Όσιος Γεννάδιος ο Ηγούμενος της Μονής Βατοπαιδίου (14ος αι.)

Υπήρξε ηγούμενος της Ιεράς Μονής Βατοπαιδίου. Η αγιότητα του βίου του τον αξίωσε να ακούσει φωνή από την εικόνα της Θεοτόκου.

Σε καιρό επιδρομής πειρατών στη μονή ο ευλαβής ηγούμενος άκουσε φωνή από την εικόνα της Παναγίας, της λεγομένης Παραμυθίας, να του λέγει: «Μη ανοίξητε σήμερον τας πύλας της Μονής, αλλ΄ αναβάντες επί των τειχών αποδιώξατε τους πειρατάς». Έκπληκτος ο όσιος βλέπει την αγία εικόνα, από την οποία προήλθε η φωνή να μεταμορφώνεται. Το πρόσωπο της Παναγίας έγινε ζωντανό, όπως και το πρόσωπο του Χριστού πού βαστούσε. Ο Χριστός άπλωνε το δεξί του χέρι, για να καλύψει τα χείλη της και στρέφοντας το πρόσωπο του προς εκείνη είπε: «Μη, Μήτερ μου, μη είπης αυτοίς τούτο, αλλά τιμωρηθήτωσαν ούτοι πρεπόντως». Η Υπεραγία Θεοτόκος κρατώντας με αγάπη το χέρι του Υιού της επανέλαβε τους ίδιους λόγους· να μην ανοίξουν σήμερα τις πύλες της Μονής λόγω των πειρατών.

«We are the akritai of Hellenism»: Interview with the Founder and President of the Orthodox Party in Lebanon

Interview with the Founder and President of the Orthodox Party in Lebanon,

Rodrigue (Dimitri) El Khoury

with Antonia Patsidou

 

1) The Hellenic Orthodox community in Lebanon, lists on the 3,000 Hellenes- Greeks. The Hellenic speaking regions of the country are mainly concentrated in the capital Beirut, and in Tripoli, at North Lebanon.

Give us more details on the Hellenic community of Lebanon.

Maurice Banjoko – ‘How I became Orthodox’

Maurice Banjoko from Nigeria, Investment Consultant, in his interview with Pemptousia talks about how he became Orthodox. Δείτε το βίντεο:

In Memory Of The Millions of Victims Of The Orthodox Christian Holocaust

Compiled by Rev. Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes
Boise, Idaho
U.S.A.

History Of Asia Minor: 1894-1923

During 1894-1923 the Ottoman Empire conducted a policy of Genocide of the Christian population living within its extensive territory. The Sultan, Abdul Hamid, first put forth an official governmental policy of genocide against the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire in 1894.

Systematic massacres took place in 1894-1896 when Abdul savagely killed 300,000 Armenians throughout the provinces. Massacres recurred, and in 1909 government troops killed, in the towns of Adana alone, over 20,000 Christian Armenians.

Read more…

St. Patrick, the Enlightener of Ireland (March 17)

The great Apostle and Enlightener of Ireland, St. Patrick, was born to a noble Roman family of Gaul or Britain in the year 387. At the age of 16 he was carried off by Irish marauders and sold as a slave to an Irish chieftain, who put him in charge of his sheep. Six years later, after the prompting of an angel, the saint fled to Gaul where he placed himself under the spiritual direction of St. Germanus of Auxerre. For 18 years he prayed and struggled and studied and was often granted a vision of Irish children calling out to him: O holy youth, come back to Erin, and walk once more amongst us.»

Celestine I, the Bishop of Rome, commissioned St. Patrick to bring the people of Ireland into Christ’s one, true fold, and so during the summer of 433 he and his companions arrived in Ireland. They were immediately persecuted by the druids and other pagans, but the saint’s meekness and wonderworking, as well as his God-inspired ability to preach the Gospel, resulted in the conversion of many thousands. In particular, St. Patrick had to do spiritual battle with the arch-druid, Lochru, who, by the power of demons and through many incantations, tried to maintain his influence on the Irish. On one occasion Lochru, like Simon Magus, was able to levitate himself high into the air in a display of sorcery; but the moment St. Patrick knelt in prayer,

Saint Syncletica (January 5)

St Syncletica. Fresco by Elder Sophrony Sakharov at the refectory of St John the Baptist Monastery in Essex.

