF FR. JUSTIN (POPOVICH)

Bishop Nikolai discusses the several parables in which the Lord is symbolized by a woman. He explains that women generally have a couple of qualities that men do not: carefulness over property, and labour for love and not fiscal gain. Bishop Nikolai's exegesis extends our understanding of these parables, revealing that the meaning of a simple parable "is like a branching oak that grows out of an acorn, for it is truly majestic in its historical breadth and profound in its psychological depth."