5/31/2022
Alexandra Kalinovskaya
“Metropolitan Philaret was a perfect monk, a pure virgin, and a keeper of the vows of purity… Philaret is so great that he even sees the smallest and knows how to sympathize with him…”
Being an angel in the flesh, he lived with his soul wholly longing for God, putting love for the Creator at the forefront of his earthly life.
"It was absolutely impossible to lose heart in the presence of the old metropolitan… There was no hierarchal unctuousness in him at all."
The prisoners were transferred to Kronstadt, gathered onto a barge, and told that every tenth man would be shot. Father Alexis turned out to be the ninth. A young priest stood near him.
St. James prays for us in the hustle and bustle of the modern world.
With the promise of earthly blessings, the impious ruler tried to turn Sts. Sergius and Bacchus away from the true faith. But the future martyrs did not listen to his flattering words.
“His humility is so strong that it seems that Fr. Alexei is ready to ask everyone’s forgiveness and, without hesitation, bow at the feet of the worst sinner, as it were..."
The last decades of the nineteenth century in the Russian lands were accompanied by spiritual decline, which eventually led to the Red Terror. Fr. Valentin was a “burning lamp” for the faithful of Moscow, refusing to allow faith in Christ to completely cool off in the souls of men.
“Ah, my beloved child, if you only knew how much I want to save you! I would endure everything for you. I have no greater concern than to bring you to the Lord, and there’s no more serious matter on earth than the salvation of the soul.”
Hieromonk Silouan (Yaroslavtsev)
I arrived in a city where all the stores were closed on Sundays, even including grocery stores. It seems to me that if we call ourselves an Orthodox nation, we could learn from them.
The Shamordino Convent near Kaluga, founded in 1884 by St. Ambrose of Optina as a refuge for widows and orphans, survived decades of Soviet persecution to be restored in 1990 and now houses over a hundred nuns.
“What struck me the most and what I remember was his genuine love, coming from the depths of his heart and the same for everyone. Everything became peaceful in Batiushka’s presence. Yes, this man was filled with God’s love.”
Contemporaries called it the “Women’s Optina Hermitage.” It was precisely there that the Optina elders blessed those desiring monastic life to enter.
By the end of his abbacy at St. Panteleimon’s, the monastery included more than 1,000 brethren. Fr. Makary himself led a strict life of fasting and asceticism to the end of his days, serving as an example for everyone who knew him.
"He was meek and forbearing; he could bear all our infirmities in such a way that I’ve never seen such a meek and patient man in all my life, and he was perfect in all virtues; he taught us not in words, but in all things he showed us and was an example for us."
It wasn’t scholarship that was his true calling, but the art of the human word. He was not only an excellent connoisseur, but also a brilliant artist of the Russian word.
Hierodeacon Daniel (Sikoev)
Hierodeacon Daniel (Sikoev) shares a real life story that illustrates the Parable of the Prodigal Son in the modern context and demonstrates work of Divine Providence for every person.
Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov
And if we wish to learn love, we must also live for the sake of our neighbor. Look around! Here are your neighbors, and each one needs to be shown love, regardless of whether you feel it or not.
Hieromonk Athanasius (Deryugin)
Our saints strove to ensure that the Liturgy never ceased, even when there were a minimum of possible external conditions for this.
Igumen Cyprian (Parts)
A person should only put the Lord first. You must walk towards this through repentance.
Archpriest Maxim Nikolsky
He had knowledge, wisdom, and love. He spoke directly, like a close friend and a father.
Abbess Maria (Miros)
Mother Maria was born in Australia and obtained a degree in medicine. But feeling a special call from God, she became a nun. We talked about the convent, choosing the monastic path, and repentance.
Bishop Alexei (Trader) of Alaska
We have examples of saints, including modern ones, who show with their lives that holiness can be achieved.
Priest Stanislav Rasputin
Locals are sincerely interested in the Orthodox faith and have the desire to study the faith.
Fr. Alexander Paramonov
Priest Alexander Paramonov resides and serves in an Australian town called Gold Coast. He answered our questions regarding his life and, together with his wife, matushka Leah, he told us what life is like for Christians in that remote corner of the world.
Archimandrite Job (Gumerov)
Humility is a state of mind freed from passions. It manifests itself in relation to God, people and yourself. Neither the world with its temptations, nor the flesh, nor the love of glory, nor jealousy, nor envy make a humble person a captive.
Hieromonk Agafangel (Davlatov)
Human needs are basically the same as they were thousands of years ago—the rest is imposed upon us through the media, ads on the street, and idle talk with friends; therefore, it’s better to limit our TV, tablet, phone usage, and protect ourselves from empty chatter. When we remain, to the best of our ability, cut off from temptations, there are fewer occasions for sin.
On the Apodosis of Pascha some brethren of the Moscow Sretensky Monastery have answered the question of how to preserve Paschal joy.
How can a man restore his spiritual peace if he’s lost it? How can he preserve it in an environment of uncertainty, overwhelmed by all sorts of fears?
Igumen Cyprian (Parts) from Moscow’s Sretensky Monastery talks about Paschal joy and the prerequisites for it.
