Wednesday, February 19/March 4, 2026. 2nd Week of Great Lent. Great Lent.
Monastic rule: xerophagy (bread, uncooked fruits and vegetables).

Cовершается служба, не отмеченная в Типиконе никаким знакомApostles Archippus and Philemon of the Seventy, and Martyr Apphia (1st c.). St. Theodore, abbot, of Sanaxar Monastery (1791).

Martyrs Maximus, Theodotus, Hesychius, and Asclepiodota of Adrianople (305-311). Sts. Eugene and Macarius, priests, confessors at Antioch (363). St. Rabulas of Samosata (ca. 530). St. Dositheus of Gaza (7th c.).

St. Mesrop the Translator, of Armenia (439). St. Conon, abbot in Palestine (555). New Nun-martyr Philothea of Athens (1589). New Hieromartyr Nicetas, hieromonk, of Epirus and Mt. Athos, at Serres (1809). St. Nicanor the New, abbot of Hilandar (1990).

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Monday of the Second Week of Great Lent

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Monday of the Second Week of Great Lent

Fasting is a period of spiritual exertion. If we cannot give our whole life to God, let us at least dedicate to Him wholeheartedly the period of the fast—intensifying our prayer, increasing our works of mercy, restraining our passions, and reconciling ourselves with our enemies.

Instruction on the Second Week of Great Lent. The Meaning of the Fast for Man

St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Rating: 9.7|Votes: 7

Instruction on the Second Week of Great Lent. The Meaning of the Fast for Man

St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

The podvig of fasting does not belong exclusively to the body; the podvig of fasting is beneficial and needed not only for the body; it is beneficial mainly for the mind and heart.

The Joy of a Christian

A Homily for the Triumph of Orthodoxy

St. Onuphry (Gagalyuk) of Kursk

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Joy of a Christian

A Homily for the Triumph of Orthodoxy

St. Onuphry (Gagalyuk) of Kursk

On the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the Orthodox Church celebrates its victory over all heresies, schisms, and unbelief… What joy is there in this for us? The joy that all external and internal assaults upon the Church of God have been in vain.

Sermon on the True Faith

St. Sava of Serbia

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Sermon on the True Faith

St. Sava of Serbia

Brothers and friends, fathers and children called by God, bow your God-loving hearts to hear divine dogmas.

The First Saturday of Great Lent: Why Is It Special? and How Is It Connected with the Friday Service?

Marina Borisova

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The First Saturday of Great Lent: Why Is It Special? and How Is It Connected with the Friday Service?

Marina Borisova

At the end of the Liturgy, after the Prayer Behind the Ambo, a moleben canon to St. Theodore—composed by our venerable father John of Damascus—is sung, and the koliva is blessed.

“Rejoice that We Have the Fast, and Live Simply”

Archpriest Theodor Verevkin

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

“Rejoice that We Have the Fast, and Live Simply”

Archpriest Theodor Verevkin

Breaking the fast begins when there is great fuss about what else one might eat.

How St. Kallinikos of Edessa Healed a Little Boy

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

How St. Kallinikos of Edessa Healed a Little Boy

His doctors can’t believe that he is not only alive, but thriving.

A Flock Without a Roof, Yet Not Without God

On Spiritual Unity in Times of Persecution

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

A Flock Without a Roof, Yet Not Without God

On Spiritual Unity in Times of Persecution

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

There exists a direct and inseparable link between those who spread this stench across the face of the earth and those who today burst into our churches.

Arouse Thyself, That Christ God May Spare Thee

A Homily for the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

St. Philaret of Chernigov

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Arouse Thyself, That Christ God May Spare Thee

A Homily for the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

St. Philaret of Chernigov

Arouse thyself, my poor soul! Rise from the bed of sin. Banish the dreams that seduce you and gather your thoughts that have been scattered by the vanity of the world. Come to your senses.

“I will always be alive for you!”

St. Seraphim (Sobolev)

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“I will always be alive for you!”

St. Seraphim (Sobolev)

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

His life was full of miracles, and for his great humility God bestowed on him the gift of clairvoyance as well.

Murder Without Shedding Blood: The Revival of the Spirit through Repentance

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Murder Without Shedding Blood: The Revival of the Spirit through Repentance

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

Cain committed a terrible sin, but his rage was directed outward. He killed the mortal body of his brother—a body already subject to death. But we commit something more subtle and more irreparable: We carry out a “bloodless murder” of our own immortal soul.

“I Trust in the One Who Gave Sight to the Blind Man”

Elena Detinina

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“I Trust in the One Who Gave Sight to the Blind Man”

Elena Detinina

Metropolitan Alexis’ fame as a holy man had reached the Horde, and the khan’s message said that if the almost blind Taydula was healed, the Russian prince would live peacefully, but if Metropolitan Alexis did not come, the khan would bring ruin upon his land.

