3/4/2020
Alexandra Gripas
It took nearly a year before that family found peace again. Irina later told us that her sister forgave Igor—and that, to everyone’s relief, he returned home.
Archpriest Pavel Gumerov
Love is not an emotion, but a chain of actions, it is an effort, a direction of the will.
Everyone is susceptible to the midlife crisis: both successful people who have achieved great results and have made a good career, and those people who feel that they have achieved nothing.
Suddenly, I shouted loudly and clearly, with tears: “Lord, help me! Lord, help us! Save my daughter,” and I titled her head to the floor. I heard the candy come out of her wrong pipe and fall to the floor.
Ira was already climbing over the railing to jump down, when suddenly the balcony door opened wide and an elderly woman stepped outside. The stranger dropped her washbasin full of laundry on the floor, ran to Ira, wrapped her arms around her and forcefully pulled her towards herself.
We were in utter despair. Only my grandmother tried to calm us down and said, “If the Lord allows this, we must humble ourselves and hope for the mercy of the Lord.”
I didn’t want to have an abortion. Some unknown force as if led me towards the church. I had my first confession at the age of eighteen.
One day the doctors said that she had two weeks to live! It was just like a shot. Julia did not shed a single tear.
"It’s neither the mountains, nor the climate, nor the Gobi Desert. It’s a miracle."
Anna Mustafina
All men of genius, pathfinders, and military leaders had mothers who delivered, loved, and took care of them.
Archpriest Vasily Gelevan
Probably the most important tradition in our family that we want to preserve is praying with children.
All words fade if your example contradicts what you say. I respect people who say one thing and do... the same thing.
Fr. Mark Tyson
It was Divine Grace that led me to understand that Lisa was the person with whom I should be closest, and that the Lord would help us to build a life together.
Fr. Maxim will be remembered not as someone who condemned, criticized, or lectured, but as someone who showed love and compassion and offered a helping hand to women who found themselves in a difficult situation.
Priest Victor Gavrish
Okay, if you want to be the head, then take on a greater workload.
We enjoy each other’s company, we always have topics for conversation, and we don’t communicate only about raising children and domestic things. There must be friendship at the first stage of communication.
At thirty-five, when they stopped dreaming and even avoided any conversations about having children, she found out that she was at long last going to become a mother.
The new priest charmed the parishioners from the very first—on the one hand with his modesty and humility, and on the other with his ardent faith and spiritual dedication to serving Christ and us, his flock.
I came back and beheld the following sight: Fr. Gabriel was sitting there, surrounded by policemen who were having a party, telling them about Orthodoxy—that it is the true faith.
I knew that Veronica was dying and I prayed to the Mother of God to miraculously arrange my wife’s Baptism, so that she might die a Christian.
One step, then another, and it seemed harmless, my feet still felt the bottom. Suddenly, there was nothing under my feet! I was able only several times to push myself up from the bottom to get a breath of air—several seconds of fruitless struggle and then emptiness and darkness.
Fr. Naum continued on his way. It didn’t feel right to ask about my troubles in front of everyone. I followed the Elder with the others, hoping I’d be lucky enough to see him. Then the Elder suddenly turned around and asked me: “Do you smoke?”
When the baby was two months old, she had convulsions, and she stopped breathing. I tried CPR, but nothing helped. I pressed my baby to myself and suddenly remembered grandma’s icon. Tears fell onto the icon. Stammering and shaking, I asked the Theotokos to save and take pity upon my daughter.
There was a ward round next morning. The doctor listened to my lungs for a long time, then removed the stethoscope and looked at me confusedly. I was startled, thinking that something terrible was going on.
While in the coma, it was as if I saw the faithful in the church, watching and hearing how they were praying. Suddenly a large black cloud started rushing towards me. I was scared, and I shouted: “Most Holy Theotokos, help!”
