“Father, bless me to hang myself!”

Victor Kasyanenko

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Orthodoxy Today

Rating: 10|Votes: 3

“Father, bless me to hang myself!”

Victor Kasyanenko

A man came to him and said, “Father, life is hard. Bless me to hang myself.” Fr. Anatoly listened to him, heard him out, and explained to him that taking one’s own life by suicide is a terrible sin, and that human life is a priceless gift of God. But the man would not hear it, and continued trying to bend the priest’s will to give a blessing for suicide.

St. Ambrose of Optina

Commemorated October 10/23

Olga Glagoleva

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Rating: 7|Votes: 3

St. Ambrose of Optina

Commemorated October 10/23

Olga Glagoleva

In the history of Russia, as in world history, there are saints who serve as “milestones,’ as it were, on the road to the Most High. One such righteous one was St. Ambrose of Optina, whose memory is celebrated on October10/23.

From Baptist to Orthodox: My Journey of Faith

Vincent Gabriel

577 3
Coming to Orthodoxy

Rating: 8|Votes: 18

From Baptist to Orthodox: My Journey of Faith

Vincent Gabriel

But why Orthodoxy? Why would anyone—especially a faithful, Bible-believing Protestant—want to convert to this old, “weird” faith?

Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash). On Lies

Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash)

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Rating: 7,3|Votes: 3

Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash). On Lies

Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash)

Preserve yourself from lies: they banish the fear of God from a person; confess all your thoughts and deeds to your [spiritual] father, and God’s help will sign itself upon you. Force yourself to do your handiwork, and the fear of God will abide in you.

How Are the Passions Born?

Andrei Gorbachev

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Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Rating: 10|Votes: 5

How Are the Passions Born?

Andrei Gorbachev

“A thousand-mile journey begins with one step,” say the Chinese. So also every passion begins with one thought, which is called prilog, or “suggestion”. This term describes a thought, but also an image, a feeling, a desire, or a state that suddenly arises in the human soul; however that is not to mean all thoughts or states, but only those aimed at separating us from God.