The Catalog of Good Deeds

The Lord loves us as His children, and His love is stronger than a mother’s love, because even a mother can forget her child, but the Lord never forgets us. And if the Lord Himself had not given the Holy Spirit to the Orthodox people and our great pastors, then we could never know how much He loves us.

The Lord loves us so much that for our salvation He came down to earth and spilled His Blood for us, and gave It to us to drink, and gave us His Ever-Clean Body. Thus we became His children, of His Flesh and Blood; and we are like the Lord in flesh as children are like their fathers, no matter their age. And the Spirit of God witnesses to our souls that we shall always be with Him.

In order to experience the Lord it is not necessary to have wealth, or learning, but it is necessary to be obedient and abstemious, to have a humble spirit and love your neighbor; the Lord will love such a soul and reveal Himself to it, and will more often teach it love and humility, and will give it all it needs in order that it may find peace in God.

The Lord created man from earth, but He loves us as His children, and awaits us with joy.

The Lord loves all people, but whoever searches for Him, He loves most. "Who loves Me — I love," says the Lord, "and who seeks me shall find grace" (Proverbs 8:17). The love of the Lord is such that He desires that all people should be saved and be with Him in Heaven for eternity, to witness His glory. We cannot know this glory in full, but through the Holy Spirit can know it in part. And whoever has not experienced the Holy Spirit cannot know this glory, but can only believe in the promise of the Lord and keep His commandments. But even they are blessed, as the Lord said to the Apostle Thomas (John 20:29); and they will be equal to those who witnessed the glory of the Lord on earth.

And I learned that love is different in strength. Whoever fears God in order not to insult Him: this is the first kind of love. Whoever has a mind clear of unnecessary thought — this is the second form of love, greater than the first. Whoever feels the presence of grace in his soul — this is the third form of love, even greater.

The fourth, absolute, love for God is to have grace in your body as well as your soul. Such a body will become holy and leave relics. This happens with great martyrs, prophets and saints. Whoever has reached this level is untouched by bodily love. He may sleep with a girl and feel no desire for her. The love of God is greater than that bodily love that attracts the entire world, except those who have the grace of God in full, for the sweetness of the Holy Spirit recreates the entire person and teaches to love God completely. In the fullness of the love of God, the soul does not touch the earth; though one may live among others in the world, he forgets all in the world thanks to the love of God. Our misfortune is that we are too proud to stand in that grace, and it leaves our souls, and the soul searches for it, crying and weeping, and says, "My soul pines for the Lord."

Whoever wishes to love the Lord must love his enemies and be without spite; then the Lord will give you to glorify Him day and night, and your mind will forget the world; and if it should return and remember, then it will pray diligently for the world.

This is how the saints lived, for the Spirit of God taught their souls to pray for others.

Source: http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/siluan_e.htm#n2

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An extraordinary and irresistible impression was produced by St. Macarius on all who came into contact with him. Divine grace transfigured his whole being. It could be noticed in his glance, in his speech, and in that extraordinary love which poured out upon all around him. His word, even the simplest, was always uttered with authority. It created and built. Filled with divine wisdom and power, it penetrated to the very depth of the human spirit. Even those who didn’t know St. Macarius recognized him instantly amidst other monks by his extraordinary appearance.

For sixty years St. Macarius lived in his desert of Scetis, and at the age of 90 he departed to the Lord. Not long before his death, there appeared to him from the world above his Abba Anthony the Great, chief of the desert dwellers, and Pachomius the Great, founder of the coenobitic monasteries in Egypt. They said, “Rejoice, Macarius; the Lord Jesus Christ sent us to announce to you your joyful death. On the ninth day after today you will depart into eternal life. On that day we shall come again to you and with joy shall take you with us, so that together with us you might appear before the Lord’s Throne and enjoy immortal life.” St. Macarius summoned the brethren. He instructed them to preserve strictly the rules of the fathers and the traditions of the monks, placed the more experienced and advanced brethren as teachers among them, blessed all, bade farewell to them, and in solitude began to prepare for his departure.

