Orthodox Christianity

Wednesday, August 13/26, 2026. 13th Week after Pentecost. Успенский пост.

Monastic rule: xerophagy (bread, uncooked fruits and vegetables).

Apodosis of the Transfiguration. St. Maximus the Confessor (662) Uncovering of the relics of St. Maximus of Moscow, fool-for-Christ (1547). St. Tikhon, bishop of Voronezh, wonderworker of Zadonsk (1783).

Martyr Hippolytus of Rome and 18 martyrs with him, including Martyrs Concordia, Irenaeus, and Abundius (258).

New Hieromartyr Seraphim (Zvezdinsky), bishop of Dmitrov (1937).

Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos “Of Minsk” (1500), “Of the Passion” (1641), “Of the Seven Arrows” (Vologda) (1830), and “The Softening of Evil Hearts.”

St. Eudocia the Empress, wife of Theodosius the Younger (460). St. Seridus, abbot, of Gaza (ca. 543). St. Radegunde of Poitiers, nun (587). St. Wigbert, abbot of Hersfeld and English missionary to Germany (ca. 747). Empress Irene, wife of Emperor John II Comnenus (1134). Abba Dorotheus of Gaza (ca. 560-580).

Repose of Valaam Schemamonk Timothy of Mt. Athos (1848).

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Ukrainian Church Crisis

The Church of the Transfiguration on Kizhi Island: A Masterpiece of the Russian North

The Church of the Transfiguration on Kizhi Island: A Masterpiece of the Russian North The Church of the Transfiguration on Kizhi Island: A Masterpiece of the Russian North Standing above Lake Onega, the Church of the Transfiguration seems at once monumental and almost weightless. Its massive pine logs anchor it firmly to the earth, while the ascending tiers of silver-gray domes draw the eye upward.

The Mountain of Crosses: The Road To Grabarka—A Path To Transfiguration

The Mountain of Crosses: The Road To Grabarka—A Path To Transfiguration A Pilgrim’s Recollections The Mountain of Crosses: The Road To Grabarka—A Path To Transfiguration A Pilgrim’s Recollections Elena Nasledysheva During a true pilgrimage on foot, with all its trials and joys and its atmosphere of prayer, one witnesses how all of this transforms people, inspires them, and strengthens their faith; how it unites people from different countries in a common aspiration—to become purer and kinder, and to draw closer to God and to one another.

“Let’s just live together.” Or, How We Have Quietly Outpaced The Ancient Pagans

“Let’s just live together.” Or, How We Have Quietly Outpaced The Ancient Pagans Priest Leonid Bartkov “Let’s just live together.” Or, How We Have Quietly Outpaced The Ancient Pagans Priest Leonid Bartkov When we justify our cohabitation as a “psychological test,” we are not just falling—we are trying to pass off our fall as a rise.

The Dormition Fast

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The Transfiguration of the Lord

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News

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Publications

“I Will Serve the Church As Long As It Exists”

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“I Will Serve the Church As Long As It Exists”

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

“They … sacrificed their lives for Christ, for the faith; they were tortured in secret torture chambers, prisons, and camps because they believed in Christ and preferred to die rather than deny Him..."

It Is Hard for a Rich Man to Enter the Kingdom of Heaven

Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

It Is Hard for a Rich Man to Enter the Kingdom of Heaven

Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)

For a Christian, wealth is not the purpose of life at all. If wealth comes into a Christian’s life, it is a trust, a calling to serve his neighbor.

Forgiveness, Censorship, and the Corruption of Words

If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single, Part 4

Hieromonk Savatie (Bastovoi)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Forgiveness, Censorship, and the Corruption of Words

If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single, Part 4

Hieromonk Savatie (Bastovoi)

The end of the world will come not from the increase of sins, but from the inability to forgive.

Homily on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Homily on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic

For Orthodoxy, the fundamental goal is the deification of man, his transformation in Christ, and not anything of this world.

The Inner War and the Peace That Follows

If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single, Part 3

Hieromonk Savatie (Bastovoi)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

The Inner War and the Peace That Follows

If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single, Part 3

Hieromonk Savatie (Bastovoi)

Every passion that takes root in our hearts is a harbinger of war. The guarding of the senses, the guarding of the mind, and of judgment expressed aloud, should keep us from this all-encompassing war.

A Thorny Path to the Stars: The Remarkable Story of How The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord Was Built at a Space Center

Hieromonk Pafnuty (Fokin)

Churches and Monasteries

A Thorny Path to the Stars: The Remarkable Story of How The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord Was Built at a Space Center

Hieromonk Pafnuty (Fokin)

Preparations for manned spaceflight in the Soviet Union began in the spring of 1960. At that time, the concepts of “cosmonautics” and “religion” were regarded in the public consciousness as incompatible and mutually exclusive. And yet, almost all the cosmonauts of the first group were baptized Orthodox Christians.

St. Mitrophan, Bishop of Voronezh

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

St. Mitrophan, Bishop of Voronezh

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

The diocese of Voronezh was new and poor, established for the most part to combat the spread of the Old Believers. At that time, the land of Voronezh was troubled because of the “bespopovtsy” (priestless Old Believers), involuntary settlers from other places, and the local people with lax morals. The task of restoring order in the diocese was a serious challenge for the saint.

Homily on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Archimandrite Sofian (Boghiu)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Homily on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Archimandrite Sofian (Boghiu)

This is precisely what today’s feast calls each of us to do: to undergo an inward transformation, to be purified and enlightened, and to bring our lives into harmony with the holy will of God, who always desires what is good and blessed for us and for all mankind.

