The Catalog of Good Deeds

Abramius Igumen of Galich, or Chukhloma Lake, disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh (+1375). He is commemorated on July 20.

Alexander of Moscow, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ after 1427). He is commemorated on June 13.

Alexander Peresbet, schema-monk, warrior, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1380). He is commemorated on September 7.

Andrew Oslyaba, warrior, schema-monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1380). He is commemorated on September 7.

Andrew Rublev, monk of Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, iconographer, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1430). He is commemorated on June 13 and July 4.

Andronicus of Moscow, Igumen, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1395). He is commemorated on June 13.

Anthony (Medvedev), Archimandrite (+1877). He is commemorated on May 12 and October 3.

Arsenius (Sakharov), Igumen of Komel, Vologda (+1550). He is commemorated on August 24.

Athanasius, Igumen of Vysokoe monastery in Serpukhov, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ after 1401). He is commemorated on September 12.

Athanasius the younger of Vysokoe monastery, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1395). He is also commemorated on September 12.

Athanasius, monk of Zhelezvy, Cherepovits, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ ca. 1388). He is commemorated on July 5, September 25, November 26.

Barnabas (Merkulov), Hieromonk, Elder of Gethsemane Skete of Saint Sergius Lavra (+1906). He is commemorated on February 17.

Bartholomew, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ 14th century).He is commemorated on June 11.

Basil, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ca. 1392). He is commemorated on January 1.

Bassian (Rylo), Archbishop of Rostov (+1481). He is commemorated on March 23.

Cassian, abbot of Avnezh, Vologda (+1392). Commemorated on June 15.

Cyril, Igumen of White Lake (Cosmas, in the world), (+1427). He is commemorated on June 9.

Cyril, Schema-monk, father of Saint Sergius (+ca. 1337). He is commemorated on January 18 and September 28.

Daniel the Black, monk, iconographer, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ca. 1426). He is commemorated on June 13.

Demetrius of the Don, Grand Duke (+1399). He is commemorated on May 19.

Demetrius, Igumen of Priluki, Vologda. (+1392). He is commemorated on February 11.

Dionysius Archimandrite of Radonezh (David Zobninovsky in the world, +1633). He is commemorated on May 12.

Dionysius Archbishop of Suzdal (+1385). He is commemorated on June 26 and October 15.

Dorotheus, monk, bookkeeper (+1622). He is commemorated on June 5.

Elias, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1384). He is commemorated on May 29.

Elisei (Elisha), hierodeacon, disciple of Saint Sergius (+14th century). He is commemorated on June 14.

Epiphanius the wise, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ca. 1418-22). He is commemorated on May 12.

Eudokia (Euphrosyne in monasticism), Grand Duchess, wife of Saint

Demetrius of the Don (+1407). She is commemorated on May 17 and July 7.

Euthymius, Archimandrite of Suzdal, wonderworker (+1404 or 1405). He is commemorated on April 1 and July 4.

Gregory (Avnezhsky), Igumen, hieromartyr (+1392). He is commemorated on June 15.

Gregory (Golutvin), monk disciple of Saint Sergius (+14th or 15th century). He is commemorated on January 25.

Ignatius, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+after 1392). He is commemorated on December 20.

Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow (John Popov-Veniaminov in the world +1877). He is commemorated on March 31 and October 6 (his glorification in 1977).

Ioannicius, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+14th century). He is commemorated on November 4.

Irenarchus, monk, sacristan (+ 1621). He is commemorated on January 12 and November 28.

Isaac Molchanik, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1388).He is commemorated on May 30.

James of Zhelenzy Bor, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1442). He is commemorated on April 11 and May 5 (the uncovering of his relics in 1613.

James Stromynsk, Igumen, disciple of Saint Sergius (+14th century). He is commemorated on April 21.

James Yakut, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+14th century). He is commemorated on October 23.

Joasaph, Bishop of Belgorod (Joachim Andreevich Gorlenko in the world +1754). He is commemorated on December 10 and September 4 (the uncovering of his relics in 1911).

Joasaph (Borov) Archimandrite, hieromartyr (+1610). He is commemorated on January 12 and July 5.

Joasaph (Skripitsyn), Metropolitan of Moscow (+1555). He is commemorated on July 27.

Leontius (Stromynsky), monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ca. 1380). He is commemorated on July 20.

Macarius, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ca. 1392). He is commemorated on January 19.

