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Prayer of an Old Man by +Elder Eusevios Vittis

Elder Gabriel, disciple of St. Paisios– cell of St. Christodoulos of the Koutloumousiou Monastery, Holy Mount Athos Prayer of an Old Man Lord, you know that I have already reached old age. Help me to realise this reality more deeply, so that I may not become tyrannical or boring or burdensome or unsympathetic and hateful to those around me and especially to my occasional co-workers. Deliver me…

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A Day of Dogs

Last week in England, I had a day of dogs! Any number between 5 to 1 to the houses we visited. How comforting was their unconditional love, their presence with the elderly, the housebound, the downtrodden. Certainly, the dogs have characters, the obedient, the timid, the loud, the excitable, the nervous,the angry, the loving. A bit like humans. As much as Fathers and Saints have always shown…

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The Soul after Death— Part 2

The aerial toll houses, the demons, our guardian angel and the Sacrament of Confession by + Elder Efraim, St. Andrew Skete “… From the moment the soul leaves the body and until the third day is completed —counting with our own earthly time, because the soul does not experience time, unlike us who both measure and experience it— the soul passes through the aerial toll houses during this three-day…

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The Great Journey

Where the Soul goes away after death + Elder Efraim, St. Andrew Skete Our soul is taken out by Christ, with the executive minister Archangel Michael, to whom He gives the command. Archangel Michael is the one who “takes out” our soul by the command of the Lord. It is a supreme honour for us Orthodox that our Christ has appointed the leader of the Angels, Archangel Michael, to take out the soul…

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Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

The Valley of the Shadow of Death By George Inness, 1867 Is physical death the same as “brain death”? No! A “brain dead” patient may be in a coma and apnea, but most of his organs are functioning with appropriate medical support; so, when his organs are removed, he is still warm, his heart is still working, and his blood is circulating! (1) They will tell you that organs are taken when the…

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For every Angel in the world

Let us put aside the curses for the guilty and the hypocritical accusations of God – We ourselves first owe to Aggelos (Angel) an apology. A three-year-old martyr. This is the Angel who made all of Greece cry. A little angel that no one heard, no one saw, no one understood the unspeakable torture he was going through. Not because there were no opportunities. But because in this case the…

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In the Angels’ Arms

Police and doctors have never seen, for decades, a child so badly abused, especially at such a young age! Little Angelos was badly abused by his mother and her partner in Therisos, Iraklio, and was discovered, following a neighbor’s call for emergency assistance. Upon arrival at the hospital, doctors discovered a large subdural hematoma, and the child was rushed into surgery to relieve the…

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A heart whose pulse may be Thy praise

Gratitude by Jack Garren (In the 1960s, his grandmother, Myrtle Copple) Father Josiah Trenham on “The Most Important Times to Give Thanks” and George Herbert’s poem “Gratefulness” From The Temple (1633) “Gratefulnesse”THou that hast giv’n so much to me, Give one thing more, a gratefull heart. See how thy beggar works on thee By art. He makes thy gifts occasion more, And sayes, If he in this be…

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Becoming Lights For the Others in the Parish ---Following Contemporary Saints

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen“You are the Light of the world”…(Matthew 5:14-16) 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your…

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The Power of 40 Day Liturgy

Nowadays, during the Nativity Fast, Thessaloniki has been transformed into a hub of 40 Days Liturgy, and I have been giving names of Living and Departed from all over the world. What is the power of 40 Day Liturgy? This testimony by Metropolitan of Morfou, Neofytos is worthy of heed: “I told a certain priest, who serves in a community with few residents, to start celebrating the 40 Days Liturgy…

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Etheria's Pilgrimage

Dear Fathers, brothers and sisters, Christ is in our midst. Please forgive my absence of nearly a month, but this was a time of intensive reflection after my first ’round’ of pilgrimages to monasteries so that we could decide what to do and where to go next. By the way, this month I also visited another monastery, which was so hesychastic and hidden that I did not have the blessing to share with…

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Day 8-Part B: The Lamp of the Perfect

The night before my departure, I had the blessing to speak to Mother Akylina. (So far all my momentous meetings at the monasteries have mysteriously taken place the last few hours before my departure…) Mother Akylina is a very old and frail sister in her nineties, bent in two, with a very sharp, illumined nous, and with beautiful, wide azure eyes staring into eternity. Until last summer, Mother…

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Day 8- Part A: Not for the Faint-Hearted

About vigils, the Feast of the Theotokos’ Sacred Veil (Skepi) and Her Holy Protection, the power of the Psalter and the monastery’s chicken coop! “By Fasting, Vigil and Prayer Thou didst Obtain Heavenly Gifts” (Fourth Great Lent Sunday- St. John of the Ladder , Troparion, tone 1) Not for the faint-hearted! A most ascetic monastery, I must admit. I, for one thing, thought that I had no problem…

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Day 7 Hidden in Christ

Some ‘mumblings’ on “hiding” and “hiddeness” in God, more reflections on holy obedience, the force of the preposition ‘in’, and lovely, amplifying words by George Herbert, my favourite metaphysical poet (1593 – 1633), in his poem ‘Colossians 3:3’ Eothinon VII Mode grave “Ἰδοὺ σκοτία καὶ πρωΐ… Lo, darkness and early dawn. And why, Mary, are you standing by the grave, your mind full of darkness?…

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Day 6 Silence as Sacrament

Upon entrance to the monastery, silence envelops me. “Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord,” exclaims the prophet Zechariah (Zech 2:13). Abruptly, I am separated from the tumult, noise, busyness and endless distractions of the outside world. “Peace, be still!” Jesus orders the wind of noise, confusion and tumult to cease in the midst of our own storms and turmoil. I feel separated from other…

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The Easter of Saint Demetrios

This year, I had the privilege to attend Saint Demetrios “Holy Week” in his church in Thessaloniki. The services here are very different from the ones all over the world; they are unique. Listen to a few recordings from this year’s Easter Vigil of Saint Demetrios in his church and further down, have a look at a few hymns from the Holy Week of St. Demetrios. St Demetrios and Panagia Faneromeni 🙏…

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Monastery Diaries: Back into the Mother’s Womb

Such silence and peace at the Monastery of St John the Forerunner, Chalkidiki! Another colour and spiritual hue in the rich tapestry of monastic visits For years, here, Gerondas Gregorios of blessed memory offered his prayers with tears and his never-to-be-forgotten spiritual guidance. My rebirth in Christ ((John 3:4), my new life literally started here about 40 years ago. Off to my next…