Russia Buries Murdered Priest

Russia Buries Murdered Priest, As Attention Focuses On Fragile Religious Ties
(RFE/RL) — Thousands of mourners gathered at a suburban Moscow church today for funeral services for a Russian Orthodox priest shot dead by a masked gunman last week.
Investigators said Daniil Sysoyev had received death threats for converting Muslims and criticizing Islam. His death is [...]

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Manhattan Declaration Executive Summary

Religious Leaders Call for Civil Disobedience if Laws Don’t Respect Faith
Saturday, November 21, 2009 2:52 PM
A formidable coalition of 150 Catholic, Orthodox and evangelical leaders are calling on Christians in a new manifesto to reject secular authority – and even engage in civil disobedience – if laws force them to accept abortion, same-sex marriage and [...]

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Saint Silouan on Love

Saint Silouan on Love
The soul cannot know peace unless she prays for her enemies. The soul that has learned of God’s grace to pray, feels love and compassion for every created thing, and in particular for mankind, for whom the Lord suffered on the Cross, and His soul was heavy for every one of us.
The [...]

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Fall Down Get Up x3

The Orthodox among us will recognize the title. There is general acknowledgment that in our spiritual lives we tend to fall down and get up many times. We commit the same old transgressions again and again and again. We are genuinely sorry, and do try to repent, but we recognize that we probably will fail [...]

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Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus in Syria (290-303).

Today the Church remembers the Martyrs Sergius (Sergios) and Bacchus (Bakkos) in Syria (290-303).

The Holy Martyrs Sergios and Bakkhos were appointed to high positions in the army by the emperor Maximian (284-305), who did not know that they were Christians. Malevolent persons made a denunciation to Maximian, that his two military-commanders did not honour [...]

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Condemned to Immortality

Condemned to Immortality
A meditation on the Resurrection
from Philosophical Gifts
by Archimandrite Justin Popovich
People condemned God to death; with His Resurrection He condemned them to immortality. For striking Him, God returned embraces; for insults, blessings; for death, immortality. Never did men show more hate towards God than when they crucified Him; and God never showed His love [...]

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Remembrance of Death

My husband’s brother died today. He was very sick, so it was no surprise, but it was still a jolt, and a reminder that death comes to us all. We never know when it will come, so we must work at all times to be prepared.
The saints call this, “remembrance of death.” St. Ignaty [Brianchaninov], [...]

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Love Without Limits – 12

Love Without Limits (12)
Written by Archimandrite Lev Gillet (A Monk of the Eastern Church)
This is a further translation of passages from Fr. Lev’s book of meditations on the mystery of divine and human Love. That book, unfortunately, has long been out of print, and the translation does little to reflect the poetic beauty of the [...]

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September 9/22 – Sts Joachim and Anna

Righteous Saint Joachim, son of Barpathir, was a descendant of King David, to whom God had revealed that from the descendants of his line would be born the Saviour of the world. Righteous Saint Anna was the daughter of Matthan and through her father she was of the tribe of Levi, and through her mother [...]

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Jesus’ Powerpoint Presentation – The Beatitudes

I never thought of it this way before, and it struck me pretty funny at first – but this blogpost has a great many things to say in a small amount of space – like a Powerpoint Presentation, indeed! Check it out!

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What Passes for Normal

Well, we are just about back to what passes for normal around here. The contractor starts today fixing the roof. The ceiling will be next week, but we are back in our BED – which is a great blessing. I’ve gotten wonderful sleep the last 2 nights – even with the hole in the ceiling!

The [...]

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The Funeral of Blessed Elder Joseph of Vatipedi

Blessed Elder Joseph of Vatipedi reposed July 1, 2009. Videos of his funeral may be found HERE!
But the most important thing is that after his repose, and after being prepared for burial, he was found to be SMILING!
Why is the smile of Elder Joseph from Eternity?
A Modern Elder Reposes.

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Prayer for the Prosperity of the Russian Orthodox Church

[Stolen from: Redeeming the Time {blog} Friday after Ascension, May 16/29 2009]
[Also found HERE in RTF format.]
O Lord Jesus Christ our God, accept from us, Thine unworthy servants, these words of thanksgiving:
For Thou hast given unity to the Church of Russia and transformed into joy the greatly painful cry of Thy servants.
Hearken now to our [...]

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The Ascension

On May 28th (Thursday of the 7th week following Pascha) we celebrated the Ascension of Christ into the Heavens.
“The Ascension is a sign and token of the Second Coming. “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts [...]

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May 11 / 24 – Sunday of the Blind Man

Tomorrow, Sunday May 24 (May 11, old style) is the 6th Sunday after Pascha on which we remember the healing of the Blind Man.
We also remember the special Saints of the days: Hieromartyr Mocius (Mucius), Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia.
Saints Methodius and Cyril, Equals of the Apostles, first teachers of the Slavs.
Hieromartyr Joseph, Metropolitan of [...]

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Fifth Sunday of Pascha: The Samaritan Woman

Today we celebrate the Samaritan Woman. According to Church tradition, the Samaritan Woman was named Photini (Photina) (or in Slavonic, Svetlana). She was that Samaritan woman who had the rare fortune to speak with the Lord Christ Himself at Jacob’s Well in Sychar (John. 4). Coming to faith in the Lord, she then came to [...]

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The Venerable Theodore the Sanctified

Theodore was a disciple of St. Pachomius. He was born and raised as a pagan but as a young man came to the knowledge of the True Faith and was baptized. Learning about St. Pachomius, he secretly fled from his parent’s home to Pachomius’ monastery. St. Pachomius tonsured him a monk and admired him because [...]

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Losing Christianity

The USA is not so gradually losing it’s Christianity. As an inveterate watcher of news shows, I have been horrified, bemused and disgusted at all the attacks on basic Christian beliefs (and Jewish and Muslim beliefs, for that matter). I seem to have some company: Smart Girl Nation posted THIS yesterday (5/10/09).
Now, while I [...]

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“All the Saints Are our Elder Brothers”

St. John of Kronstadt
from: Orthodox Photos
.

The ever-memorable Russian Pastor, St John of Kronstadt, in his “Thoughts Concerning the Church” writes: “Acknowledge that all the saints are our elder brothers in the one House of the Heavenly Father, who have departed from earth to heaven, and they are always with us in God, and they constantly [...]

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Christ God is Risen – Let Us Rejoice

Last year, during the Paschal season I  posted what is, to me, the quintessential Easter Song:
Christ God is Risen!
I hope you enjoy this little reprise!
.

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