Our holy mother Syncletica was born at Alexandria in the course of the fourth century to rich and devout parents, who came originally from Macedonia. From her youth, she had been seen as an excellent match on account of her great beauty, intelligence and virtues, and she had many suitors; but she remained deaf and blind to every worldly attraction, for she aspired only to spiritual marriage to Christ, the heavenly Bridegroom. Bringing her flesh into subjection by fasting and austerities of every kind, she constantly gathered her spirit in the depths of her heart and cried out night and day: My Beloved is mine, and I am His (Song of Songs 2:16).

On the death of her parents, she distributed her great fortune to the poor and then, accompanied by her blind sister, she fled far from the city. Read more…

Saints are the Aristocracy of Mankind

By Evagelos Sotiropoulos

When Ian Miller’s parents visit his son’s soon to be in-laws in the 2002 blockbuster movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, they’re introduced to no less than 10 Nicks.

While overlooking the exaggerated (albeit not by much) tradition of naming a child after its grandparent, there’s actually a more profound, religious reason behind Greek – indeed all Orthodox Christian – names.

Read more…

Η μοναχική ζωή δείκτης τελειώσεως (3)

Συνέχεια από (2)

Η μοναχική κουρά χαρακτηρίζεται ως «δεύτερον βάπτισμα»(19). Το βάπτισμα όμως είναι ενιαίο και κοινό για όλα τα μέλη της Εκκλησίας. Είναι η συμμετοχή στο θάνατο και την ανάσταση του Χριστού. Η μοναχική κουρά δεν επαναλαμβάνει, αλλά ανανεώνει και συνειδητοποιεί το ένα βάπτισμα. Και οι υποσχέσεις που δίδονται κατά την κουρά δεν είναι στην ουσία τους διαφορετικές από αυτές που δίδονται κατά το βάπτισμα, έκτος βέβαια από την υπόσχεση της αγαμίας. Άλλωστε κουρά γίνεται και κατά το βάπτισμα.

Herbs from Holy Mount Athos help cure illnesses!

Calendula officinalis

Several herbs, endemic at the Holy Mount Athos, have been found to cure chronic illnesses like rheumatism, circulatory problems, allergies etc.

The Centre for the Research and Study of such herbs has been launched at the monastery of Vatopedi with the help of Italian scientists, most notable of which is professor Roberto Micinilli of the University of Viterbo.

Read more…

The Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos

This feast of the Protection of the Theotokos is neither one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Church nor is it a commemoration of any events in the earthly lives of our Lord or His Mother. So why does the Orthodox Church here in twenty-first-century North America keep this feast?

Read more…

New Mosque Project Sparks Controversy In Moscow

MOSCOW — People in a southeastern Moscow district have begun a campaign to stop the construction of a new mosque, RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir Service reports.

More than 1,000 people in the Russian capital’s Tekstilshchiki district signed a petition on September 11 protesting plans for the construction of a new mosque in the area.

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To Arrest People for Orthodox Belief in Georgia

O, Lord, save Your people, And bless Your inheritance.

Grant victories to the Rulers over Barbarians.

And by virtue of Your Cross, Preserve Your commonwealth.

In order to say; Glory to You, Lord” _

With this chant 8 orthodox Christian defendants met unfair and slanderous sentence passed by Tbilisi City Court under the government instructions. Such was, first of all, an order of American Ambassador to Georgia, Mr. Bass, who in the very first days made a statement about the incident in Television Company “Caucasia” and expressed hope that the case would be properly investigated. In several days following this statement he visited Ilia Chavchavadze State University. By doing so, he showed his respect to Mr.Gigi Tevzadze and to a handful of individuals, so called “liberals” associated with him, representing an opposition party against the Orthodox Christians during the “Caucasia” incident. Acting in this manner the American Ambassador clearly showed the Georgian Government what kind of Justice was to be administered and who was to be punished.