On the day of his death a Cherubim appeared to him with a multitude of angels and said: “Arise, O follower of the Lord, and come with us into eternal life.” The Cherubim indicated to him the throngs of saints who had come out to meet him: “Behold the assembly of apostles, behold the throng of prophets, behold the multitude of martyrs, behold the choir of holy hierarchs, fasters, monks and righteous men. Give Unto me now your soul, which I was commanded by God to preserve during its earthly life.” With the words, “Into Thy hands, 0 Lord, I commend my spirit,” St. Macarius departed to the Lord.

He beholds the soul and sees all that takes place in it. He indicates to it the path to perfection. He is entirely caught up in contemplation of God and in exaltation. To him the great Secrets of the world above are open.His writings speak to us chiefly of deification. He develops the philosophy of communion with God, although he built no philosophical system. “Genuine philosophy is ascetical doing, the acquisition of the Spirit of Wisdom and Reason. A God-bearing contemplator or seer of mysteries is a true wise man or lover of wisdom (philosopher).” He speaks of the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. External labors — fasting, vigil, prayer — are only means to this and are not in themselves an end. This teaching of the acquisition of the Holy Spirit comes down through the centuries to our own great Seraphim. In the renowned Conversation with Motovilov St.Seraphim reveals to our whole contemporary world this ancient yet all-but-forgotten teaching…

Apolytikion St. Macarius the Great of Egypt in the First Tone:

Thou didst prove to be a citizen of the desert, an angel in the flesh, and a wonderworker, O Makarios, our God-bearing Father. By fasting, vigil, and prayer thou didst obtain heavenly gifts, and thou healest the sick and the souls of them that have recourse to thee with faith. Glory to Him that hath given thee strength. Glory to Him that hath crowned thee. Glory to Him that worketh healings for all through thee.

Source: https://iconandlight.wordpress.com/2016/01/18/st-macarius-the-great-of-egypt-a-lover-of-wisdom/

In the ancient Christian Church all the people had to pray standing up

At the apostolic times, especially in the catacomb Church, the Divine services were completely different from the services we may attend today. Over time, different texts were added to the services. They were rearranged and transformed. Time passed, and the services got their final form and content, which was due to the influence of several factors such as the introduction of the Psalter and liturgical texts written by St. John of Damascus, St. Ephraim of Syria, St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom, St. Grigory the Theologian, St. Grigory of Nyssa and others.

The first Christian services held in Jerusalem are described in the memoirs of pilgrim Egeria (4^th century). Particularly, it is stated that the services were hymnographic by their character. People sang the antiphons and read the excerpts from the Psalter. The Psalter was read in the form of kathismas and so-called homilies. There were five homilies within the liturgical day. Pilgrim Egeria states also that during the service people could not only sing and read, but sit as well. Although ancient services were quite long, there were few people in churches who were sitting during them, because their perception of Christianity was different.

“It is important that a person comes to the church at all”

Basically, during the service at the church it is allowed to sit only during the reading of kathismas. The Greek word “kathisma” means “sit”. Today it is also allowed to sit during the reading of the Psalter, while seriously ill people may sit even during the reading of canons. At the Divine Liturgy it is permitted to sit during the reading of the Apostle. It is advisable for those who can stand, to stand during the liturgy.

Today the form of the service differs from the one served at the time of the first Church of Christ. First of all, it concerns the “quality” of our attendance. The reason for this is in us, in people. The most important factor in this case is the decay of our faith, which causes a completely different type of perception of the Divine service. It is most likely that we sit because of our weakness. Sometimes – because we are lazy.

Another factor is our body. As St. John Chrysostom writes, our physical abilities and health conditions are different. Some people are as strong as iron, while the others can be thin like grass. This is why the most important for God is what is in our heart when we pray.

People in good health can stand during the whole daily liturgical cycle. Those who do not have the strength are allowed to sit during the kathismas, canons and the reading of the Apostle. Thos who are physically ill, are free to sit during the Divine services. It is important that a person comes to the church at all. Because sometimes we can hear people saying: “I will watch the liturgy online on the internet”. But it is an artificial meeting with God. It is not enough to watch the liturgy, you need to live it through, to feel it, to open our heart for God. This is why we should attend the service. If you can stand, then stand. If you are not able to stand, then come and take a seat. In the 3^rd millennium it is a great joy if a person at least comes to the church to attend the service.

