As my colleagues Salman Massod and Jane Perlez report, Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s minorities minister, was shot dead on Wednesday morning as he left his home.
Al Jazeera has obtained this video of a recent interview with Mr. Bhatti, who was the only Christian member of Pakistan’s cabinet, insisting that he would not be stopped from opposing Pakistan’s blasphemy law, despite threats to his life by Islamist extremists:
The Holy Martyr Nicephorus lived in the city of Syrian Antioch. In this city lived also the presbyter Sapricius, with whom Nicephorus was very friendly, so that they were considered as brothers. They quarreled because of some disagreement, and their former love changed into enmity and hate.
After a certain time Nicephorus came to his senses, repented of his sin and more than once asked Sapricius, through mutual friends, to forgive him. Sapricius, however, did not wish to forgive him. Nicephorus then went to his former friend and fervently asked forgiveness, but Sapricius was adamant. Διαβάστε τη συνέχεια του άρθρου »
By Paul Stanway,
One of the staples of television news over the Christmas holiday is coverage of celebrations in the Holy Land, providing a familiar and comforting nod to the ancient roots of Western civilization.
Even in our increasingly secular society, images of Christians worshipping in Nazareth and Bethlehem provide welcome confirmation that we have a long and substantial history — even if we’re fuzzy on the details. It all looks so traditional and Christmassy.
When the phrase «child prodigy» is mentioned it may bring to mind the name of Mozart, who composed music before he was twelve that is still extant, or Alexander Pope, who wrote the classic poem «Solitude» when he was but eleven years old. It would be difficult to recall any boy genius of religion, but the one who comes closest to this was a Roman lad of the second century. His name was Eleftherios and he was among the first and youngest to carve a niche for himself in Christianity in the eternal city of Rome, where he astounded his elders with his prodigious intellect and early development.
The Holy Martyrs and Confessors Samonas, Gurias, and Habibus suffered during the persecution against Christians under the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). The two friends Gurias and Samonas, preachers of the Word of God, were arrested in the city of Edessa.
The saints refused to offer sacrifice to the gods, and boldly confessed their faith in Christ. For this they were subjected to cruel tortures: they were beaten, hung up by their hands, heavy weights were tied to their feet, and they were cast into a stifling prison.
A series of bombings across Baghdad Wednesday morning targeted Christian homes, killing at least three and wounding 26.
The attacks came just 10 days after Islamist militants stormed a church during Sunday mass, eventually killing more than 50 people, mostly Christian worshipers. It was the worst attack on Iraqi Christians in recent history, and it has increased fear that more of Iraq’s already dwindling Christian community will leave Iraq and seek safer homes abroad.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I
Numerous graves in the Christian-Orthodox graveyard on the Aegean Island of Gökceada were violated by unknown people. According to what was reported by some Turkish media and by the Austrian Catholic news agency Kathpress yesterday, the crosses of 78 gravestones were destroyed. The episode took place on 29 October, the national feast of Turkey. The island is home to some of the few Greek-Orthodox Christians who still live in the country. Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, …
The Chair of the Syriac Culture Association Yuhanna Aktas stated Turkish State Minister Faruk Celik should apologize to Christians for calling them gavur (an offensive ethnic slur used by Muslims in Turkey to describe all who are non-Muslim) in one of the TV programs several days ago.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the living embodiment of an ancient tradition. From his historic base in Istanbul, Turkey, the 270th Patriarch of Constantinople claims to be the direct successor of the Apostle Andrew.
Today he’s considered «first among equals» in the leadership of the Greek Orthodox church, and is the spiritual leader of 250 million Orthodox Christians around the world. But few of them are in his own home country.
«We are a small Christian minority,» Bartholomew laments.
And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” – Matthew 19:23-24
Technically, this was the Gospel reading from yesterday. But this passage spoke to me today and so I wanted to make this my opening entry. As I sat in church today, I could hardly hear the Gospel being read, but thankfully it was typed out in the bulletin.
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.
Menas was an Egyptian by birth and a soldier by profession. As a true Christian, he was not able to witness the abominable sacrificial offerings to the idols and left the army, the town, the people and everything else, and went to a deserted mountain, for it was easier for him to live among the wild beasts than with pagans. One day Menas clairvoyantly discerned a pagan celebration in the town of Cotyaeus.
By Ryassophore Monk Adrian
Originally published in “Orthodox Word” magazine No. 190
When we come to know God as Person, we begin to see His hand at work not only in the circumstances of our daily lives, but also in the events of our past which have led us to the present moment. We see how from partial truths He has led us to the fullness of Truth, and how He continues to lead us into a more profound realization of that Truth. As Fr. Seraphim Rose wrote, when we come to Christ “no real truth we have ever known will ever be lost.”