Maximus the Greek, monk (+1556). He is commemorated on January 21 and June 21 (the uncovering of his relics in 1996).

Maria, schema-nun, mother of Saint Sergius (+ca. 1337). She is commemorated on January 18 and September 28.

Martinian, Igumen of White Lake (+1423). He is commemorated on January 12, and October 7 (the uncovering of his relics in 1514).

Methodius, Igumen of Peshnosha, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1392). He is commemorated on June 4 and June 14.

Metrophanes, Igumen, Elder, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ca. 1392). He is commemorated on June 4.

Michael, Bishop of Smolensk (+1402). He is commemorated on November 28.

Micah, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1385). He is commemorated on May 6.

Nahum, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+14th century). He is commemorated on December 1.

Nectarius, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+14th century). He is commemorated on November 29.

Nikita of Borov, disciple of Saint Sergius (+after 1421). He is commemorated on May 1.

Nikephorus of Borov, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ca. 1414). He is commemorated on February 9.

Nikon of Radonezh, Igumen, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1426). He is commemorated on November 17, July 7, and September 27.

Onesimus, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+14th century). He is commemorated on February 15.

Paul of Komel (Obnora), monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (1429). He is commemorated on January 10 and October 7.

Paul of Rostov, Igumen of Saints Boris and Gleb monastery (+after 1409). He is commemorated on October 22.

Romanus, Igumen of Kirzach, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1392). He is commemorated on July 29.

Sabbas of Moscow, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1410). He is commemorated on June 13.

Sabbas, Igumen of Storozhev (Zvenigorod), disciple of Saint Sergius (+1406). He is commemorated on January 19, August 23 (second uncovering of his relics), and December 3.

Sabbas of Stromysk, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1392). He is commemorated on July 20.

Serapion, Archbishop of Novgorod (+1516). He is commemorated on March 16 and April 7.

Sergius of Obnora, Nurom, Vologada, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+1412). He is commemorated on October 7.

Sergius, Igumen of Radonezh, wonderworker (+1392). He is commemorated on September 25 (repose), July 5 (uncovering of his relics in 1422), and on August 24 (commemoration of the appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos to Saint Sergius).

Simon, Archimandrite of Radonezh and Smolensk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ca. 1392). He is commemorated on May 10.

Simon, ecclesiarch, disciple of Saint Sergius (+after 1392). He is commemorated on May 10.

Stephen, hieroschema-monk, Igumen of Makhrishche (+1406). He is commemorated on July 14.

Stephen of Moscow, monk, brother of Saint Sergius (+14-15 centuries) He is commemorated on July 14.

Stephen, Bishop of Perm (+1396). He is commemorated on April 26.

Sylvester of Obnora, monk, wonderworker (+1379). He is commemorated on April 25.

Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov, nephew of Saint Sergius (+1394). He is commemorated on November 28.

Theodore, Igumen of Rostov (+1409). He is commemorated on October 22.

Theodosius of Cherepovits, monk, disciple of Saint Sergius (+ca. 1388). He is commemorated on July 5, September 25, and November 26.

Therapon, Archimandrite, Igumen of White Lake, Mozhaisk and Luzhetsk, wonderworker (+1426). He is commemorated on May 27 and December 27.

Therapon, monk of Borov and Kaluga, disciple of Saint Sergius (+14th and 15th century). He is commemorated on May 27.

Source: https://oca.org/saints/lives/2011/07/06/101949-synaxis-of-the-saints-of-radonezh

By Archimandrite Kyprian (Pyzhov)

In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

By decree of the Council of Bishop of the Russian Church Abroad in early November of this year, it was decided to glorify the New Martyrs of Russia. This long-awaited event will soon take place to satisfy the persistent demands of many, many people of the Church, Russian Orthodox Christians, living both abroad in various countries and those who live in our Homeland, where wicked, cruel atheism reigns, now in its seventh decade. The Soviet state is possessed with hatred towards God and Orthodox Christianity and guided by dark forces. From the moment of its origin, right after the Revolution, unheard-of persecutions against the faithful began; mainly through attacks on the Orthodox faith as the sole bearer of the Truth of Christ and a powerful force resisting the spread of world atheism.