Translated from: http://pravlife.org/content/kogda-mozhno-sidet-v-hrame-na-bogosluzhenii

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It is always interesting to get acquainted with new people. Especially, if these people come from other countries, where the cultural, social and economic atmospheres are completely different from ours. However, the Orthodox Christians are similar to each other no matter in what country they live. They are similar in the spirit of God, which enlightens us. But is this always like this? Is it always easy to be with God? We discuss these and many other questions with Father Mark Luimes, a cleric of the Canadian Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).

Father Mark, to begin with, could you tell us a few words about yourself?

I was born in Ontario, Canada. I grew up on a farm in a village. My parents were from the Netherlands, but they moved to Canada during their childhood.

I attended the Protestant church of the Netherlands. During my study at the university, I studied the history of the Byzantine Empire. Thus I learned about the Orthodox Church for the first time. My lector offered me to study Orthodoxy, and after that the Orthodox theme thrilled me even more. I read the book “Vindication of Tradition” by Yaroslav Pelican, which changed my views on how we understand and interpret the Holy Scripture.

Once I visited an Orthodox Church in Canada. I did not understand what was said there, but I felt a strong spiritual connection with Orthodoxy, and I was ready to accept it, while my wife was not. She would come to Orthodoxy only seven years later.

At that time, I attended services at the Bulgarian Orthodox church located not far from Niagara Falls. I was baptized there and served as a reader, as a subdeacon and, finally, as a deacon. I have served as a deacon there just for one year, but I still maintain good relations with the laity. Once, I even had a possibility to visit Sophia, Bulgaria together with a priest from that church.

In whose honor was the church?

The church of St. John of Rila. It was under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, although it is a Bulgarian church. When I served there, Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov) was the Hierarch of the ROCOR. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church was going to accept the new style calendar, and I asked for blessing to stay within the ROCOR and served for a certain period of time in the Orthodox Church of America (OCA).

When were you tonsured?

It happened in 2009, on the feast day of St. Nicholas. Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada tonsured me in the cathedral of St. Nicholas in Montreal.

Where are you serving at the moment?

I served as a deacon in the OCA for five years. I was “borrowed” from the ROCOR. On the feast day of the Three Hierarchs, February 12, I was tonsured as a priest. Now I serve as a second priest in the Intercession church in Hamilton, Ontario. It is not far from Toronto. Father Peter Shashkov is the Senior Priest there.

So you are a “young” priest…

Yes, an elderly person, but a young priest. My son is studying in the Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanvile. My spiritual father lived there as well. Eight times a year I visited this place.

Is your son the only child in your family?

No, we have two sons and two daughters. The eldest daughter is about to finish her studying in the theatre school. Another daughter is working in the city, and she is dealing with animal grooming – haircuts and so on. The third child, our son George, is studying in the seminary. The youngest one is 13, and he is homeschooled. Our youngest son is adopted, he was born on Haiti.

Father Mark, what brings you here, to Belarus?

I am here for my work. My secular activity is connected with programming. So I decided to use the possibility and visit the country as an average tourist.

It turns out that priests in Canada have to work during the week and serve only on the weekend?

Yes, for the most part. The priests who serve in the large churches do not work, but if you serve in a small church, then you need additional work.

What is your impression of Belarus and the Orthodox people in our country?

It seems to me that Orthodoxy is in their blood. I had the opportunity to serve together with Archimandrite Alexis in the Holy Spirit Cathedral, and I was very impressed by that.

What do you think, what is the biggest problem the orthodox people face today in Canada?

Perhaps, the biggest problem is the same as at any time. I mean, fighting for salvation. There are also the things, which distract people from their salvation: work, different earthly worries… It reminds me of the proverb about the weeds, which suppress spiritual life.

The immigrants have more experience than the native citizens of Canada. However, it is really hard for them for the first time, as they have to work more to get on their feet. Or course, this distracts them from their spiritual development.

On the other hand, those people who have come to Orthodoxy and have been baptized, also have their own “bunch” of passions to struggle with. However, I see a great promise for development of Orthodoxy. A large amount of new missions and churches appear all over the United States. The dynamic is good. I hope it will spread all over America. It surprises me that for the last 15 years so much churches have been built! This growth inspires me.