Read more…

An incredible miracle in Serbia (part 7)

Continued from (6)

The awful experience of the tortures in hell

Another cloud was waiting for us there. We went inside and it transferred us somewhere to the west. I have the impression that we did not travel for a long time towards the west because the cloud suddenly changed direction and quickly descended towards a ravine. My angel guide ushered me into a dark place. From the very first steps we took, we descended into darkness so thick and so dark, that no other could be worse than this one. We were hit by a terrible stench from the depth of this darkness and I could barely breathe.

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St. Vladimir, Prince of Kiev

Saint Vladimir (Svyatoslavich), Baptizer of Russia (958-1015) was the Grand Prince of Kiev.

St. Vladimir was a devout pagan in his early life. He was a great conqueror, who had many wives, and erected many pagan statues in the lands that he ruled over.

Upon finding out that other faiths existed beyond his own paganism, he decided to send his envoys out into the world to find out what was true faith on earth.

His envoys met with Muslims, but felt that there was no joy among them, and that their faith was very mechanical. The envoys also met with Jews and Catholics, but were still unimpressed.

Everything, however, changed when St. Vladimir’s envoys arrived in Constantinople. Upon attending Divine Liturgy in the Hagia Sophia, the envoys said “We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth”. Taking the word of his envoys, St. Vladimir had himself and his nation baptized Orthodox.

The Theologian in Modern Society (Phronema and Behaviour)

by Archbishop Stylianos of Australia

In an attempt to determine the position which an Orthodox theologian should have in contemporary society, and the behaviour which is dictated by the mission to respond effectively in his responsibility towards God and human beings, we are obliged to remind ourselves of certain fundamental truths of the Faith, in their organic order and inner cohesion.

Firstly, we must clarify what ‘phronema’ is, being of course the most central presupposition which defines the position and behaviour of the theologian in his particular time. The term ‘phronema’ is of pre-Christian origin, and can be found in a broad range of Greek literature.

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Islam’s battle with Christians

Kevin and Marilyn Ryan

The Muslim assassin Mehmet Ali Agca wrote before shooting John Paul II: “I have decided to kill John Paul II, the supreme commander of the Crusades.” [!!!]

How many days have we awakened recently to news of another attack on Christians? The attacks have accelerated alarmingly. To name but a few sites where persecution has occurred: Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Iran.

Read more…

St. Patrick, the Enlightener of Ireland (March 17)

The great Apostle and Enlightener of Ireland, St. Patrick, was born to a noble Roman family of Gaul or Britain in the year 387. At the age of 16 he was carried off by Irish marauders and sold as a slave to an Irish chieftain, who put him in charge of his sheep. Six years later, after the prompting of an angel, the saint fled to Gaul where he placed himself under the spiritual direction of St. Germanus of Auxerre. For 18 years he prayed and struggled and studied and was often granted a vision of Irish children calling out to him: O holy youth, come back to Erin, and walk once more amongst us.»

Celestine I, the Bishop of Rome, commissioned St. Patrick to bring the people of Ireland into Christ’s one, true fold, and so during the summer of 433 he and his companions arrived in Ireland. They were immediately persecuted by the druids and other pagans, but the saint’s meekness and wonderworking, as well as his God-inspired ability to preach the Gospel, resulted in the conversion of many thousands. In particular, St. Patrick had to do spiritual battle with the arch-druid, Lochru, who, by the power of demons and through many incantations, tried to maintain his influence on the Irish. On one occasion Lochru, like Simon Magus, was able to levitate himself high into the air in a display of sorcery; but the moment St. Patrick knelt in prayer,

The Saints and the Church speak out on abortion!

The following represents the teaching of the Church from the [early] second century through to the fifth century…. Note that penalties, when they are given, are neither civil nor criminal, but ecclesiastical and pastoral (excommunication for the purpose of inducing repentance). Also note that the these quotes deal with both surgical and chemically induced abortion, both pre- and post-quickening.

All quotes are from «The Church Fathers on Social Issues», Department of youth Ministry of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America.

