Prologue in Sermons: February 14

One of the Best Means of Making Unbelievers Believers

February 14

(Commemoration of our Venerable Father Abraham)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Why is it, brethren, that so few pagans are converted to our faith, and why do so few from the schism enter Orthodoxy? It is because we often forget that evil cannot be stopped or overcome by evil, and that evil can be halted — and cut off — only by good.

Venerable Abraham lived among pagans. Some mocked him and forced him to leave them; others constantly troubled him with requests for help. Abraham shared with them what he received from the Orthodox, and by this, it is said, he was delivered from abusive torment. And how did it end? The pagans, struck by the Venerable one’s love for mankind, built a Christian church and themselves all became Christians, and they entreated Abraham to be their priest.

Thus meekness and freedom from malice conquered evil and hatred and increased the flock of Christ!

Prologue in Sermons: November 2

 

 

Repentant Sinners Should Be Treated With Gentleness

November 2

(On Saint Serapion, How he Saved a Harlot)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

It happens that even the greatest sinners sometimes experience moments of deep remorse: and in these moments, finding no source of comfort within themselves, they hasten to those around them, share the sorrow of their sins, and ask to be taught: What should they do? How can they be saved? and so on. Brethren! If such a person were to come to any of you seeking help, how would you treat them? I do not know; but it should generally be noted that some people, when encountering those branded as great sinners, either drive them away entirely or offer them admonitions so severe that next time they would not come to us at all. Such conduct is not advisable. It seems to me that we would significantly reduce the number of these so-called great sinners if we treated them gently and compassionately, applying the balm of mercy to their wounds.

Prologue in Sermons: September 9

Advice To Those Who Are Zealous for the Conversion of Sinners

September 9

(On Not Condemning, But Having Mercy On Those Who Sin)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev 

Often, brethren, in recent times I have heard from some of you these words: “Behold, you often tell us to teach our neighbors good; but what are we to do when they do not listen to us? And not only do they not listen, but they often respond with mockery and abuse. Is it possible to teach a bad person?”

Listen carefully to what I have to say to you about this.

The Lord Jesus Christ, sending the Apostles to preach, among other things, gave them this instruction: "Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). This instruction applies to all of us, if we wish to convert a sinner from the error of his way. When dealing with spiritually ill people, the following are needed: caution, patience, meekness, spiritual prudence. Just as physical doctors, when they find it necessary to remove an infected limb from a patient, try in every way to first calm the sufferer, distract his attention from his wound, and only then get down to business; so a spiritual doctor, if he wishes to heal the wounds of a sinner, should never at first be a strict judge to him and a harsh denouncer of his bad deeds. Otherwise, any conversation will lead to mutual displeasure and will bring no benefit.

May: Day 12: Teaching 1: Saint Epiphanios, Archbishop of Cyprus

May: Day 12: Teaching 1:
Saint Epiphanios, Archbishop of Cyprus
 
(What is the Easiest Way to Convert Unbelievers to Christ?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Epiphanios, Archbishop of Cyprus, who is celebrated today, had Jewish parents and was brought up in the Jewish faith. Once, when he was a youth, he met on the road a monk named Lucian, who was engaged in copying books, selling them and keeping part of the proceeds for himself and distributing the rest to the poor. And so Epiphanios saw a beggar approaching Lucian, throwing himself at his feet and crying out: “Have mercy on me, Man of God! Give me something, for I have not eaten bread for three days and have become completely weak.” Lucian takes off his clothes, gives them to the beggar and says: “Go to the city, sell them and buy yourself some bread.” This act of the pious monk so touched Epiphanios that he fell on his knees before him and declared to Lucian that he wanted to become a Christian. Then he invited Lucian to his home, showed him his property and again began to beg him to make him a Christian. After Lucian left, Epiphanios persuaded his sister to accept Holy Baptism, and both of them, seeing Lucian again, already with tears asked to be quickly illuminated by the Christian faith. Lucian taught them the truths of the Christian faith and then brought them to the Bishop, who granted them Holy Baptism. Then Epiphanios distributed his property to the poor and took upon himself the monastic life.

