September 20, 2022 Mary’s First and Final Sermon It is the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos. As we commemorate it at Church, let us recall her only sermon brought to…
September 18, 2022 Theosis, Our Growth in the Likeness of God Theosis as deification Translated from old Greek, theosis means “deification”. It conveys the idea of man’s return to the original image of God and…
September 16, 2022 What Do We Call a Waste of Time, and Why Is It a Sin? We all recognise the value of time, but do not always spend it wisely. We often squander it on futile pursuits. Do activities like…
September 14, 2022 An Orthodox Student Who Defied Hitler and Was Glorified by the Church To many, World War II is about victory over Nazi Germany, military prowess, battles and heroes. But the spiritual aspects of this war are…
September 13, 2022 Why Does the Church Celebrate the New Year on September 14? The “canon” of celebrating New Year’s Eve on January 1 has firmly rooted itself in our minds. However, this is just one of…
September 11, 2022 Why Does Saint John the Baptist Appear in Icons with Two Heads and a Pair of Wings? In icons, Saint John the Baptist often appears with wings behind his back and his severed head in his hands. What is the meaning…
September 9, 2022 The Sayings of Christ Not Found in the Gospels The sayings ascribed to Christ but not found in the Gospels are also called the Agrapha. There are many known Agrapha, some of which…
September 9, 2022 Advice to Christian Spouses: Bear Each Others’ Burdens and Watch Out for the Baobabs! What should love in Christ mean for the spouses in a Christian marriage? How can we rise to it? Alexander Tkachenko, a psychologist and…
September 7, 2022 Dealing with Pride Correctly Let us talk about pride, the most basic of human sins. The Venerable John Climacus in his book The Ladder of Divine Ascent wrote:…
September 3, 2022 The Teachings and Practices of the Coptic Orthodox Church “Coptic” means “Egyptian” The Coptic (or “Egyptian”) Orthodox Church of Alexandria was once a part of the Ecumenical Church. Despite the word “Orthodox” in…
September 2, 2022 How Emperor Constantine Challenges Our Conception of an ‘Ideal’ Saint People like to idealise, and it is hard not to, especially if the person is a saint and an emperor. Among the multitude of…
September 1, 2022 Venerable Paisios of the Holy Mountain on Self-perfection Elder Paisios used to say: “Purifying one’s soul is not easy. It cannot be done automatically, at the push of a button. Passion cannot…