From the Letter to Diognetus

(speaking of what distinguishes Christians from pagans):

«They marry, as do all others; they beget children but they do not destroy their offspring» (literally ‘cast away fetuses’).

Ο Βατοπαιδινός Άγιος Ιγνάτιος Μαριουπόλεως (+1786)

Γεννήθηκε στις αρχές του 18ου αιώνα στο νησί Θέρμη. Μάλλον πρόκειται για το νησί των Κυκλάδων Κύθνο, πού ονομαζόταν και Θερμιά, λόγω των εκεί θερμών ιαματικών πηγών. Ήταν γόνος της γνωστής και ευσεβούς οικο­γενείας Γεζεδινού.

Νέος μετέβη στο Άγιον Όρος. Στη μονή Βατοπαιδίου μόναζε ένας κοντινός συγγενής του. Αγαπώντας ολόκαρδα τη μοναχική πολιτεία, εγκατέλειψε κάθε κοσμική ματαιότητα και εκάρη μοναχός με το όνομα Ιγνάτιος. Αργότερα χειροτονήθηκε ιερέας.

Για την αρετή του κλήθηκε να ποιμάνει ένα απομακρυσμένο ποίμνιο, πού βρισκόταν κάτω από σκληρό ταταρικό ζυγό. Το 1769 χειροτονήθηκε επίσκοπος Γκοτφέϊ και Κεφάϊ της Κριμαίας. Χαρακτηρίζεται ως καλοκάγαθος και ακαταπόνητος ιεράρχης, πού κατέκτησε την αγάπη και τον σεβασμό του ταλαιπωρημένου ποιμνίου του. Ό Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης Κωνσταντινουπόλεως του έδωσε για την καλή διακονία του, τον τίτλο του αρχιε­πισκόπου και τον έκανε μέλος της Ιεράς Συνόδου του Οικουμενικού Πατριαρχείου.

Οι σύγχρονοι του τον χαρακτηρίζουν ως άνδρα, τίμιο, ευσεβή, ηθικό, ταπεινό, αγνό, άγρυπνο.

Helpful Information for Keeping a Prayer Rule

By St. Theophan the Recluse

You ask about a prayer rule. Yes, it is good to have a prayer rule on account of our weakness so that on the one hand we do not give in to laziness, and on the other hand we restrain our enthusiasm to its proper measure. The greatest practitioners of prayer kept a prayer rule. They would always begin with established prayers, and if during the course of these a prayer started on its own, they would put aside the others and pray that prayer. If this is what the great practitioners of prayer did, all the more reason for us to do so. Without established prayers, we would not know how to pray at all. Without them, we would be left entirely without prayer. However, one does not have to do many prayers. It is better to perform a small number of prayers properly than to hurry through a large number of prayers, because it is difficult to maintain the heat of prayerful zeal when they are performed to excess.

Read more…

Άγιος Σάββας ο Α’, αρχιεπίσκοπος των Σέρβων, ο Βατοπαιδινός (1176-1236)

Υϊός του Στέφανου Νεμάνια, μεγάλου ζουπάνου των Σέρβων, ο κατά κόσμον Ράτσκο. Γεννήθηκε γύρω στα 1176. Από νέος ποθούσε τη μοναχική ζωή και, όταν του δόθηκε η ευκαιρία, αναχώρησε για το Άγιον Όρος, το 1193, όπου με σπάνιο ζήλο επιδόθηκε στους ασκητικούς αγώνες, στις μονές του Ρώσικου και του Βατοπεδίου. Στη δεύτερη αναδείχθηκε και νέος κτήτορας. Εκεί τον ακολούθησε και ο πατέρας του με το μοναχικό όνομα Συμεών και ίδρυσαν τη μονή του Χιλανδαρίου (1198). Μετά την κοίμηση του πατέρα του δόθηκε περισσότερο στην εργασία των αρετών κι έγινε έτσι ο διακριτικός και φωτισμένος σύμβουλος όλου του Αγίου Όρους.

Godly Shining Eclipse

Hermitage where famous Mount Athos monk Josif Isihasta spiritually struggled.