Fasting Is a Means by Which We Are Enlightened by Grace

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Fasting Is a Means by Which We Are Enlightened by Grace

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

Fasting is the good guard of souls, reliable cohabitant with the body, and the school of ascetics.

Sacred Bewilderment

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Sacred Bewilderment

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

We stood in the half-light of the church, and the very first sounds of the Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete shattered our habitual self-confidence with a single question: “Where shall I begin?”

Very Honestly About Harsh Things

Priest Konstantin Korepanov

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Very Honestly About Harsh Things

Priest Konstantin Korepanov

A person is joyful to the extent that he remains in a state of repentance.

“This Is a Day Neither You Nor I Will Ever Forget”

How St. Gabriel Led a Man Out of the Hell of Drugs

Constantine Tsertsvadze

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“This Is a Day Neither You Nor I Will Ever Forget”

How St. Gabriel Led a Man Out of the Hell of Drugs

Constantine Tsertsvadze

Today I want to share with you a story how Elder Gabriel finds us in the darkest corners of our lives, proving that there are no limits of time or space for a saint who has acquired love.

Cheesefare Sunday. The Gospel on Fasting

From the Collected Works of St. Nicholai (Velimirovich) published by Sretensky Monastery

St. Nicholai Velimirovich

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Rating: 10|Votes: 5

Cheesefare Sunday. The Gospel on Fasting

From the Collected Works of St. Nicholai (Velimirovich) published by Sretensky Monastery

St. Nicholai Velimirovich

To not give in to the enemy—that is the main rule for those who are fighting a war. An army commander warns every soldier ahead of time about the threat of enemy subterfuge, so that they would not be deceived and taken captive. A soldier left alone, hungry, shivering and without warm clothing undergoes a strong temptation to give himself up to the enemy. The cunning adversary will take advantage of his situation with all possible means.

The Synaxis of All the Venerable Fathers and Mothers Who Shone forth in Ascetic Life

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Synaxis of All the Venerable Fathers and Mothers Who Shone forth in Ascetic Life

As an instruction before walking through the Lenten season, the Church offers us the Lives of all those who, through the feat of fasting, entered the “Paradise of delight” and now enjoy the Heavenly Kingdom.

On the Threshold of Lent

Metropolitan Serafim (Joanta) of Germany and Central Europe

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

On the Threshold of Lent

Metropolitan Serafim (Joanta) of Germany and Central Europe

Every time we confess a sin, the Merciful Father waits for it. He wants to forgive us.

The Biblical Understanding of Forgiveness in the Modern World

Nikolai Gerasimov

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

The Biblical Understanding of Forgiveness in the Modern World

Nikolai Gerasimov

Thus, forgiveness in the Biblical sense is not just an act of reconciliation, but a deep spiritual process that engages both the person offering forgiveness and the one seeking it.

The Lay Order of Small Compline

In the Rhythm of the Church, Part 3

Nun Kallista (Golik)

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Orthodoxy Around the World

The Lay Order of Small Compline

In the Rhythm of the Church, Part 3

Nun Kallista (Golik)

Interestingly, in Greece, Small Compline is included in prayer books as the evening prayer rule, so it’s quite common and familiar to everyone. The Russian tradition doesn’t have Small Compline in its prayer books, but you can find it in the Horologion.

Hieromartyr Vasily Nadezhdin: “O Lord, Save the Pious, and Hear Us!”

Natalia Vashchina

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Hieromartyr Vasily Nadezhdin: “O Lord, Save the Pious, and Hear Us!”

Natalia Vashchina

No precautions saved Fr. Vasily from arrest. A dossier on him had been prepared for a long time, as evidenced by the nature of the charges against him.

On How Two Old Women Decided to Restore a Church in a Russian Village…

Marina Tsolina

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Churches and Monasteries

On How Two Old Women Decided to Restore a Church in a Russian Village…

Marina Tsolina

The church is grand and with a unique architecture—the only one in the Ryazan region built in the style of Northern Art Nouveau.

Are You Merciful?

Fr. James Guirguis

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Are You Merciful?

Fr. James Guirguis

According to Our Lord Jesus, God will accept and welcome those who open their hearts and welcome others into their lives.

Why Are People in the West Buying Up the Scriptures, While Their Churches Are Empty?

Alexei Tereshchenko

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Orthodoxy Today

Why Are People in the West Buying Up the Scriptures, While Their Churches Are Empty?

Alexei Tereshchenko

Growth of Bible sales in the West is a symptom of a great thirst. It is the sign that spiritual hunger cannot be satisfied by any visible sweetness of the world.

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