Orthodox Christianity

Monday, September 29/October 12, 2026. 20th Week after Pentecost.

No fast.

St. Cyriacus the Hermit, of Palestine (556). Uncovering of the relics of St. John (Maximovitch), archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1993).

Martyrs Dada, Gabdelas, and Casdoe, of Persia (4th c.). St. Theophanes the Merciful, of Gaza. St. Cyprian, abbot, of Ustiug (Vologda) (1276). St. Onuphrius the Wonderworker, of Gareji, Georgia (1733). Synaxis of the Saints of Poltava.

New Hieromartyr John (Pommer), archbishop of Riga (Latvia) (1934).

Holy Martyr Gudelia of Persia (4th c.). 80 Holy Martyrs of Byzantium (364- 378). St. Ludwin (Leudwinus), bishop of Trier (713). Martyrs Tryphon, Trophimus, and Dorymedon, and 150 Martyrs, in Palestine.

Repose of Blessed Anthony Alexeyevich, fool-for-Christ, of Zadonsk (1851), and Archimandrite Gerasim (Schmaltz) of Alaska (1969).

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Ukrainian Church Crisis

New Martyr Elizabeth Ever a Contemporary Saint

New Martyr Elizabeth Ever a Contemporary Saint Archpriest Andrei Posternak New Martyr Elizabeth Ever a Contemporary Saint A talk with Archpriest Andrei Posternak Archpriest Andrei Posternak People continue to be drawn to her ability to love through action. She did not limit herself to beautiful words.

The Giver of life

The Giver of life Fr. James Guirguis The Giver of life Fr. James Guirguis The healing and the wellness and the good that we seek isn’t found in acquiring things but in mending the severed bond with our Creator.

“With Fr. Kirill, It Was as Though We Lived in Another Life”

“With Fr. Kirill, It Was as Though We Lived in Another Life” Anna Gerasimova “With Fr. Kirill, It Was as Though We Lived in Another Life” Anna Gerasimova So many people came to him, and through his prayers he received God’s help in such grave and difficult matters. And despite the terrible suffering he himself bore, he manifested such humility—humility to the very end.

St. John (Maximovich) of Shanghai and San Francisco

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Publications

Husband and Wife in Christian Marriage: Twenty Centuries Later

The Holy Church’s View on Marriage

St. Tikhon (Belavin)

Marriage and Family

Husband and Wife in Christian Marriage: Twenty Centuries Later

The Holy Church’s View on Marriage

St. Tikhon (Belavin)

The present article aims to demonstrate that the Holy Church’s teaching on marriage is immeasurably higher than Count Tolstoy’s, proving that the Church’s perspective—not Tolstoy’s—is the true Christian view.

Two Men of God

Sermon on the Feast Day of the Apostle John the Theologian and Patriarch Tikhon

Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Two Men of God

Sermon on the Feast Day of the Apostle John the Theologian and Patriarch Tikhon

Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)

St. Tikhon bore his cross with dignity, just as St. John the Evangelist, who although the youngest, proved to be a faithful disciple of Christ, and was granted great spiritual gifts.

Traditions and Faith: Why A Ritual Does Not Always Indicate Faith

Priest Leonid Bartkov

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Traditions and Faith: Why A Ritual Does Not Always Indicate Faith

Priest Leonid Bartkov

Faith is not a tradition. Tradition is just a door. But you can spend your whole life standing by that door, never daring to open it and step inside.

Sergei of Radonezh, Saint of All Russia

Artemy Yermakov

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Rating: 6|Votes: 16

Sergei of Radonezh, Saint of All Russia

Artemy Yermakov

At that moment, the fate of the Russian Church was being decided; even the whole fate of Russian culture was being sealed. Just try to imagine Russia without the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, without Andrei Rublev, without the churches dedicated to the Holy Trinity. And yet, St. Sergius left that decision up to another, even though he already knew the answer to his own question.

Borderline States—Between Body and Soul

Dmitry Avdeev (†2022) on depression, neuroses, and other nervous disorders

Orthodoxy Around the World

Borderline States—Between Body and Soul

Dmitry Avdeev (†2022) on depression, neuroses, and other nervous disorders

I’ve been studying borderline states for about twenty years now, and I see that these are diseases, but they are often sinful diseases.

Not Grudgingly, but with Love

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Not Grudgingly, but with Love

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

In a world where everyone is constantly rushing, giving another person a few minutes of your undivided attention can be one of the greatest acts of mercy.

God Loves Us, and Believes in Us

Deacon Dionisy Akhalashvili

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

God Loves Us, and Believes in Us

Deacon Dionisy Akhalashvili

God trusts us, believes in us, and in our ability to shape our lives in goodness and to resist evil. Not by compulsion, but willingly. This is what mature relationships look like—built on love, mutual respect, and trust.

Psychological Tools in The Pastoral Approach, The “Dark Tetrad,” and Spiritual Well Being

Conversation with Priest Ioann Bakushkin

Priest Ioann Bakushkin

Orthodoxy Around the World

Psychological Tools in The Pastoral Approach, The “Dark Tetrad,” and Spiritual Well Being

Conversation with Priest Ioann Bakushkin

Priest Ioann Bakushkin

One of the main skills here is to stop assuming that the other person thinks and feels the same way I do.

“The Prophet Jonah Is a Sign of Repentance and a Prefiguration of Resurrection”

Sermon on the Feast Day of the Prophet Jonah

Hieromonk Irenei (Pikovsky)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“The Prophet Jonah Is a Sign of Repentance and a Prefiguration of Resurrection”

Sermon on the Feast Day of the Prophet Jonah

Hieromonk Irenei (Pikovsky)

The path of Jonah is the path of every Christian: from flight to obedience, from fear to prayer, and from death to a new life.