Sermon on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Hieromonk Philofei (Makharramov)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Sermon on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Hieromonk Philofei (Makharramov)

Here is the ideal that Christ left us: meekness, the spirit of humility, the spirit of love, and the spirit of self-sacrifice—this is always associated with self-emptying; we will always have to humble ourselves.

True Authority: From Domination to Service

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

True Authority: From Domination to Service

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

Outward domination of one person over another is fundamentally incompatible with the preaching of the Cross.

“God Has Given Me Everything”

In Memoriam: Nun Dosithea (Verzhblovskaya; †08/08/2000)

Hieromonk Pafnuty (Fokin)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“God Has Given Me Everything”

In Memoriam: Nun Dosithea (Verzhblovskaya; †08/08/2000)

Hieromonk Pafnuty (Fokin)

Although she grew up in an atheistic Jewish family, from the age of six she felt drawn to the Orthodox faith and was baptized in 1941.

If You Show Mercy…

Fr. James Guirguis

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

If You Show Mercy…

Fr. James Guirguis

The Lord says in effect, “I have forgiven and will continue to forgive you, but you must also forgive others continually.”

Lessons of Faith from the Seven Holy Youths of Ephesus

Hieromonk Agafangel (Davlatov)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Lessons of Faith from the Seven Holy Youths of Ephesus

Hieromonk Agafangel (Davlatov)

These Seven Holy Youths fell into a deep and sound sleep; they did not die, but rather fell asleep, and they told this story themselves almost two centuries after they were sealed in this cave.

Forgiveness Is Necessary for Our Salvation

Sermon on the Eleventh Week of Pentecost

Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Forgiveness Is Necessary for Our Salvation

Sermon on the Eleventh Week of Pentecost

Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)

How then brethren can we not be merciful to our neighbors and not forgive their sins against us, when our Heavenly Father Himself loves us all? He is kind to both the ungrateful and the wicked.

The Burden of The Sword and The Healing of The Heart: Remaining a Christian While Stopping Evil

Priest Leonid Bartkov

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

The Burden of The Sword and The Healing of The Heart: Remaining a Christian While Stopping Evil

Priest Leonid Bartkov

Forgiveness is not amnesia. Forgiveness is not saying, “Nothing terrible happened.” No, something terrible did happen. Evil is evil. Forgiveness is not reconciliation with evil. Forgiveness is renouncing personal revenge. It is breaking the chain of evil within oneself.

Three Feasts of the Savior and the Mirror of Christ

Hieromonk Spyridon (Dorosh)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Three Feasts of the Savior and the Mirror of Christ

Hieromonk Spyridon (Dorosh)

Our faith is called Christianity because Christ is at its center. We look to Him, we strive towards Him, and we become like Him.

The Procession of the Life-Giving Cross

St. Alexei Mechev

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Procession of the Life-Giving Cross

St. Alexei Mechev

O Cross of the Lord! Guide us all to the path of salvation, establish peace and calm in our land, so that we may live a quiet and peaceful life in all piety and purity.

The Union of our Spirits: Ekklesia as Epiclesis

Fr. Lawrence Farley

Theology

The Union of our Spirits: Ekklesia as Epiclesis

Fr. Lawrence Farley

The Lord’s sacramental presence among us at Liturgy is a gift, a charisma, the gracious fulfillment of His promise to manifest Himself when His disciples gather together.

What Does it Mean to Stand in the Faith?

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

What Does it Mean to Stand in the Faith?

Hieromartyr Benjamin was condemned for his sharply negative attitude towards the Renovationist schism.

What Does Your Faith Smell Like?

On the commemoration of the Nativity of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

What Does Your Faith Smell Like?

On the commemoration of the Nativity of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

Sanctity inspires, heals, and calls us to goodness. It proves that the Gospel is not a distant ideal but real life, accessible to each of us.

Abba Pambo. Restraint of the Tongue as a Spiritual Discipline

Hieromonk Spyridon (Dorosh)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Abba Pambo. Restraint of the Tongue as a Spiritual Discipline

Hieromonk Spyridon (Dorosh)

For the hermits, silence was the battlefield of continuous spiritual warfare. In solitude, the usual worldly concerns disappeared, and a person was left face to face with his own passions and with temptations from the evil one and the demons.

On Self-Denial and Truth

If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single, Part 2

Hieromonk Savatie (Bastovoi)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

On Self-Denial and Truth

If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single, Part 2

Hieromonk Savatie (Bastovoi)

While God speaks to us about grace and forgiveness, people speak about laws and punishments. Strength forgives, but weakness punishes.

If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single

Part 1: On Judgment and the Single Eye

Hieromonk Savatie (Bastovoi)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single

Part 1: On Judgment and the Single Eye

Hieromonk Savatie (Bastovoi)

In our neighbor, we find either salvation or perdition.

Tesla’s “Silent Agreement” with Saint Nicholas

Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Tesla’s “Silent Agreement” with Saint Nicholas

Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic

In November 1940, the wealthy Serbian-American Mihailo Ducic sent him financial assistance. The ingenious inventor thanked him in a telegram, stating, among other things: “Saint Nicholas and you are my best friends.”

Saint Herman and His Alaska

A new book

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Saint Herman and His Alaska

A new book

How hard it was for the brothers in, the far north! Although autumn brought rain and wind to the brethren, the monks could not help but admire the beauty of the land and praise God despite the harsh weather.