Faith in Christ in Russia, after its baptism, became the very foundation of Russian statehood, which developed in all facets of the life of the people, occupying a “fourth part of the earth” (Revelation 6:8). So in order to bring its plan into effect-the establishment of Communism through world revolution-the Soviets needed to quickly begin eliminating this obstacle, murdering with sword and hunger and starvation and (human) beasts those who believe in Christ, declaring them enemies of the people, political criminals and traitors, who were not afforded the slightest mercy or sympathy. Indeed, their destruction was viewed as a duty to the state.

The sickness of disbelief grew among the people long before the Revolution of 1917, it quietly spread throughout the body of Holy Russia, weakened by a bloody war. Infecting cities and then spreading into villages, this disbelief poisoned the worst element of society. The demands of the Revolution exploited this element, granting them broad powers to seek vengeance against believers. Bandits and hooligans, fervent and servile before the representatives of the International, which had just seized power, set upon innocent people, shooting some on sight, without trial or investigation, leaving orphaned children and infants to fend for themselves, to wander through the expeanses of their impoverished homeland, seeking crumbs of bread and a warm corner to sleep in, while others were sent to labor camps in frigid Siberia, where they filled prisons, where these innocent victims were mercilessly treated, subjected to sadistic torture during interrogation.

The greatest measure of suffering fell upon the clergyman, uncounted numbers were killed, for they were the pillars for the faithful and the main proponents of the ancient regime, who resisted the new state, which screamed in their bloody banners a slogan that never was fulfilled: “Freedom, Equality and Fraternity!” The servants of the Altar of the Lord were persecuted and killed, yet they proved to be true martyrs of Christ, boldly approaching death and torture, fervently confessing their faith, convincing their flock to submit to death for Christ, just like the ancient martyrs. Great courage and firmness were exhibited by our pastors as they were subjected to show trials, accused of counter-revolution and exiled to inhuman labor camps, whence they rarely returned. They continued to preach the Word of God and by their example of personal asceticism, taught patience unto death for Christ.

A special place amid the host of New Martyrs is occupied by the great Passion-bearer and sufferer for the Russian people, our Tsar-Martyr Emperor Nicholas II and his much-suffering Family. Where do they stand? It is not for us to determine where they are in the Kingdom of Heaven; that depends on Divine Will. Who suffered most of all? It is not for us to judge, but in the icon of the Host of the New Martyrs, he is placed in the center as the Anointed of God, as the preserver and defender of Holy Orthodoxy, occupying the first place in the earthly kingdom.

Many contradictory opinions have been rendered in connection with the glorification of the New Martyrs of Russia, especially of the Royal Family, from those who, though they are sympathetic, feel pressure from the opinion of society, including those who are not within the Church, or not very close to the Church, who nurture a superficial outlook on history, on the tragic death, and the forthcoming canonization. They consider the inclusion among the saints of the pious Russian Emperor and his Family, the Empress, the young Tsarevich and innocent Tsarevnas and their faithful servants, who were murdered, their bodies mocked and mutilated with the intention of hiding the crime, as merely a political assassination, a necessary collateral damage of terror. Some, out of reverence for the Royal Family, and venerating their holy memory, fear that the act of ecclesiastical glorification might spark new insulting attacks in the press and mislead the superficial, ignorant reader to criticize them.

Personally, for many years I had this same inclination, but I was finally convinced of the feebleness of these arguments, seeing the intolerance that the civilized West has towards the glorious past of Great Russia and the memory of the last Russian Emperor. What do the leaders of the hoped-for New World Order fear? Over 60 years have passed since the fall of Russia; the contemporaries of our Tsar, Emperor Wilhelm II, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, the Turkish Sultan and other royalty and presidents, many political leaders of that epoch have long been buried and their places on the world stage taken by subsequent generations.

But the evil West cannot forget either the Russian Tsar nor the Russian Throne; even now in the world press and in movies, slanderous accusations appear, written by corrupt historians and writers who distort the depiction of the moral image of the Tsar and His Most-Pious Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, and of all of those who refuse to bow to the reigning, sinful world ruled by the father of lies.

As we see, the shadow of the murdered Emperor gives no rest to the criminal conscience of the graceless leaders of the world today, who try with all their might to trample into the mud the noble image of the Orthodox Royal Tsar and his Family, who fell victim to an international plot.