The Sunday After the Exaltation of the Cross

New Martyr Priest Sergei Mechev

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

The Sunday After the Exaltation of the Cross

New Martyr Priest Sergei Mechev

It sometimes happens that we ourselves do not carry our cross, and by our rudeness we enable those around us to cast off their own crosses.

The “Action-Packed” Life of Eustathius Placidas

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The “Action-Packed” Life of Eustathius Placidas

Placidas became one of the earliest Great Martyrs of Christianity. On September 20/October 3, the Church commemorates not only St. Placidas, but also his wife and children.

An Angel of Love on Mt. Amomon

Gerontissa Makaria (Desipri): Mother of All Who Suffer, Part 2

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

An Angel of Love on Mt. Amomon

Gerontissa Makaria (Desipri): Mother of All Who Suffer, Part 2

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

There were many orphans around you. You stroked their hair and smiled at them, because you’re their “mama,” the one who raised them. You taught them to love Christ, the Theotokos, and St. Ephraim, and to help the less fortunate.

Gerontissa Makaria (Desipri): Mother of All Who Suffer, Part 1

Discovery of the Relics of St. Ephraim of Nea Makri

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Gerontissa Makaria (Desipri): Mother of All Who Suffer, Part 1

Discovery of the Relics of St. Ephraim of Nea Makri

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

For her many years of great ascetic labors, God and the Theotokos prepared her for the highest honor and mercy, to the joy of the entire Orthodox world—the discovery of the fragrant relics of the Great Martyr Ephraim the Wonderworker amidst the ruins of the ancient monastery, after 500 years of being hidden in the ground.

“I Ask God to Help Me Be Saved”

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“I Ask God to Help Me Be Saved”

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

On September 18/October 1, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Land of Vladimir.

God Gives Prayer to Him Who Prays: Selected Sayings of St. Hilarion of Optina

St. Hilarion of Optina

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Rating: 4.6|Votes: 23

God Gives Prayer to Him Who Prays: Selected Sayings of St. Hilarion of Optina

St. Hilarion of Optina

In the pure writings of the Holy Fathers, we see that he who desires to cleanse his heart of the passions must call on the Lord for help—this is so. We cannot say the Jesus Prayer without our thoughts being plundered. With beginners, God does not demand undistracted prayer: it is acquired with much time and labor. As the writings of the Holy Fathers say: "God gives prayer to him who prays,” thus we must nevertheless continue to pray, orally, and with the mind.

The Psychological Lesson in the Life on Martyrs Faith, Hope, and Love, and their Mother Sophia

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Psychological Lesson in the Life on Martyrs Faith, Hope, and Love, and their Mother Sophia

There are sufferings that cannot be avoided—sufferings that must be lived through, and within which the soul, if anchored in faith, attains a depth never known before.

Through a Demonic Lens: Lessons in Sobriety from C.S. Lewis

Priest Tarasiy Borozenets

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Through a Demonic Lens: Lessons in Sobriety from C.S. Lewis

Priest Tarasiy Borozenets

It is an engaging spiritual guide written “by way of contradiction,” helping readers view spiritual warfare from an unexpected angle and teaching them to recognize the enemy’s tactics.

The God of Calvinism

Dr. Amir (John) Azarvan

Theology

The God of Calvinism

Dr. Amir (John) Azarvan

What a holistic reading of Scripture reveals is that the Potter never intended that any of his vessels be marred, and He is willing to refashion them into new vessels if they repent.

The Holy and All-Praised Great Martyr Euphemia

Commemorated September 16/29

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Holy and All-Praised Great Martyr Euphemia

Commemorated September 16/29

In the midst of her sufferings, the saint cried out to God for help, saying: “Lord Jesus Christ, Light of my soul and Fountain of life! Thou grantest salvation to those who hope in Thee. Come now to my aid, that Thy holy name may be glorified among men.”

Above the Clouds

Eleventh Talk on the Divine Liturgy, Part B

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

Theology

Above the Clouds

Eleventh Talk on the Divine Liturgy, Part B

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

When you look at Christ, you’re above everything. Let what happens down below happen—none of it can affect you.

The Heart’s Door

Fr. Stephen Freeman

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

The Heart’s Door

Fr. Stephen Freeman

Christ refers to Himself as “the Door,” and encourages us to “knock.”

Sermon on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross

Hieromonk Anatoly

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Sermon on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross

Hieromonk Anatoly

The Cross is a symbol of the victory of good over evil, for it pleased God the Father that the Son should be crucified on the Cross and accept His death on it, redeeming the human race from sin, the curse, and death.

St. Ephraim the Wonderworker Who Is Quick to Hear

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

St. Ephraim the Wonderworker Who Is Quick to Hear

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

In the fifteen years since, he has gained recognition and love among Orthodox Russians, and St. Ephraim now lives in the hearts of many believers who turn to him for help, protection, and healing.

The Gospel Is the Purest Truth

Eleventh Talk on the Divine Liturgy, Part A

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

Theology

The Gospel Is the Purest Truth

Eleventh Talk on the Divine Liturgy, Part A

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

The Gospel may seem simple at first glance, but in reality it contains an immeasurable depth of meanings that are revealed to those who study the Gospel correctly.

A Priest at the Front: No Weapons, but a Lot of Faith

Archpriest Dmitry Krotkov

Orthodoxy Around the World

A Priest at the Front: No Weapons, but a Lot of Faith

Archpriest Dmitry Krotkov

I think it is a chimney that has gone awry, or maybe it is a carpet that has been gathered in the middle of the room. And then I realize it is an unexploded missile—right in the middle of the room. It had not detonated.