It often can be in our life that a person comes to the church, takes part in the sacraments, partakes of the Holy Communion, but then his faith faints, and the person leaves the Church. What should we do to make people come and stay?

I would like to give an example from the Old Testament. Our life is like the history of the ancients Jews, who were held in slavery by the Egyptians. Crossing the Red Sea became their baptism. They rejoiced after that, they had a spiritual growth. But they did not know that after that growth there would be the desert, they did not think about that. We can compare their trip across the desert with the period of godforsakenness. At the same time God was always with them and provided them with everything they needed to survive. When the Jews crossed the river of Jordan, it was their second baptism, which is death. This is an example of spiritual life.

After the baptism a person feels special glory, he feels that he is close to God. Then God makes us go through the period of “godforsakenness”. However, people should remember that God never leaves them, that it is just the period for working on yourself, for spiritual development and strengthening. It is kind of a desert a person has to cross to become closer to God.

This is why we should strengthen each other. If there is no desire to pray, we should force each other to do this. If there is no desire to go to church, we should help each other to go there. We should support each other in such moments of temptation. This way is hard.

Such periods can last for years. A person goes away and it can happen that he never comes back…

God sends us as much trials as we can endure. Not more. Sometimes even the holy fathers, who lived in the deserts and prayed there for 40 years, could not feel what they wanted to feel – some kind of glory. But they never gave up, they continued to stay with God and pray, without paying attention to what was happening around them.

Let us speak a little bit more about you and the period when you have come to God. What did you feel then?

For me, as for a person who was grown in Protestantism, it was kind of an intellectual process. With time my developments became more spiritual and became a part of my DNA. At first it was quite easy for me to explain why I was Orthodox. Now it is more difficult, but at the same time I can understand and feel my faith far better. It is like with the marriage – it is easy to fall in love and see the best traits of a person, but later it will be not so easy. However, after I have lived 25 years with my wife, if you ask me about this, I just do not have the words to say…

What piece of advice can you give our people, who dither and cannot decide whether to go to church or to stay in bed on Sunday? How can a person force himself to go?

I am glad to be a priest. Otherwise, I could be one of those who idly lie on the couch. Therefore, I wish that people, who can become priests or just somehow serve the Church spiritually, that they do this.

I would like to mention gym as an example. A person has to force himself to go there and constantly increase the workload. He has to make it a habit. The same concerns visiting the church, in a spiritual sense, of course.

When your children visit the church, it is especially vital to give them some solace. And after that, to buy them an ice cream or go to café together. The liturgy will be a joy for them in this case, but not a duty. In no case, you should be too serious and strict in relation to your children’s church and spiritual development, because this can only push them away.

St. Elisabeth Convent,

Saint Macarius lived in Egypt during the years 301-391. As a youth he tended to flocks of sheep and lived in seclusion. Isolation. At 30 years of age, he withdrew to a distant desert. For his meekness and humility he was ordained as a presbyter. He left behind him works of a moral character that contained important meaning for both the monastics and for all Christians. The contents of his instructions are: The bright condition of the first person at the beginning and the gloomy state after the sinful fall. Our only salvation — is the Lord Jesus Christ. The firm determination to follow Christ. Continuous self-improvement. The state of those who have received the grace of the Holy Spirit. The possibility of achieving Christian completeness on earth. Future conditions after death and resurrection.

Communion with God,

Striving toward righteousness,

Spiritual zealousness, steadfastness

Just as God created heaven and earth for man to inhabit, so did He create Man so that He may reside as in His house in the human body, having a soul created in His image as His magnificent bride. That is why the Apostle Paul states: " but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are…" (Hebrews 3:6).

Just as a bee builds its honeycomb in its hive, unnoticed by people, so does benevolence secretly build its love in the heart of a person, changing bitterness to sweetness and a cruel heart — to a kind one. Just like a master silversmith, in making cuttings in a plate and slowly covering it with patterns, does not show his work in all its beauty until he had finished it.

Whoever strives towards God and really wants to become Christ’s follower must follow Him, endeavoring to improve himself and become a new person, not retaining anything within oneself that is peculiar to the ancient person — for it is said:" if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation."