The scribes and Pharisees, out of jealousy, slandered, mocked and crucified the Son of God, and, achieving temporary victory, disgraced themselves and their descendants for all time; their followers, the rulers of today’s kingdom of Mammon, fulfilling their satanic goals, executed to one who on earth was the Restrainer of doom in the world. They shot the faithful Empress, the meek Heir, the virtuous Tsarevnas and their kind, selfless servants. The bloodthirsty executioners hacked the bodies of the martyrs, threw them into a coal pit, dowsed with kerosene and set them on fire. To hide their tracks, they filled the pit with earth, and, covering them with foliage, rejoiced at their well-executed by devilish plot, certain that the memory of the Tsar was forever erased in this world.

But decades passed, yet the memory of the murdered victims has not faded: the ruler of this age continues to try to absolve and justify the act of murder, desecrating and devaluing the memory of the last Russian Emperor, and the more slander that is spread about him, the more brightly does his gracious image shine, and the holy memory of him and those with him warms the hearts of believers. Those guilty of regicide will never be forgiven for their crime either in this life or the next, along with those who supported and sympathized with the murder of the Anointed of God without repentance.

The life of the Royal Martyrs and those who died with them in Alapaevsk, headed by Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, her relatives, dukes and duchesses and their close ones, ended here on earth in fulfillment of the prophesy spoken by Christ the Savior Himself: “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake… But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 24:9-10, 13).

Now let us pray for the repose of the Holy Passion-Bearers, killed 63 years ago in distant Siberia. Amen.

Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY

July 17, 1981

Source: http://www.synod.com/synod/engrocor/enser_archimkyprianroyalfamily.html

Q: What the Church have to say about cosmetic surgery? I’m thinking of reconstructing my nose, but do not wish to violate my faith.

Please tell me whether it is OK or not to perform such surgery on a man.

A: Dear friend: Thank you for your enquiry.

While there is no “official” statement by the Church on cosmetic surgery, there are several considerations one should prayerfully consider before undergoing this procedure:

The reason for the surgery: Reconstruction of one’s nose in an effort to attain clearer breathing is different than the same procedure out of pure consideration for one’s appearance. Cosmetic surgery performed out of undue concern for appearance could proceed from or lead to the sin of pride and vanity.

The procedure itself: a major TV network reported just last week that cosmetic surgery can often be a risky proposition. In fact, the report stated that out of every 5000 cosmetic surgeries performed, there is one death; this is six times higher than for all other surgeries. Especially targeted in the report were liposuction procedures. It was also noted that many cosmetic surgeons are poorly trained or perform their services in an office, rather than in a hospital, and that there are no resources at hand should a serious emergency arise. While the report said nothing specific about reconstructing noses, it did offer a general warning to the public. Here one needs to prayerfully consider the risks involved as well.

It is only my opinion, but it would seem that unless there is some serious and valid reason—and I am not sure that wishing to change one’s appearance simply for its own sake is a valid reason or that such a reason is not prompted by pride or an undue concern for how we look rather than who we are—one should tamper with that with which one has been blessed by God. It is one thing, for example, to have reconstruction in order to make it possible to breathe better; it is another thing to undergo such procedures simply for the sake of “cosmetics” or to gain more “self esteem,” something with which our culture is obsessed and yet which the Church would view as taking our focus off of God and placing undue attention on the self.

Again, while there are no official statements on such things, the principles involved need to be considered before one can make a prayerful determination as to whether or not to undergo such surgical processes.

You may also wish to discuss your particular situation with your pastor and spiritual father as well.

Source: https://oca.org/questions/society/cosmetic-surgery

By Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna

Most abductees report being taken into spaceships from their homes or from their automobiles while driving. Once in the ship, "the atmosphere may be dank, cool, and occasionally even foul-smelling". Their abductors typically "appear as tall or short luminous entities that may be translucent, or at least not altogether solid. Reptilian creatures have been seen....But by far the most common entity observed are the small ‘grays,’ humanoid beings three to four feet in height....Gender difference is not determined so much anatomically as by an intuitive feeling that abductees find difficult to put into words". (A sketch of typical aliens, made by one of Dr. Mack’s patients, appears at left. It is noteworthy that the morphology of these creatures seems to be universal, as evidenced by reports from abductees worldwide.) Dr. Mack observes that abductees "will often wish to avoid looking directly" into the eyes of the aliens "because of the overwhelming dread of their own sense of self, or loss of will, that occurs when they do so" (ibid.). Communication between the humans and their alien abductors is almost always telepathic. The aliens seldom tell those whom they abduct that they are from outer space or another planet; rather, this is an intuition shared by abductees—a "given" that few ever question. Abductees (and investigators, for that matter) also universally assume that these alien abductors have technical skills far beyond those of human beings—as evidenced by what are assumed to be their spacecraft—, though, again, the beings only rarely state so.

