Rating: 9.1|Votes: 7
On April 5/18, 1993, three monks of the famous Optina Monastery in Russia were slain with a knife that had the numbers “666” on inscribed on the handle. It was the act of a Satanist, whose master hates all mankind but especially monks. But these men, Hieromonk Vasily and monks Trophim and Therapont, are now venerated by the Church as martyrs—and many facts in the lives show that the Lord had prepared His chosen ones for such an end. Now through their prayers, miracles happen. Here are a few examples taken from the Optina Monastery website.
Fr. Maximos (Constas)
Rating: 8.4|Votes: 14
St. Paul says you are the dwelling place of God. Is this how we normally understand ourselves? To be dwelling places inhabited by God? This is a very powerful assertion; do we take it seriously and understand what it means and what our lives mean in the context of such a statement? Do we live consistently with such a statement?
Vassiliki Katsaouni
With euthanasia, people aren’t making use of the right for a dignified death. Instead of making the most of this extremely trying time in the life of the patient as an opportunity for glorification, the ‘easy choice’ of a painless departure is taken. This is a eudaimonistic approach, by which people choose to depart in the same manner as they’ve lived.
Rating: 7.5|Votes: 4
The process of addressing the pastoral needs of any given age is one which requires both tremendous prayer and ascetical devotion from all Christians, but also the dedicated, deliberate work to ensure, in any document the Church may put forward, the faithfulness to the Gospel we have inherited. All such texts, now as throughout history, go through many stages of preparation and revision; and the fact that we, together with others, have identified serious problems with some of the documents pending consideration by the forthcoming Council should be a cause for neither fear nor anxiety. The Holy Spirit Who always guides the Church in love, is not far from us today; and the Church is not in our times, nor has she ever been, without the active headship of her True Head, Christ our God, Whom we trust with full faith will guide His Body in all truth.
Archimandrite Lazar (Abashidze)
Rating: 9.5|Votes: 15
However enraptured they maybe with these pleasant and sweet dreams, preoccupied with outwardly ordering churches and places of inspiration (in expectation of that wonderful era), a large number of clergy and laity do not even notice (or perhaps do not want to notice), how the spirit of antichrist is coming into Georgia, and sinking deeper roots into people souls, beginning his reign in all strata of life.