If a soul genuinely loves God and because of its insatiable aspirations toward God, although it may have performed thousands of good deeds, it considers itself as having done nothing. Although it has exhausted its body through fasting and labors, it thinks that it has not yet commenced to acquire virtues; even though it is worthy by having acquired various spiritual gifts, either revelation or the Heavenly Mysteries, because of its great love for God, it considers having obtained nothing….

It is inflicted with love for the Heavenly Spirit. With the help of God’s blessing, it continually stimulates within itself a fervent aspiration toward the Heavenly Bridegroom; wishing to fully achieve the mysterious and indescribable communion with Him in the holiness of the Spirit; it looks upon the Heavenly Bridegroom — face to face — with purified spiritual eyes; enters into union with Him in a spiritual and indelible light, in accordance with His death, continually expecting death for Christ with great anticipation; certain in its faith that through the Spirit it will receive complete deliverance from sins and dark desires, so that having been cleansed by the Spirit, enlightened spiritually and physically, become worthy as a pure receptacle for accepting into itself the heavenly world and as a dwelling for the heavenly and true King Christ. Only then it becomes worthy of a heavenly life, having become a pure dwelling for the Holy Spirit here on earth.

There are very few people that have combined a righteous beginning with a righteous end. Rejecting everything without stumbling, they reached their aim in loving the one God. Initially, many enter a state of magnanimity; many become worthy of heavenly grace and become inspirited with heavenly love.

Just as a person conceived in a mother’s womb does not take on human form immediately but gradually, and is not born as an adult but grows and develops over a period of many years, until he reaches maturity….and just as the seeds of barley or wheat do not send out roots as soon as they are planted but after a period of cold and winds, and after a given period of time, sprout shoots….so it happens with spiritual life, where so much wisdom and experience is demanded — a person grows gradually until he reaches completeness, taking on the likeness of Christ (Eph. 4:13).

A person by nature is inconstant. That is why, just as a person who fell into the depths of iniquity and is enslaved by sin can turn toward good, so is that person who is sealed with the Holy Spirit and filled with heavenly gifts free to return to evil. Some, having savored God’s grace and becoming communicants of the Holy Spirit, lose their alertness and vigilance, and spiritually extinguished, become worse than what they were formerly. This happens not because God changes or that the grace of the Holy Spirit wanes, but because the persons themselves lose that grace, deviate and fall into a multitude of sins.

Source: http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/instructions1/communion.shtml

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It seems that more and more often we see young women standing in church who, contrary to the explicit teachings and traditions of the Orthodox Church, are wearing immodest clothing, lipstick and no head coverings. At the St. Herman's youth conference last year, for instance, the clothing many of the young women were wearing was bordering on skin tight, and it seemed that only about half the young women had scarves or hats on.

Perhaps they feel that wearing simple, modest clothing, no lipstick and a scarf makes them, somehow, less attractive. But less attractive to whom? The answer is simple: Orthodox young men. Being one myself, perhaps I can offer an opinion from our perspective. To begin with, let us consider women not covering their heads.

To an Orthodox young man who is devoted to serving God and the Church, it is far more appealing to see a young woman wearing a scarf in accordance with God’s law than to see one putting aside obedience to the Church in order to look more "attractive." When we see a young woman standing in Church with no head covering, our first feeling is not one of admiration. The first thought that comes to mind is "Why on earth isn't she covering her head?" Our feelings may even be along the lines of "How immature!" or, "Doesn't she know any better?"

This is not a sexist attitude. The rules and ways of the world (political correctness, democracy, independence) do not and cannot apply to the Orthodox Church. We are simply filled with amazement and even sadness at the decision of so many of today's Orthodox young women to completely ignore this rule that has been in place since the time of Christ. Take, as an example of this teaching of the Church regarding women covering their heads, this excerpt from St. Paul's epistle to the Corinthians:

"I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband and the head of Christ is God. Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head--it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil. For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. (For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman but woman for man.) That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head, because of the angels." (1 Cor., 11: 3-11)

The ideas of obedience and humility are foreign in today's world, but they are an essential part of the way of life for Orthodox Christians.