Surrounded by five of the highest peaks in the Himalayas, I was standing at 14,000 feet gazing at the Annapurna mountains as the sun rose. My trek in Nepal had begun a few weeks previously and this was its culmination. As I stood staring at the pristine beauty soaring above me, a thought entered my mind and refused to budge: “What’s the point?” My ego immediately retorted to this random thought, “What’s the point! What do you mean, ‘What’s the point?’ The point is you hiked all this distance to see these mountains, now enjoy it!” Still the thought plagued my mind. Yes, it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, and I was joyful at the moment, but where would those feelings be tomorrow when I was no longer so greatly inspired? The happiness of this world could never bring me satisfaction. It should have been apparent throughout my life, but it took my climbing to the top of the world for me to finally accept it. And that was my first step toward Christ and Orthodoxy.
The deeper sorrow carves our hearts, the more space love can fill. Often we see pain and trials at face value alone, without spirituality we fail to see their worth. Within every heartbreaking moment, every tear that falls, every time of uncertainty we’ve faced where we couldn’t see the beginning or end, there hid a blessing which helped shape our lives.
How can we learn to love selflessly if we’ve never been at the receiving end of hate? How can we relate or even begin to truly sympathize with those who suffer if we’ve not once been in their place? This is the beauty of the Passion of Christ. In every way, He suffered, thus in every way He can divinely sympathize with our own weaknesses. He is a tower and fortress to the oppressed, not only because He is our Comforter, but because He has withstood our pain. Knowing this… knowing that we as Christians should strive to emulate Christ, why do we frown in the face of trials? We should embrace them. We should rejoice in the sufferings of the Cross, knowing that sharing in those sufferings, we will also share in it’s glory, and we will understand the mysteries therein.
By Bishop John (Kallos) of Thermon
The first and great commandment of Christ was the commandment to love. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” Luke 10:27. This commandment of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ passed through my mind as I read the book “Why Pray” by Fr. Mark Gibbard. In the chapter entitled, ‘Praying is Exploration,’ he says, ‘Seldom in the history of mankind has there been such real concern for our fellow man, than there is today. There are the demands that poverty should be wiped out. There are the protests against the horror of war. There are the struggles against unjust racial discrimination. Concern about man and unconcern about God. Demand for action and disregard for prayer.’
The Gossip. Painting of Nikolaos Gyzis
Strangely enough, the word ‘gossip’ originally meant ‘godparent’ and it is connected with the word ‘sibling’. It is useful to recall, because it means that gossip comes about when people are too familiar, too close to each other. I think that in the hothouse of certain tiny convert groups, where relations are too close for comfort, this can be a problem. I have not particularly come across the problem of gossip in more ‘normal’, larger parishes.
The essence of gossip is pride, the wish to feel superior to others, it is smugness, pretentiousness, self-importance. Gossip always condemns others. Here we must distinguish between ‘judging’ and ‘condemning’. We constantly have to judge – judges have to do it, parents have to do it, priests have to do it.
Ιερα Μονή Κωσταμονίτου. Εξωτερική άποψη. Holy Monastery of Kostamonitou. External view.
Ιδρύθηκε κατά το πρώτο μισό του 11ου αι. από κάποιον καταγόμενο από τήν Κασταμονή της Μικράς Ασίας, στον οποίο οφείλει και το όνομά της. Νεώτερος κτήτορας είναι η σύζυγος του Αλή Πασά κυρά Βασιλική, με χρηματοδότηση της οποίας ανοικοδομήθηκε μεγάλο μέρος της Μονής κατά τα έτη 1819-1820. Το Καθολικό, τιμώμενο στον πρωτομάρτυρα, Στέφανο, κτίσθηκε το 1867 και είναι το τέταρτο στη σειρά πού οικοδομήθηκε στην ίδια θέση. Τα σημαντικώτερα από τα κειμήλια είναι οι τρεις θαυματουργές εικόνες: του αγίου Στεφάνου, της Οδηγήτριας και της Αντιφωνήτριας. Διαβάστε τη συνέχεια του άρθρου »
… the warriors who take part in this unseen war are all who are Christians; and their commander is our Lord Jesus Christ, surrounded and accompanied by His marshals and generals, that is, by all the heirarchies of angels and saints. The arena, the field of battle, the site where the fight actually takes place is our own heart and all our inner man. The time of the battle is our whole life.
These words, written by St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain in the forward to his rendering of Unseen Warfare*, sum up in a graphic way the life of the Christian. Christ himself states in Matthew: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” That is, the message of Christ does not mean that we can sit back and enjoy peace, rather it is a call to arms.
By Lee Jay Walker
Tokyo Correspondent
The ongoing de-Christianization of Kosovo continues and unlike the past frenzy of the anti-Serbian mass media in the West, we mainly have a deadly silence about the reality of Kosovo and the continuing Albanianization of this land. However, how is it “just” and “moral” to persecute minorities and to alienate them from mainstream society; and then to illegally recognize this land without the full consensus of the international community? Διαβάστε τη συνέχεια του άρθρου »
In one of the Sunday Gospel readings we hear the parable of the Royal Son’s wedding feast.