Almost universal to the alien abduction experience—which typically entails a number of abductions, not just one—is the physical examination of abductees by the aliens, sometimes leaving lesions and small wounds and inevitably involving experimentation with "the reproductive system". Women often report mechanical impregnation by the aliens, followed, in subsequent abductions, by the removal of alien-human fetuses. Men are frequently subjected to similar mechanical procedures for the removal of reproductive fluids or, in some cases, are forced to mate with their alien abductors. As abduction incidents multiply, abductees usually come to feel "intuitively" that various of the aliens that they see are "their own", their offspring. This sense of attachment also generalizes, resulting in an increasing sense of familiarity with their abductors. For example, whereas their first encounters with the aliens and reproductive experiments are "deeply disturbing" and evoke "terror" (though at times the aliens use certain "emotion-extinguishing devices," with varying degrees of success, to "anesthetize" their victims psychologically), abductees eventually "reach new levels of understanding of what is occurring," through increased contact with their abductors, and "their relationship to the beings themselves changes" from a negative to a positive one.

I should emphasize once more, here, that the data from which Dr. Mack draws his profile of abduction events—which I have briefly summarized—show an astonishing degree of consistency. Nor do any psychological or emotional problems seem to account for his patients’ reports. The observed lesions on, and other physical changes in, the bodies of the abductees interviewed, furthermore, do not follow the psychodynamic patterns that normally account for self-induced physical scarring. Something has apparently acted on these individuals. Noteworthy, too, is the fact that reports of abductions by young children two or three years of age, who would be unlikely or unable to fabricate such detailed accounts, are astonishingly similar to those of Dr. Mack’s adult patients.

The effects of these abduction experiences on the personal transformation of abductees are very clearly enumerated by Dr. Mack and provide us with clear insight into the psychic and spiritual dimensions of the abduction experience. Once the initial terror of the experience subsides, and with the sense of familiarity or comfort that repeated abductions foster, abductees report profound changes in their philosophical outlook and understanding of themselves, others, and the world around them. Dr. Mack identifies eight stages in this process of change: 1) The individual begins to accept the aliens and experiences what he calls an "ego death." 2) Abductees come to regard their abductors as "intermediaries...between...human beings and the primal source of creation or God." 3) They begin to think of their experiences as trans-temporal and trans-spatial, as "returning to their cosmic source or ‘Home.’" 4) The individual begins to feel that he is himself an alien, when he returns "back" to Earth. 5) Abductees come to understand existence in terms of "cycles of birth and death over long stretches of time." 6) The individual forms a feeling of "identification of consciousness with virtually endless kinds of beings and entities." 7) Abductees develop "a double identity," associating their souls with an alien identity and their personalities with a limited human self. 8) They report functioning beyond what they often call a "veil" and describe "being in multiple times and places at the same moment," among other things.

Having examined evidence for the abduction of human beings by alien creatures and Dr. Mack’s description of the apparent spiritual changes that these abductees undergo as a result of their encounters with beings from other planets, how is an Orthodox Christian to understand these data? Do they constitute plausible, if curious and bizarre, evidence that humans are being abducted by advanced beings from other planets—indeed by beings with the ability to expand human consciousness and imbue their victims with new levels of spiritual insight? There is an immediate response to these questions. Whether or not these incidents are believable, as Orthodox Christians we believe that spiritual knowledge, not advanced technology, is the prime factor in the expansion and perfection of human consciousness. We would expect advanced beings from other planets, therefore, to evidence, not mundane powers, but highly developed spiritual sensitivities. Enlightenment and salvation, furthermore, are inspired within us, not by alien beings which seek to breed with us and exploit our fallen sexuality, but by God, as He is known in the Holy Trinity, and by His Angels and Saints. Nor, indeed, do we Orthodox Christians imagine that salvation will come to us from other planets or from super-intelligent beings, but from the Divinity within us, from our transformation in Christ through union, in Grace, with Him.