The Grandson of Turkolefteri, Who Had Been Converted by Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian

By Despina Stefanidou

Kyriakos Syros [pictured above] is the grandson of the fearsome and terrifying Turkolefteri [or Eleutherios the Turk].*

Before he was baptized Eleutherios, he was a Turkish soldier and together with others of his group went to loot a church where Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian officiated.

The Saint perceived them coming and with the power of his prayer "marbled" them, made them a "statue" for an example and punishment.

Soon after he released them.

The grandfather of Kyriakos repented, converted, was baptized a Christian and was named Eleutherios.

But because Islam is a religion of "peace and love" his life was now in danger and being hunted he left Turkey, came to Greece and lived in the area of Giannitsa.

Bishop Timothy of Assos on His Conversion to Orthodoxy and Mission in Latin America

"I am a local, I was born in Colombia, in a village on the border with Venezuela, and I come from an Indian tribe," says Bishop Timothy of Assos as he recounts his relationship with Orthodoxy, Greece and Cyprus.

"I encountered Orthodoxy when I was about 11 years old. I happened to see on television Archbishop Makarios from Cyprus, who as President had visited Colombia," he says. "I saw him," he continues, "and I asked a Western priest, 'Who is the one they are showing on TV now, who visited Colombia?' And he told me that he is an archbishop who is a heretic, but an Anglican priest said to him, “No, he is not a heretic. He is Orthodox. And Orthodoxy is the Mother Church, and if you want to be a Christian, become Orthodox and search Orthodoxy and don't easily believe what they tell you."

Bishop Timothy states that his first visit to Cyprus took place in 2010, when a strong earthquake hit Haiti, causing the death of thousands of people and massive material damage, and he had come to receive humanitarian aid from Cyprus.

Jozef Van den Berg Has Reposed at 74: From Famous Dutch Actor and Puppeteer to Orthodox Christian Monk and Hermit

On Friday, October 13th 2023, the famous Dutch actor and puppeteer turned Orthodox Christian monk and hermit reposed in the Lord at the age of 74 at Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Sochos, near Thessaloniki, Greece, where he went to live recently due to his failing health. His funeral will be held on Tuesday, October 17th at the same Monastery and he will be buried there.

Jozef, who was born in Beers of the Netherlands on the 22nd of August 1949, was a very well known actor in the 1970's and 1980's in the Netherlands. He was initially an atheist and married with four children. Later he began a successful career as a wandering puppeteer for children. Then he made his own performances in the theater, for children and adults. Van den Berg traveled the world, from Australia to Canada. In the 1980's, Jozef Van den Berg played in his last play “Enough Wait” for his brother who was seriously ill and was in a wheelchair. On September 14, 1989, he would bring that performance to the De Singel in Antwerp, but then something very special happened.

An 18th Century Critique of an Athonite Practice of Re-Baptizing Converts

By Metropolitan Job of Pisidia

Narratives of pilgrims’ journeys have always been precious witnesses to our knowledge of the history of the development of worship... The Wanderings (Мандри) of Vasil Grigorovich Barsky, [which are] the notes of his long pilgrimage to the Christian West and East – the journey of almost his entire life – took place between 1723 and 1747, when he died, a month later having returned to Kiev. They introduce us, in particular, to the peculiarities of worship in the Greek-speaking world under the Ottoman empire, and describe in sufficient detail the Athonite liturgical practice still in use to this day.

Born in 1701 near Kiev, Vasil (Basil) Barsky was an exceptional pilgrim, quite different from the others. As a young twenty-year-old student of the Kiev Theological Academy, he left his homeland, interested in discovering foreign lands. He left with his knowledge of Latin and Slavic languages, which he acquired at the academy, and with theological and liturgical education, which gave him the opportunity, unlike many other pilgrims, to describe and evaluate in detail the divine services he attended in various places of the Christian world, both in the West (Pest, Vienna, Bari, Rome, Venice) and in the East (Corfu, Mount Athos, Palestine, Egypt, Cyprus, Patmos, Constantinople, Athens and Crete)....