Our Merciful Lord Christ, everlasting thanks to You for making it possible for us, sinners, to illuminate the darkness of our sinful souls on the day of the Martyr Teodot Ankirski. We exalt the Glory to You, Jesus Christ, our only God and Ruler, for shining down on us, and for enlightening us through ur devoted servant, Archimandrite Gabriel Vuckovic. Abbot of the Monastery Lepavina, our ever forgiving and Yoever merciful father Gabriel, with his merciful voice continued to read the book “EVENING IN THE DESERT OF MOUNT ATHOS”, the spiritual chapter titled “GOD’S SHINING ECLIPSE”, written by Archimandrite Jerotej Vlahos.  

Read more…
 

Ο άγιος Ευθύμιος και οι 12 οσιομάρτυρες της Μονής Βατοπαιδίου (+1280, 4 Ιανουαρίου)

Ο όσιος Ευθύμιος διετέλεσε ηγούμενος κατά το δεύτερο μισό του 13ου αιώνος της μονής Βατοπαιδίου σε μιά κρίσιμη περίοδο για την πορεία της Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας και του Αγίου Όρους. Μετά τη σύνοδο της Λυών το 1274, όπου υποστηρίχθηκε η ένωση των Εκκλησιών, οι λατινόφρονες απεσταλμένοι του αυτοκράτορος Μιχαήλ Η΄ του Παλαιολόγου (1259-1282) και του πατριάρχου Ιωάννου ΙΑ΄ Βέκκου (1275-1282), θέλησαν να πείσουν τους Αγιορείτες μοναχούς για τα αιρετικά δόγματα. Τούτο συνέβη περί το 1279/1280. Δυστυχώς ορισμένοι ερευνητές αμφισβητούν τα γεγονότα και τα συγχίζουν με κατοπινά, αποδίδοντάς τα στους Καταλανούς.

Ο όσιος Ευθύμιος «εχόμενος στερρώς των ορθοδόξων παραδόσεων ήλεγξε τους λατινόφρονας». Γι’ αυτό, κατά τον όσιο Νικόδημο τον Αγιορείτη, «δεθείς με άλυσιν, κατεποντίσθη υπ’ αυτών εν τη θαλάσση του Καλαμιτζίου». Κατά δε τον Μανουήλ Γεδεών, «Ευθύμιον δε τον ηγούμενον δήσαντες αλύσει πέραν της θαλάσσης εις το παραθαλάσσιον, Καλλαμίτζιον καλούμενον, επάνω υφά­λου πέτρας εάσαντες απεπνίγη ο αοίδιμος».

The Christmas Message of the Ecumenical Patriarch

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Prot. No. 1237 

BARTHOLOMEW

By God’s Grace

Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome

and Ecumenical Patriarch

To the Plenitude of the Church

Grace, peace and mercy from the Savior Christ

Born in Bethlehem

 

Beloved concelebrants and blessed children in the Lord,

Heaven and earth have united

Through the birth of Christ.

Today, God has appeared on earth,

And man has ascended to heaven.

(Christmas Hymn)

The distance and separation between God and humanity resulting from sin has been abolished with the assumption of the entire human nature by the Only-Begotten Son and Pre-eternal Word of God. It was God’s good will – that is to say, His initiative and will – that the incarnation of His Son should abolish all such distance uniting heaven and earth, as well as creation with its Creator.

Turkish Military Planned Attacks on Christians

Senior Turkish military officers had made extensive plans to terrorize non-Muslims in Turkey. In the large Ergenekon1 scandal recently a well-planned terrorist operation was revealed. The operation which is called «Kafes Operasyonu Eylem Plani», in English meaning «the execution of the cage – operation» was to eliminate the remaining small group of Christians living in Turkey today.

The plan was revealed when police arrested Levent Bektas, a major in the Turkish army. The evidence seized reveals more than 27 officers and senior military officers involved in the conspiracy against Christians.

In order to identify key persons among the Christians and then kill them, this terrorist network has broken into a Greek church congregation compound and stolen computers. The purpose of this was to access the congregation’s member lists.

Read more…