In a direct historical sense this parable refers to the Jews, who were called, but who disdained the honor of their heavenly calling. However, just like the entire Gospel in general, this particular parable is not limited to a single meaning, but contains greater depths.
The image of the man who came to the feast without wearing wedding garments reveals to us the principle that for our salvation it is not enough to be among those who are called. We still need “our own” clothes, i.e. personal striving in life which transforms us from the “called” into the “chosen.” Διαβάστε τη συνέχεια του άρθρου »
Procopius was born in Jerusalem of a father who was a Christian and a mother who was a pagan. At first, his name was Neanias. Following the death of his father, the mother raised her son completely in the spirit of Roman idolatry. When Neanias matured, Emperor Diocletian saw him and, at once, took a liking to him and brought him to his palace for military service. When this nefarious emperor began to persecute Christians, he ordered Neanias to go to Alexandria with a garrison of soldiers and there to exterminate the Christians. But, on the road, something happened to Neanias similar to that which happened to Saul [Paul]. Διαβάστε τη συνέχεια του άρθρου »
«Death and life are in the power of the tongue» (Proverbs 18:21).
Did not our Lord Himself confirm this when He said that for every empty word men will give an answer before the Dread Judgment? Didn’t He explicitly say: «But I tell you, that of every idle word men speak, they shall give account on the Day of Judgment. For by your words, you shall be justified and by your words, you shall be condemned» (St. Matthew 12: 36-37). Whoever is justified will receive life. Whoever is condemned will receive death. Therefore, do you see how life and death are in the power of the tongue? The Apostle James says: «For in many things we all offend. If anyone does not offend in word, he is a perfect man, able also to lead round by a bridle the whole body» (St. James 3:2). Διαβάστε τη συνέχεια του άρθρου »
Painting of Vasily Maximov (1844-1911)
«He who mocks the poor, blasphemes his Maker (Creator)» (Proverbs 17:5).
If you are wealthy, in what are you wealthy, if not in the property of God? The things which constitute your wealth, whose are they, if not God’s? Therefore, if you become proud in that which you possess, you become proud with the property of another, you become proud with that which is loaned to you by God. Why do you then mock the poor man who has less of someone else’s property in his hands? Why do you mock him if he borrowed less from God than you? If he took less, he owes less; and you who took more, owe more. Not only should you not mock the poor man, you should admire him. Behold, he leads a struggle on the battlefield of this world with much less means than you. Both of you are soldiers, only you fight as a soldier abundantly equipped with all the needs and he fights naked and hungry. If the both of you succumb and surrender to your enemy, he will be judged more leniently than you. However, if you are both victorious, he will receive a greater reward than you and his victory will be more celebrated than yours. Διαβάστε τη συνέχεια του άρθρου »
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Today we are keeping the Feast of the Holy Spirit. What do we know about Him? We heard wonderful words of prayer about Him yesterday on Trinity Sunday, but let us think of Him, of the name He is given in the Gospel, which is translated ‘The Comforter’ in English, in other translations ‘The Advocate’. He is the One Who is the Comforter indeed, the One Who consoles us for our separation from Christ, Who consoles us who are like orphans, who long to be with Christ our God, our Saviour, and who know that as long as we are in the flesh – and these are the words of St. Paul – we are separated from Him. But for Him to be our Comforter, to be our consolation, we must first be aware of the fact that we are separated and this is the first question we must ask ourselves: are we aware of it, or do we live in the delusion that we are in God and God in us, and that nothing more is needed? How much more is needed!
He is also the One Who, as the Comforter, gives us strength, strength to live despite the separation, strength to stand fast and to be the doers of the Will, the fulfillers of the Commandments of God, the One Who can give us vigour of soul, determination, power to act. But this, again, only if we turn to Him and say, Come! Come and abide in us! Cleanse us! Be not only our Comforter but our strength also. Διαβάστε τη συνέχεια του άρθρου »
Fresco detail from Vatopedi Monastery (Ascending to Heaven)
Ch. 13. from The Truth of Our Faith:: A Discourse from Holy Scripture on the Teachings of True Christianity
Inquirer: Father, earlier you spoke about our “personal salvation.” Can you tell me more about this?
Elder Cleopa: Some religious confessions teach that personal salvation presupposes the action of Divine Grace alone, according to Calvin, or the grace of faith, i.e. of trust in God, according to Luther, by which the “merits” or virtues of our Lord Jesus Christ are conferred upon man. Therefore, to give a general outline, there are Protestant Christians who believe that salvation stems only from faith and that on the part of man himself there is placed no condition or requirement for his salvation. MORE… Διαβάστε τη συνέχεια του άρθρου »
ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙ
Απόψεις για τη Μονή Βατοπαιδίου (και όχι μόνο) 