Another thing that is seen more and more frequently is the wearing of immodest clothing by many of today's Orthodox young women. Some of the things young women wear today in the temple of God are utterly appalling. Shirts and dresses are often nearly skin tight, the necks of dresses and shirts are cut very low, and skirts are extremely short. Some skirts and dresses being worn in church today are literally so tight fitting that if a young woman wearing one were to bend over and touch the ground as is customary when venerating the icons, the skirt would rip in two. This is often enough to make many young men look away in embarrassment. Or what is worse, they are not able to look away, or simply do not. This kind of attire is a great distraction to both men and women who have come to the church to pray, not to admire the bodies of the young women. A young person's body should be reserved for their future spouse and for him or her alone, and for a young woman to flaunt her body this way, especially in the temple of our Lord, is to bring shame on both her and her future husband. In a homily on St. Paul's first epistle to Timothy, especially concerning this verse, "Therefore I desire that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; in like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing..." (I Tim., 2: 8-9), St. John Chrysostom writes:

'That women adorn themselves in modest apparel.’ "But what is this modest apparel? Such attire as covers them completely and decently, not with superfluous ornaments, for the one is becoming, the other is not... Do you approach God to pray with braided hair and ornaments of gold? Are you coming to a dance, to a marriage, to a merry procession? ... You have come to pray, to supplicate for pardon of your sins, to plead for your offenses, beseeching the Lord, and hoping to render him propitious to you ...For is it not acting to pour forth tears from a soul overgrown with extravagance and ambition? Away with such hypocrisy! God is not mocked! This is the attire of actors and dancers, living on the stage. Nothing of this sort becomes a modest woman, who should be adorned with shamefacedness and sobriety..." (St. John Chrysostom, Homilies VIII and IX on I Timothy II).

There is another factor to consider as well, and that is simply, what "market" are these young women appealing to? What sort of man are they hoping to appear attractive to by wearing tight clothing and not covering their heads? If a man would think worse of a young woman if she covers her head in accordance with the teachings of the Orthodox faith, is he really the kind of man she is looking for? Would she really want to develop a relationship with a young man who judges her by her looks?

And when a young man is thinking of marriage, one of the first things he considers is "What kind of a mother will she be to my children?" He wants a wife who will help him to bring up their children to be God-fearing, pious Orthodox Christians, who will serve the Church, obey God's commandments and listen to the teachings of the holy fathers. He wants to know if this young woman would be that kind of mother. What kind of answer to his question is he getting from the young woman who openly puts aside the customs of her fathers and the teachings of the Church? By behaving in this manner, what kind of opinion of herself is she forming in his mind? If a young woman does not obey the laws of the church herself, what are the chances that her children will? And if she does not respect the teachings of the church and the writings of the holy fathers, how can her children be expected to respect them, or their parents?

One last thing should be mentioned, and that is the wearing of lipstick. When women wear lipstick in the temple, it leaves ugly smudges on everything their lips touch: the holy icons, the cross, and even the priest's hand. I and many others have spent much time wiping these pink, lip-shaped smudges off the glass covering the icons of Christ, the Theotokos, and the saints. When St. John Maximovich was bishop of San Francisco, he would have an altar boy holding a towel standing nearby during the kissing of the cross. When a woman wearing lipstick would approach to venerate the cross, he would take the towel and wipe off her lips, in front of everyone, before he would let her kiss the cross, or sometimes he would not even allow her to venerate the cross.

I can assure you that although they may not openly criticize, pious and upright Orthodox young men have no feelings of admiration of a woman's open disregard of the rules of the church and the teachings of the holy fathers. We men have many failings, immodesty not being absent from them; therefore when we marry, we look for someone who will help us to overcome those failings. And when we see a girl or young woman who cover.

Source: http://www.orthodox.net/cotc/modesty.html

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Teachings of Elder Siluan: The Lord loves us as His children

St.Macarius: A light of wisdom in the desert

When can one sit during Orthodox Services?

"I am glad to be a priest": an Interview with Fr. Mark Luimes

Instructions of Blessed Macarius the Great

On the Modesty of Women in the Orthodox Church

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Instructions of Blessed Macarius the Great

On the Modesty of Women in the Orthodox Church

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