Given what I have said, we must come to understand that there is a decidedly anti-Christian tone in the eight stages that Dr. Mack identifies in the process of personal transformation in abduction victims. Seeing life in terms of cycles of birth and death, identifying with other beings and entities, the cessation of personhood, and looking to the "cosmos" for a "home"—these are all undefined, vague, and eclectic things that violate the precise, Christocentric teachings of Christianity and the life of discipline and obedience that spiritual transformation entails. Indeed, the Fathers of the Church warn us against these "false" teachings: reincarnation, delusion, and spiritual wanderings. The observations of one abductee interviewed by Mack, in particular, fully confirm the anti-Christian dimensions of the post-abduction philosophies and "spiritualities" of those who have come into contact with aliens. This man, called "Joe," reported that after his initial impression that the aliens were "sinister" or "malicious", he eventually embraced his abductors as "his spiritual teachers, peers, and helpers" . Rather than grow in an understanding of God and the traditional precepts that we associate with Christianity, after his abduction experiences, he came to think of himself as becoming "more human" and, in a dream, experienced the integration of his "male-female" self through the symbolic birth of a goddess, born in a way too obscene to be repeated. His personal testimony leaves little doubt that the post-abduction "transformation" of individuals who have contacted alien beings is at odds with Orthodox Christian notions of human enlightenment, transformation, and perfection in Christ, but is rooted, rather, as I have argued, in a human-oriented idea of personal growth not dissimilar to that envisioned by the New Age religions.

What, then, if they are not advanced beings from other planets, are these alien abductors? Ultimately, one cannot escape the conclusion that they are demons or phantoms created by demonic power. In the first place, they look like demons. They appear to be material creatures, and yet have a transparent character. According to the teachings of the Church, demons are spiritual beings; that is, they are fallen Angels. But because they are corrupt and degenerate, they thrive on the human passions—feed on them. This well explains the almost universal sexual exploitation of their captives by alien abductors. In the second place, in the course of their physical examination of abductees, the aliens inflict pain on their victims and frequently scar them. In spiritual literature, and especially in the lives of the Saints, we repeatedly read of physical attacks against Christian believers by demonic spirits. If these aliens are not demons, how is it that beings so advanced that they can achieve space travel cannot prevent pain and scarring during routine physical examinations? It is not pain which the aliens cannot control, but their demonic passion for inflicting the same on mankind. Moreover, at least initially, abductees experience terror and fright in the presence of their alien abductors; only later, after having been reluctantly won over by the aliens, do they feel secure in the presence of their abductors. This is a classical demonic machination. Demons inevitably strive, in a methodical way, to overcome the initial and natural repulsion that human beings feel in their presence, gaining the confidence of those whom they seek to mislead. Finally, the spiritual effects of abductees’ contacts with aliens, as we have pointed out, are anti-Christian. Abductees are drawn away from the universal teachings of Orthodox Christianity and towards the demonic delusion that underlies modern New Age philosophies. Human transformation ceases, for these victims of alien visitation, to be a God-oriented, Grace-mediated process, but becomes part of a personality-dissolving return to the "elemental" universals upon which the pagan notion of Paradise is predicated.

It is worthy of note that the late Father Seraphim Rose, in his book Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future (Platina, CA: Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1990; Revised Edition), has also examined the phenomenon of alien visitations to earth from an Orthodox standpoint. He devotes an entire chapter of this work, "‘Signs from Heaven:’ An Orthodox Christian Understanding of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs)," to the true nature and meaning of alien contacts with human beings. Though Father Seraphim, at a superficial level, approaches this matter in a way reminiscent of Protestant fundamentalistic thinking, and while his materials are dated and center only on more sensationalistic abduction reports—deficits compounded by the fact that some of the authorities whom he cites are clearly on the fringes of science—, his deeper analysis of the phenomenon is ingenious and supports much of what I have suggested about alien encounters with humans. He also observes that the aliens in contemporary abduction reports are similar in appearance to the demons which, for centuries, have been described in Orthodox literature. In fact, he recounts two cases of demonic "kidnappings" in fifteenth- and nineteenth-century Russia that, in Father Seraphim’s words, are "quite close to UFO ‘abductions’" today . It is his conclusion that classical demonic possession, known to the Orthodox Church for centuries, accounts for the alien abductions that we see in modern times and that "...modern men, for all their proud ‘enlightenment’ and ‘wisdom,’ are becoming once more aware of such experiences—but no longer have the Christian framework with which to explain them". This conclusion perfectly reflects what I have said about alien abductions and how they should be understood and viewed by the Orthodox Christian.

Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/alien_abduct.aspx

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A List of 77 Saints from the Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh

A Sermon on the Holy Royal Martyrs

An Orthodox Christian Perspective on Cosmetic Surgery

Alien Abductions and the Orthodox Christian

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